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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:red">Due to popular demand, extended to March 7, 2021!</span></b><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:red">This is the final weekend!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">5 x 15: Five World Premiere 15-Minute Musicals
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tenth Collaboration of Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program and
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Beck Center for the Arts<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#26282A">Lakewood, OH</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#26282A">–</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="http://www.beckcenter.org"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Beck
Center for the Arts</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#26282A"> proudly
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">announces its tenth collaboration with
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://bwmt.bw.edu/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">, in the form
of virtual world premieres of five fifteen-minute brand new musicals, chosen by </span>
<span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://namt.org/newmusicals/15-minute-musical-challenge/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">National Alliance for Musical Theatre</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://namt.org/newmusicals/15-minute-musical-challenge/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">National Alliance for Musical Theatre</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
(NAMT) <span style="color:black">created the “15-Minute Musical Challenge” to celebrate the power of musical theatre during the spring of 2020. Executive Director, Betsy King Militello shares: “In all times, but especially challenging times, we believe that
musical theatre has the power to elevate the human experience and uplift each other. The 15-Minute Musical Challenge, inspired and supported by the Alhadaff Family Charitable Foundation, was developed to inspire creativity during the early days of social distancing. We
are thrilled to see five of the winning musicals see further development with Beck Center for the Arts and Baldwin Wallace University."</span>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://www.beckcenter.org/about/leadership"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Scott Spence</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">, now in his
30<sup>th</sup> season as artistic director of Beck Center for the Arts shares, <span style="background:white">
"Pandemic or no, we were determined that this 10th anniversary of the Beck Center/Baldwin Wallace collaboration
<em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;letter-spacing:.8pt">must</span></em> go on. With the addition of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre as a partner, we could not be more excited to offer the World Premieres of five
<u>brand</u> <u>new</u> <u>musicals</u>. Composers and lyricists from around the country have been working with us since August 2020 and it's thrilling to put all of this collaboration to work on a national level.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Beck Center continues its proud collaboration with
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://bwmt.bw.edu/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">
(BWMT) with </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://bwmt.bw.edu/staff-team-members/victoria-bussert"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Victoria Bussert</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">
leading the program. Also a director of one of the winning pieces, <i>Perpetual Sunshine and the Ghost Girls,
</i>Victoria says, “I was very honored to be asked to read a large number of the 15-minute musicals for NAMT and to serve on the final selection committee. The creativity of these pieces is truly inspiring; it's thrilling for our BWMT students to have the unique
opportunity to work with our guest directors and these fantastic writing teams.”
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">The creative teams behind the music, lyrics, and performances of these virtual productions are award-winning, talented, and diverse individuals.
<i>Perpetual Sunshine and the Ghost Girls, </i>musical director </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://bwmt.bw.edu/staff-team-members/matthew-webb"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Matthew Webb</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;background:white">.
</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This short musical is an all-woman+ through-composed musical theatre piece about the capitalist exploitation of workers’ bodies and rights in the face of a national public health
crisis. The show is based on the true story of the women who fought United States Radium Corporation in the 1920s for knowingly poisoning them and subsequently changed United States labor laws forever. This is the first 15 minutes of the full length piece-in-progress.
Music by </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://lynneshankel.com/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Lynne Shankel</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> and words by
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Cooper"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sara Cooper</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Holo</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">, set in 2189 in a holograph museum, the curator and holographic Kyle enter into a unique
relationship which recounts the year 2020 and the pandemic that came with it on an ever repeating loop. Book, music, and lyrics by
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://maestramusic.org/profile/nico-juber/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nico Juber</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">.
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4946636/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Ciara Renee</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">
</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">directs.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1A1A1A">Rodeo Clowns
</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">is a queer, western epic about two eccentric outcasts who save the heart of their disintegrating town. This whip crack comedy act features a colorful musical-country score. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://namt.org/festivals/2017/?writer=dale-sampson"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dale
Sampson </span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">is the book writer.
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MisterWives"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Marc Campbell</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> wrote
the music<span style="color:#1F497D">. </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://www.greatlakestheater.org/about/our-staff/sara-bruner"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sara Bruner</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
directs. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Musical direction is by Matthew Webb.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Monster on the Lawn</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:red">
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">is directed by
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/494793-jon-martinez"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Jon Martinez</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
This fifteen-minute musical centers around Ricky, a six-year-old boy with a growing imagination, wakes up to see a whale-like creature laying on his front lawn. When an incoming hurricane threatens to separate Ricky from his family and his home, he seeks comfort
in the presence of this strange and seemingly-quiet monster. Obed De La Cruz wrote book, music, and lyrics. Musical direction is by Lindsay Miller.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://www.morningstarmediagroup.org/news"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Eric Jones</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">
wrote book and lyrics for <i>White Man’s Burden, </i>music by </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://joshuadavismusic.com/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">Joshua S. Davis</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">.
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Directed by
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://edridley.com/index.html"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Ed Ridley</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Jr<span style="color:#1F497D">.
</span>This irreverently funny and powerful mini-rock musical, <i>White Man’s Burden</i>, takes place inside of the world of sideshow "freaks" who have been killed because of the color of their skin. They are led by an emcee who is part ringmaster/part infomercial
host. He spotlights the oppression and suffering of African Americans during 400 years through a musical kaleidoscope of songs.<span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This limited virtual engagement runs February 12 to
<s>February 28, 2021 </s><span style="color:#1F497D"> </span><span style="color:red">March 7, 2021
</span>on any device in the comfort of your home, as part of Beck Center for the Arts’ 87<sup>th</sup> Professional Theater Season. For more information on this world premiere musical theater project please visit
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://www.beckcenter.org/shows/5x15"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">beckcenter.org.</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Tickets, priced at $20 for
one viewer, and $30 for two or more viewers, and $40 for arts lovers who want to support Beck Center can be purchased at
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/44593"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/44593</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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