<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#467886;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.Body, li.Body, div.Body
{mso-style-name:Body;
mso-style-priority:99;
margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
color:black;
mso-style-textoutline-type:none;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}
span.None
{mso-style-name:None;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="Body" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Beck
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">Center For The Arts’ Youth Theater Produces
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="Body" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">Alice By Heart
<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.lakewoodoh.gov/"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lakewood, OH</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">-</span></a><a href="https://www.beckcenter.org/youth-theater"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Beck
Center for the Arts</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">, home to one of the oldest continuously operating youth theater programs in the country has teens tackling a story of love, loss, and coming of age in
</span><a href="https://beckcenter.org/theater/alice-by-heart"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Alice By Heart.</span></i></b></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This musical, with a cast of twenty-two Beck Center students ranging from ages 12 to 18, may sound familiar to those who love
<i>Spring Awakening</i>, another </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Sheik"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Duncan Sheik</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> musical. This youth theater production includes a
book by </span><a href="https://www.mtishows.com/alice-by-heart"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">. This musical was inspired by the 1865 novel,
<i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, </i>and was originally presented in 2012 at the Royal National Theatre in London. This production is directed and choreographed by Sarah Clare, with music direction by Heidi Herczeg.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Sarah Clare, Associate Director of Theater Education, director and choreographer of this production shared,
<span style="color:black">"Working on <b><i>Alice by Heart</i></b> with this incredible group of young artists is a dream come true. I’ve had the honor of being a part of some of these students’ journey from early childhood classes and their first productions
to their final show before graduating high school. It’s fitting that the show explores themes of how to leave childhood behind, how to overcome difficult times, and how to use the power of imagination and art to endure and move on. Alice’s retelling of her
favorite childhood story to ease the pain of her dear friend is akin to what we do on a daily basis in the arts by telling stories to escape, explain, explore, and endure the world around us. And even though some of these young artists are moving on beyond
these walls, their stories will remain and encourage the next generation."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Beck Center for the Arts’ Youth Theater alumni include Michael Chernus (<i>Orange Is the New Black</i>;
<i>Manhattan; Severance</i>); Dee Hoty (three-time Tony Nominee); Isabela Merced (<i>Superman</i>,
<i>Dora and the Lost City of Gold;</i> <i>Transformers: The Last Night</i>); Rory O’Malley (<i>Hamilton</i>; Tony Nominee,
<i>Book of Mormon</i>); and Daniel Reichard (Drama Desk Nominee, <i>Jersey Boys</i>).
<s><span style="color:red"><o:p></o:p></span></s></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This production runs in the Senney Theater from May 1 to May 10, 2026. May 1 and May 8, Friday and May 2 and May 9, Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm. May 3 and May 10, Sundays at 3:00 pm.
Tickets are on sale now. Prices are $15 Adult/Senior, and $13 Children/Student (ages 18 & under). Please purchase tickets at
</span><a href="https://beckcenter.org/theater/alice-by-heart"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">beckcenter.org,</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> call 216.521.2540 or simply stop by Beck Center Customer Service in person. Entire
season lineup is available at </span><a href="https://beckcenter.org/theater/event-categories/youth-theater"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">beckcenter.org/youth-theater.</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">
For tickets to the Student Matinee on <span style="color:black">Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. please contact Kelsey Heichel, Associate Director of Community Programs at
</span></span><a href="mailto:KHeichel@beckcenter.org"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">KHeichel@beckcenter.org</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Set during the London Blitz,
<i>Alice by Heart</i> follows two teens sheltering in an underground tube station. When Alice’s friend Alfred falls ill, she invites him into the world of
<i>Alice in Wonderland</i> to escape. <span style="color:black">As they tumble down the rabbit hole, they explore first love, loss, the power of imagination and finding the courage to move forward.</span> A story of imagination, young love, and resilience,
this moving musical explores the healing power of stories—even when the real world feels broken.<span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This show will run 90 minutes with no intermission.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Please note this production has a content advisory of themes of war, trauma, and grief related to WWII, depictions of PTSD, serious illness
and death, mature themes that may not be suitable for all audience members.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align:justify"><span class="None"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Beck Center for the Arts also offers arts education for all ages, all skill levels, and all abilities with classes and lessons in music, dance, visual
arts, and theater, as well as <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align:justify"><span class="None"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">creative arts therapies. Financial assistance is offered for qualified applicants so that these programs can be enjoyed by all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align:justify"><span class="None"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align:justify"><span class="None"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext">Beck Center thanks First Federal Lakewood for their continued support.
</span></span><span class="None"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#EE0000"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align:justify"><span class="None"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#EE0000"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Programming at
</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/jgilliland/Desktop/beckcenter.org"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Beck Center for the Arts</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> is made possible through the generous support of the
Ohio Arts Council. Beck Center gratefully acknowledges the generous funding provided by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>