Come to The Center and be yourself!

412-563-5080

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Looking AHEAD —- Important dates to remember:

Registration for Second Semester is now open.
Register online or call to reserve spring classes.

LUCKY GUY – A new musical February 6, 7, and 8th.

The Center for Theater Arts (CTA) will present the Pittsburgh premiere of a new production of Willard Beckham’s Off-Broadway musical comedy Lucky Guy. Bringing the show to Pittsburgh is the result of a unique collaboration between New York based Willard Beckham, the show’s author and composer, and CTA Executive Director Billy Hartung. Working together, Beckham and Hartung have adapted the show’s music, lyrics and dialogue to suit a high-school aged cast.

“What an incredible honor to work directly with the show’s creator to adapt his production for the CTA,” said Hartung. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce a newly-crafted show to our students. It’s been a unique experience for our cast and the excitement surrounding the show is building daily.”

Lucky Guy is a fast and funny plot that tells the story of Billy Ray Jackson, a young musician from Oklahoma who wins a songwriting contest and is invited to Nashville to record his song. He becomes the target of the used-car dealer Big Al Wright and the fading star Miss Jeannie Jeannine (the “Queen of Country Music”), who want to steal Billy Ray’s song and use it to revitalize Jeannie’s career

Lucky Guy runs February 6 – 8 at Mt. Lebanon High School. For ticket reservations call The Center for Theater Arts at 412-563-5080 or visit centerfortheaterarts.org

REACH FOR A STAR GALA
Save the date! The Gala is March 7th.

Please consider Joining our incredible CAST on March 7, 2020, as we host our annual “Reach for a Star” Gala. 

All funds raised at the Reach for a Star Gala directly benefit our programs and the Center for Theater Arts! Did you know The Center is a (501) c3 organization? We have never turned away a student for the inability to pay. For families needing help with tuition, The CTA provides scholarships, and our classes for children and adults with special needs have always been free of charge. We invite you to join us in supporting The CTA through a sponsorship. Let us hear your VOICE! Your help will make a direct and real impact! Thank You in advance!

CTA SPRING SHOWCASE WEEK– more specific details will be sent home.
April 21st – 25th Mellon Middle School

Tuesday the 21st– Voice Concerts
Wednesday the 22nd – Performance workshop II and III
Thursday the 23rd – Dance Showcase
Friday the 24th – Friday Night Special Actors Program
Saturday the 25th – Morning Jr Division Classes – Evening Performance Workshop I and Boys Voice

CTA ALL SCHOOL MUSICAL IS GODSPELL – Join us for this FAMILY friendly musical for ALL Ages! Prepare ye the way…. for Godspell!

* The performances will be on JUNE 11th, 12th and 13th at Boyce Middle School 

Rehearsal will begin in MARCH. *Student in grade 3rd – 8th * MUST be registered for a class at the Center in order to be in the show.  Based on the Gospels according to Matthew, This timeless tale of friendship, loyalty and love has touched the hearts of countless theatergoers all over the world—and now you can join the celebration as a spectacular ensemble of students performs the greatest story ever told. So come sing about LOVE — at Godspell.  Rehearsal will begin in MARCH. *Student in grade 3rd – 8th * MUST be registered for a class at the Center in order to be in the show.

 

 

“Kid-focused training is at the heart of the Center for Theater Arts.” – KidsburghPgh

Check out this article celebrating all that is thriving in excellent theater and performing arts education in the city of Pittsburgh.

To read full article CLICK on KIDSBURGH Logo below — or check us out on Facebook

CENTER FOR THEATER ARTS

Now in its 38th year, the Center for Theater Arts in the South Hills has a flexible performing arts curriculum of over 80 classes offered to kids from age 4 to 17. The Centers programs are designed specifically students and families who have very busy schedules.

DANCE classes include tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. ACTING classes include acting for the camera and improvisation, while the “Acting Playground” class explores how voice, body, emotions, and creativity are tools for the craft of acting. Classes in VOICE emphasize skill development and are intended for those students who wish to increase their mastery in this area. The Center’s vocal studies program is designed especially for developing young voices using Broadway repertoire. Our MUSICAL THEATER program provides students of all ages an opportunity to combine their love of singing, dancing and acting and prepare for a year end performance of a musical production.

“The school is about and for kids. Period. When they come through the door at our school, they can come to the center and be themselves,” says Billy Hartung, executive director. “It’s like they say, I have found my people. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about career training. It’s about artistic experiences and growth and celebration.”

Hartung, an alum of the school, went on to play Broadway and appear in film before returning to raise his family in Pittsburgh. He appreciates and supports the center’s nurturing environment.

“I’m not running a theater company. I’m operating a theater school,” he says. “And I think what we share with these kids every chance we get, is the character that you develop in yourself is more important to us than the character you’re playing.”

The kid-focused training is vital to our mission and help kids improve their self-image and self-confidence through artistic expression, he says.

Which brings us to the center’s Special Actors program, which boasts over 100 participants with special needs from age 9 to 86.

“We close our school on Fridays, and we open all the studios, and we have the same teachers and the same resources,” Hartung says. “And we have musical theater classes for children with special needs. Some of those kids have been here for 25 years.”

Thank you for the great coverage KidsburghPgh, KDKA-TV | CBS Pittsburgh, and Kristine Sorensen! Look for us on the Official Pittsburgh Today Live! Enrollment is open now for summer camps and workshops — join us for our CTA summer series!

Click on the Pittsburgh Today Logo to view the story and celebrate, share and enjoy more Great NEWS!!!

eries!

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PLACES… EVERYONE … PLACES 

It’s time to think about re-registration – if you are coming back to class and are having trouble with online registration – please give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to make sure your child continues with their classes

SPRING CLASSES begin January 6th! 

CENTER FOR THEATER ARTS

Now in its 39th year, the Center for Theater Arts in the South Hills has a flexible performing arts curriculum of over 80 classes offered to kids from age 4 to 17. The Centers programs are designed specifically students and families who have very busy schedules.

DANCE classes include tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. ACTING classes include acting for the camera and improvisation, while the “Acting Playground” class explores how voice, body, emotions, and creativity are tools for the craft of acting. Classes in VOICE emphasize skill development and are intended for those students who wish to increase their mastery in this area. The Center’s vocal studies program is designed especially for developing young voices using Broadway repertoire. Our MUSICAL THEATER program provides students of all ages an opportunity to combine their love of singing, dancing and acting and prepare for a year end performance of a musical production.

“The school is about and for kids. Period. When they come through the door at our school, they can come to the center and be themselves,” says Billy Hartung, executive director. “It’s like they say, I have found my people. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about career training. It’s about artistic experiences and growth and celebration.”

Hartung, an alum of the school, went on to play Broadway and appear in film before returning to raise his family in Pittsburgh. He appreciates and supports the center’s nurturing environment.

“I’m not running a theater company. I’m operating a theater school,” he says. “And I think what we share with these kids every chance we get, is the character that you develop in yourself is more important to us than the character you’re playing.”

The kid-focused training is vital to our mission and help kids improve their self-image and self-confidence through artistic expression, he says.

Which brings us to the center’s Special Actors program, which boasts over 100 participants with special needs from age 9 to 86.

“We close our school on Fridays, and we open all the studios, and we have the same teachers and the same resources,” Hartung says. “And we have musical theater classes for children with special needs. Some of those kids have been here for 25 years.”

Thank you for the great coverage KidsburghPgh, KDKA-TV | CBS Pittsburgh, and Kristine Sorensen! Look for us on the Official Pittsburgh Today Live! Enrollment is open now for summer camps and workshops — join us for our CTA summer series!

Click on the Pittsburgh Today Logo to view the story and celebrate, share and enjoy more Great NEWS!!!

 

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BRAVO …BRAVA!!! … THESE KIDS are………… Amazing! 

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WEEKEND — Please check back in for an update on the Amazing ride we had this weekend with MAMMA MIA!!!

THANK YOU to everyone that help us  …..HELP THE KIDS!

JUST INCREDIBLE ….. MORE TO COME

 

High School Musical

On a small Greek island, Sophie dreams of a perfect wedding — one which includes her father giving her away. The problem? Sophie doesn’t know who he is! Her mother Donna, the former lead singer of the 1970s pop group Donna and the Dynamos, refuses to talk about the past, so Sophie decides to take matters into her own hands. Told through the legendary music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! has become a worldwide sensation that has audiences everywhere dancing.

 

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PLACES… EVERYONE … PLACES 

It’s time to think about re-registration – if you are coming back to class and are having trouble with online registration – please give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to make sure your child continues with their classes

SPRING CLASSES begin January 6th! 

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Lucky Guy
Book, Music & Lyrics by Willard Beckham

Produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price, Executive Producer
Produced at the Little Shubert Theatre, New York City, by L. Glenn Poppleton

Mt. Lebanon High School Auditorium
February 6th, 7th at 7:30pm
February 8th at 1:00 and 7:30pm

For ticket reservations call The Center for Theater Arts or stop by the front desk!

412-563-5080

Tickets are $12.00 and will be available at the door.

  …it’s not what you’ve got in Life, it’s who you’ve got to share it with that counts!

It’s SHOWTIME FOLKS…and we have got some very exciting news to share!! 

The Center for Theatre Arts will be working directly  with Willard Beckham – the AUTHOR, COMPOSER and BOOK Writer from New York ( who will be coming to Pittsburgh for the shows -) along with  R&H Theatricals to develop this musical for HIGH SCHOOL students!

Mr. Beckham visits the CAST of LUCKY GUY and works on the show with us!  WE are indeed LUCKY GUYS and GALS

LUCKY GUY will be a Pittsburgh Premiere – and archived for our work in development!!  

What an incredible honor to have received this amount of  trust and recognition for… Excellence in Theater Education! 

LUCKY GUY tells the tale of a singing cowboy in Nashville who wins a song contest and the chance to become a star! Lucky Guy is a fresh, new and totally original musical comedy guaranteed to delight the whole family. It has a fast and funny plot that will have you roaring with laughter and a memorable score filled with songs you’ll be humming long after you leave the theatre.

This Musical boasts a comic zestfulness that’s as refreshing as a cool glass of lemonade on a hot summer day and a heart as big as a stretch of a Midwestern plain, ultimately winning theatergoers’ hearts and earning their laughter.

The show tells the story of how G.C Wright  manages to save his tiny recording studio from being foreclosed on by his nasty used car magnate cousin Big Al thanks to a song called “Lucky Guy” — a sure-fire hit that’s been penned by Billy Ray Jackson, who’s come to Nashville to record it, having won a contest that G.C.’s company has sponsored.

Unfortunately, Big Al gets wind of the tune, and schemes to steal the number away from the guys with the help of Miss Jeannie Jeannine, the Queen of Country music — whose crown is showing its age.

 

Registration is CURRENTLY OPEN for LUCKY GUY – THE MUSICAL!

(8th-12th grades)


This class is know for being SOLD OUT over the years. We often reach our occupancy for space in the studio.
PLEASE register for this class or call to hold your slot – before it is SOLD OUT.  

*Must be registered in a CTA class in the FALL 2019 to participate in the CTA High School Musical.

Begins September  and meets two times per week. Student MUST be registered in a CTA class in the Fall 2019 semester to participate in the HS Musical. If you are not in a class and need suggestions please consider the High School Series 20-week Workshops – CTA Training Academy

 CLASSES ARE HELD MONDAYS 7:00 PM-9:30 PM AND SATURDAYS 2:00 PM-5:00 PM

 

It’s never been easier to “TAKE THE STAGE AT EVERY AGE! ” – This year we predict to have a record number  of SOLD OUT classes and we continue to be VERY proud of WHAT we do and WHY we do it!

The Center for Theater Arts is a 501 c(3)  Non – profit organization that so very proud of WHAT we do and WHY we do it!! For over 38 years, the CTA has been offering high quality performing arts instruction with a fun, creative, challenging and exciting curriculum. In addition to our dynamic classes and productions, we provide an environment where we all have a role to play!!! We are much more than a place to take voice, dance, musical theater and theater instruction.  We are confident that having classes at the CTA will be something your child will value the rest of their lives!

 The Center for Theater Arts remains dedicated to offering high quality performing arts instruction and is committed to providing all students, including those with special needs, opportunities to improve their self-image and self-confidence through artistic expression. 

If your still looking for classes, please give us a call, explore the website or stop in for a visit! Places everyone…. PLACES!!!!

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Join all of us at the CTA as we prepare to return to this “BLAST FROM THE PAST” Musical that was a smash at the BOX OFFICE and kept our audiences of ALL AGES talking and singing for month after the final Bow!

This girl loves ghoul rock and roll Off Broadway musical is set in the atomic 1950s at Enrico Fermi High, where the law is laid down by a zany, tyrannical principal. Pretty senior Toffee has fallen for the class bad boy. Family pressure forces her to end the romance, and he charges off on his motorcycle to the nuclear waste dump. He returns glowing and determined to reclaim Toffee’s heart. He still wants to graduate, but most of all he wants to take Toffee to the prom. The principal orders him to drop dead while a scandal reporter seizes on him as the freak du jour. As crisis takes hold of the school, the following questions are raised – Will Toffee take Jonny (spelled without the “h”) back? Will Miss Strict let Jonny come back and finish school, or will she cancel Senior Prom, ruining the most important night in the lives of the students of Enrico Fermi High!?

History comes to his rescue while a tuneful selection of original songs in the style of 50s hits keeps the action rocking across the stage. “Zombie Prom” has been described as “Grease”-meets-“Rocky Horror Picture Show”-meets-1950s-comic-book, and a campy romp through America’s Atomic Age and the golden age of comics. Due to aspects of comic horror and innuendo, “Zombie Prom” may not be appropriate for some children 8 and under.
“A blast…. Slick fun for the whole nuclear family.”

This CTA High School Musical is a rehearsal and performance opportunity that is open to students ages 13 and up! We will meet Mondays from 7-9:30 and Saturdays from 2-5:00pm.

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“Kid-focused training is at the heart of the Center for Theater Arts.” – KidsburghPgh

Check out this article celebrating all that is thriving in excellent theater and performing arts education in the city of Pittsburgh.
We are proud to be entering our 4th decade of high quality arts education and providing great opportunities for kids to learn! Enrollment is open now for summer camps and workshops — join us for our CTA summer series!

To read full article CLICK on KIDSBURGH Logo below — or check us out on Facebook

 

 

CENTER FOR THEATER ARTS

Now in its 38th year, the Center for Theater Arts in the South Hills has a flexible performing arts curriculum of over 80 classes offered to kids from age 4 to 17. The Centers programs are designed specifically students and families who have very busy schedules.

DANCE classes include tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. ACTING classes include acting for the camera and improvisation, while the “Acting Playground” class explores how voice, body, emotions, and creativity are tools for the craft of acting. Classes in VOICE emphasize skill development and are intended for those students who wish to increase their mastery in this area. The Center’s vocal studies program is designed especially for developing young voices using Broadway repertoire. Our MUSICAL THEATER program provides students of all ages an opportunity to combine their love of singing, dancing and acting and prepare for a year end performance of a musical production.

“The school is about and for kids. Period. When they come through the door at our school, they can come to the center and be themselves,” says Billy Hartung, executive director. “It’s like they say, I have found my people. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about career training. It’s about artistic experiences and growth and celebration.”

Hartung, an alum of the school, went on to play Broadway and appear in film before returning to raise his family in Pittsburgh. He appreciates and supports the center’s nurturing environment.

“I’m not running a theater company. I’m operating a theater school,” he says. “And I think what we share with these kids every chance we get, is the character that you develop in yourself is more important to us than the character you’re playing.”

The kid-focused training is vital to our mission and help kids improve their self-image and self-confidence through artistic expression, he says.

Which brings us to the center’s Special Actors program, which boasts over 100 participants with special needs from age 9 to 86.

“We close our school on Fridays, and we open all the studios, and we have the same teachers and the same resources,” Hartung says. “And we have musical theater classes for children with special needs. Some of those kids have been here for 25 years.”

Thank you for the great coverage KidsburghPgh, KDKA-TV | CBS Pittsburgh, and Kristine Sorensen! Look for us on the Official Pittsburgh Today Live! Enrollment is open now for summer camps and workshops — join us for our CTA summer series!

Click on the Pittsburgh Today Logo to view the story and celebrate, share and enjoy more Great NEWS!!!

 

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VOICE – Classes in voice emphasize skill development and are intended for those students who wish to increase their mastery in this area. The Center’s vocal studies program is designed especially for developing young voices using Broadway repertoire. This class culminates in a spring Vocal concert with solo performances. Voice Classes meet once a week and new students will be assigned to a class time.

Current students have received their voice placement and should refer to their year end evaluation. In an effort to reserve your spot in class you must call the CTA to reserve you spot for our fall semester.

NEW this FALL — PRIVATE VOCAL PACKAGES — (4, 6, or 8 week – 30 minute sessions/$45.00 per 1/2 hour )
Enjoy studying ONE on ONE with an experienced and certified VOCAL INSTRUCTOR.
enjoy access to over 145 Broadway scores and our NEW Vocal Studio
Call for schedule time in the studio – 4, 6 and 8 week packages are available

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Center for Theater Arts kicks off its 38th year of high quality performing arts instruction with a new VOICE studio, a new VOICE library boasting over 140 scores and PROUDLY welcomes the assembly of an incredibly dynamic vocal team to our roster of vocal educators.

We encourage you to call the CTA and let us hear Your VOICE. Come and SING with us! We are so PROUD of WHAT we do and WHY we do it …. BUT it’s the HOW we do it that has the kids at the CENTER singing their hearts out!

“Explore your love of music as you follow a path to mastery in Voice in a program designed especially for developing young voices. Through Broadway and Disney vocal selections, you’ll be introduced to vocal technique, music theory and solfeggio in a warm, nurturing environment that emphasizes the fun and joy of learning. As you prepare for our spring Vocal concert, you’ll gain the confidence and self-awareness to let your own beautiful Voice ring out.”

CTA VOCAL TEAM:
Lisa Marinacci (BHA Carnegie Mellon University – Drama, Music and Creative Writing, MAPW Masters in Professional Writing Carnegie Mellon University) recently returned home to Pittsburgh after performing, writing and producing in NYC, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. She began working professionally at age 5 in role of Gretel in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s production of The Sound Of Music . While living in NYC, Lisa traveled back and forth to Pittsburgh to co-produce her first album with Joe Negri titled “Waiting For Spring.” She went on to co-produce Snoopy, The Musical!!! in Hollywood, CA, also appearing as Peppermint Patty. Lisa is ecstatic to be teaching at The Center – a place that always did and still feels like home.

Thespina Christulides (Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with an Outside Area in Opera and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Otterbein University) is a classically trained soprano with broad involvement as a professional musician, performer, and educator. Having six years of experience teaching private voice, she recently joined the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University as adjunct faculty. She is highly sought by many high schools and organizations to assist their musical and choral programs by serving as a guest conductor, vocal coach, clinician, audition adjudicator, and section leader. Ms. Christulides holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with an Outside Area in Opera and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Otterbein University.

Jessica Mariotti Tomsic (B.M., M.M. West Virginia University)Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, is a classically trained lyric coloratura soprano, having earned a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from West Virginia University. She has performed professionally in many genres of music, from classical to Christian contemporary, musical theater to gospel, across the United States and in different venues in Europe. Many of her students have gone on to pursue singing as a career. She loves teaching at The CTA and helping students grow on their creative path!

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4 Powerhouse Performances from a cast of CTA students that left the audience wanting more!!!

WOW …The Energy was infectious …Non-Stop Fun from beginning to end.

A Wonderful Show! Thank you so much CTA!

The Leader of the Pack  – a show that had me dancing in my seat from beginning to end!

I loved the Show – So many talented kids! Fabulous Job CTA, As usual!!

The Show was awesome and my daughter had a great time throughout rehearsals and performance. Such a wonderful experience!!  

We are so proud of the cast of Leader of the Pack! You worked so hard, tried new things, took great risks and sang your hearts out!! We hope your child is proud of their accomplishments.

We are confident they enjoyed this rehearsal and performance  process as much as we all did here at the Center.  In fact, I would imagine that some of you can’t get many of the songs out of your head!  Thank you again for the privilege of working with your children, they never cease to amaze us!

Leader of the Pack photo credit: Jacob Malizio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Jukebox Hit Broadway musical is a retrospective that celebrates the life and times of Ellie Greenwich, whose doo wop sounds skyrocketed to the top of the sixties charts. The story of Ellie’s rise to fame and fortune is punctuated with the virtual Hit Parade of her music: “Chapel of Love,” “Da Do Ron Ron,” “Be My Baby,” “Hanky Panky,” Do Wah Diddy,” “And Then He Kissed Me” and, of course, the title song “Leader of the Pack.”

“A happy, high spirited, foot stomping romp. I never realized the songs of the sixties could sound so good.” – WNBC Radio

“The show dances with that up tempo “wall of sound’ that was part of all our lives.” – Hollywood Reporter

 

 

 

 

We need your support.

CTA is a non-profit organization. All of our receipts go directly to supporting our program and staff. Your sponsorship and contributions help us keep the performing arts thriving in this community.

Donate now >>

OUR MISSION

The Center for Theater Arts is dedicated to offering the highest quality performing arts instruction and committed to providing all students, including those with special needs, opportunities to improve their self-image and self-confidence through artistic expression.