Sunday, July 27, 2008

West Haven Summer Youth Theatre Performance on August 7th and 8th

On August 7th and 8th, theater-goers will be treated to the second season of the West Haven Summer Youth Theatre. Group 1, children ages 10yrs - 13yrs, will perform You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, while Group 2, ages 14yrs - 18yrs old, will perform the Andrew Lloyd Webber/ Tim Rice opera, Jesus Christ Superstar.

The West Haven Summer Youth Theatre, sponsored by the West Haven Council on the Arts and a block grant from the West Haven Community Development Department, got underway on June 23rd. Almost 30 children took part in their auditions. Since then, cast members have been rehearsing their parts, as well as learning the behind the scenes duties that most of us never think about when we see a show. Their 6-week investment culminates in their performance which takes place on August 7th and 8th, at Carrigan Middle School in West Haven. The show will begin with Group 1 performing songs from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, followed by Group 2’s performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.

West Haven Council on the Arts would like to thank the West Haven Board of Education for making Carrigan Middle School available for the theatre program, as they did last year. Our goal is to present this program at its permanent home in The West Haven Arts Center in the near future.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

WHCA Member to Perform at Savin Rock Festival

Rob Granoth and his band Infinity Project have agreed to be the opening band of the Savin Rock Festival. The band hits the stage at 5:30pm on Thursday, July 24, 2008.

Rob, who is the band's drummer, is a student at Bailey Jr High School and member of West Haven Council on the Arts. He and his bandmates Larry Shea (guitar, vocals) Mike Gendreau (bass, vocals) and vocalist Jason Corn have been playing together since 2007. They've scored high marks with fans, family and us through their talent and their community spirit. They recently participated in a successful fundraising event for the CT Children's Hospital.

"Infinity Project's name was at the top of the list when the SRF Committee approached council members for entertainment suggestions, not just because of Rob's affiliation with WHCA but because we know the public will be treated to a performance of the highest caliber." said council president, Paul Scanlon. The council is very proud to be associated with such exceptional talent and such a fine group of teens.

When he was asked if the band would kick off the festivities Rob said this, "Absolutely! We love playing and this is a great way to reach a wider audience. We work hard to be the best we can be and want everyone to know that."

To learn more about the band and other arts council projects or to become a member yourself, stop by our booth at the festival. Members will be on hand from Noon until 4PM on Saturday, July 26th and Sunday, July 27th.


WHCA

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Mother's Day Luncheon at City Square

Dear readers,

This Spring saw WHCA hard at work organizing and producing a fantastic event that was held on Mother's Day in City Square. (A cabaret style Mother's Day Luncheon)

Council member Daniel Juarez secured the entertainment and Greg Giaquinto (Giaquinto's Deli) provided the food for a spectacular program. WHCA members handled the hosting duties with council president, Paul Scanlon, as the Master of Ceremonies. Both the food and entertainment were superb. As I said earlier, the Giaquinto family provided a delicious buffet. All the mother's and their loving families were teated to the dynamic sounds of The Sentinels sentinels-sounds.com, a doo wop group from Stamford who performed two sets of music for an appreciative audience of about 75 people.

For those of you that aren't yet familiar with it, City Square is the beautiful courtyard behind Gold Works on Campbell Avenue perfectly suited to outdoor Arts events. You'll be hearing a lot more about this space as the city and WHCA stage more productions there.

That's it for now. The Summer is shaping up to be very active, too, so come back soon for more council news and events.