<div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><br><br>••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span><br><br>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b style><span style="color:windowtext">Baldwin
Wallace Music Theatre Program’s Ciara Renée makes it big on Broadway</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b style><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">(Member:<span style>
</span>Cleveland Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">On April 1, Ciara Renée<b style> </b>strutted on stage at the Music Box Theatre on West 45<sup>th</sup>
Street as The Leading Player in PIPPIN.<span style>
</span>She became one of seventeen Baldwin Wallace Music Theatre Program
graduates to appear in a Broadway, Off-Broadway or National Touring company
during the 2013-2014 season.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Yes, tiny Baldwin Wallace University, in Berea, Ohio, a
suburb of Cleveland, has become a powerhouse in providing polished theater performers
for professional stages.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">As Victoria Bussert, the program’s director states, “It
is the goal of the BWMTP to create working professional artists.<span style> </span>The team (Scott Plate, Gregory Daniels,
David Pepin—the new Music Director who joined the program straight from
“Wicked” and “Kinky Boots”<span style> </span>and
myself, combine our professional and academic careers to create a special
environment for our students.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">As Ciara said in a recent interview, “The BW program builds
a community and we support each other and we are always trying to help BW,
which 15 years ago wasn’t even on the national map.”<span style> </span>“The program has a curriculum that changes to make learning
relevant, teach each student how to be professional, and how the business
works.”<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">The results are obvious.<span style> </span>Ciara relates, “Last spring’s showcase (an event in New York
where students perform before Broadway directors, agents and managers), every
student was prepared, was ready to show our talents, ready to work at a high
level.”<span style> </span>“I was totally prepared
and jazzed for it.”<span style> </span>Every student
left with an agent or a manager.<span style>
</span>“A month or two in, I tried out for “Big Fish.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">On October 6, 2013, Ciara opened as the witch in “Big
Fish.”<span style> </span>Though the show ran only 34
previews and 98 regular performances, Ciara got positive reviews and after
going through the tryout route again, thanks to her agent “being on top of
what’s going on,” she was selected to replace Tony Award winner, Patina Miller,
as Leading Player in the mega smash revival of Stephen Schwartz’s <span style> </span>PIPPIN.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">That “tryout routine included a six-hour call back, and
a 3 or 4 day wait until I got the good news.”<span style> </span>Between “Big Fish” and “Pippin,” she worked as a fitness
instructor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her entry into “Pippin” included “watching Patina’s performances,
rehearsing every day, learning about the character, and molding it all into a
structure.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Besides singing and dancing, Ciara has to do aerialist
tricks.<span style> </span>She had to go through
special instruction at the Circus Warehouse (<span style="color:rgb(38,38,38)">a training facility in New
York where circus stars, Broadway performers and the public come to train in
acrobatics),</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(38,38,38)"> </span>learning how to do the tricks incorporated into
the show.<span style> </span>“The cast, old and new,
rehearse and rehearse.”<span style> </span>Ciara
indicated she “started to hit the gym and become more muscular” to be able to
do the routines.<span style> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Pippin” is scheduled to come to Cleveland as part of the
2014-2015 Key Bank Broadway Series.<span style>
</span>In the past, Clevelanders’ Michael Cavanaugh who was appearing in
“Moving Out,” and Tony Winner, Alice Ripley, who was in “Next to Normal” took
breaks from their shows to return “home” to do their Broadway Series
shows.<span style> </span>Any chance of Ciara doing
that?<span style> </span>“That’s not in the
plans.”<span style> </span>Her “Pippin” contract runs
until September and then “some other projects are coming up.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In response to the comparison to Broadway’s original
“Pippin,” which starred Ben Vereen and Jonathan Rubinstein, which Ciara was too
young to see, she indicates that people comment that “this one is so
different.”<span style> </span>There is the entire
circus/acrobatics addition.<span style> </span>Lots
of “magic to do.”<span style> </span>But, she
indicates, in spite of “lots of stuff going on,” the beauty and meaning of the
songs “Corner of the Sky,” and <span style> </span>“Morning Glow,” aren’t diluted. “Nothing crazy goes on during
those numbers.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What advice would she give any kid with Broadway stars in
their eyes?<span style> </span>Ciara said, “it’s not
easy, not glamorous, you have little social life, you have to put yourself out,
be fearless, not look stupid, there is so much to learn, be nice to people,
being talented and nice adds up.<span style>
</span>It’s hard work!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She obviously practices what she preaches.<span style> </span>As Bussert said, “<span style="color:windowtext">Ciara
was always an amazing student -- very intelligent, focused and passionate
about her work. She got her equity card doing DREAMGIRLS at Cain Park the
summer after her sophomore year. She played a wide variety of roles at BW
including Kate in THE WILD PARTY, Emma in LIZZIE BORDEN and Phyllis in
FOLLIES.”<span style> </span>“She is truly special.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext">Ciara, and the other BW students banner their training
in their program bios by including the phrase, </span>“A proud graduate of
Baldwin Wallace.”<span style> </span>Grads from other
schools don’t necessarily do that.<span style>
</span><span style> </span>Why the BW
tribute?<span style> </span>What is so special about
the BW program?<span style> </span>As Ciara
stated, “<span style="color:windowtext">The focus is on each person individually.<span style> </span>We all have our differences and we are
taught not to look at another person, don’t compare yourself, don’t be
jealous.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(38,38,38)">Having seen Ciara in all of her BW performances, and both
BIG FISH and PIPPIN, I can attest to her talent, stage magnetism, and
dedication.<span style> </span>Look for the name Ciara
</span><span style="color:windowtext">Renée</span><span style="color:rgb(38,38,38)">, “a proud graduate of Baldwin
Wallace,” to appear on lots of Broadway playbills in the future!</span></p>
<br><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)">•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span><br><br><br></div>