Matt Sciple directs
Neil Simon’s
Brighton Beach Memoirs

Bloomington Theatre and Art Center is thrilled to welcome Matt Sciple, a City Pages Artist of the Year (2008), to our Black Box Theater this September as he directs Neil Simon’s heartwarming comedy Brighton Beach Memoirs. This play kicks off BTAC’s 2011-2012 Black Box Theater Season, and runs September 9 through October 2.

Mr. Sciple brings a wealth of theatrical experience to BTAC. He has directed, performed in or written more than 100 plays for theater across Minnesota, including Park Square Theatre, Minnesota Opera, Ten Thousand Things, Theatre in the Round, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Theatre l’Homme Dieu, St. Croix Festival Theater, and Gremlin Theater, including Orson’s Shadow (the 2008 Ivey Award Winner for Best Ensemble). Mr. Sciple also teaches adults and children of all abilities with Upstream Arts. Brighton Beach Memoirs marks his BTAC debut.

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Sing and Dance with BCT

This fall, you have the chance to enjoy hit musicals like Oklahoma! and Sweet Charity and you also have the chance to learn how the actors and dancers create their performance by participating in a special musical theater workshop. BTAC is offering a new educational opportunity to high school students and adults that will put you in the rehearsal room with the Bloomington Civic Theatre production team as they teach you numbers from the productions you will see on the Schneider Theater stage this fall.

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BTAC Executive Director selected
“New Rotarian of the Year”

The Bloomington Noon Rotary Club has selected BTAC Executive Director Andrea Specht as its New Rotarian of the Year for 2011. Presented since 1988, the award recognizes new Rotarians who demonstrate high levels of engagement in and service to the Bloomington Noon Club. Rotary International brings together civic-minded business and community leaders for fellowship and service. According to Andrea, “It’s an honor to represent the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center in this well respected organization that contributes so much to the quality of life in our community.”

Like What You See?

BTAC relies on charitable contributions to help close the gap between our expenses and earned revenue sources such as ticket sales, class fees, and commissions on gallery and gift shop sales. Your online contribution will help us continue providing high quality performing arts, visual arts, and arts education programming at affordable prices. Thank you for your support!

Free Arts Minnesota
Theater Camp

From June 27 – 30, 2011, in collaboration with Free Arts Minnesota and Northside Child Development Center in North Minneapolis, BTAC’s Education Program hosted and administered a four-day theater camp for around 30 students, ages 7 – 15. These children were guided in the creation of their own theater performance, which was held at 7:00 p.m. on June 30 in the Black Box Theater.

Over the course of four days, the kids divided into three age groups and created short plays about a central theme (in this case, the chosen theme was ‘respect’). As a group, they created their own performance pieces using elements of dance, music, and dialogue, and even painted their own set. With costumes generously provided by the BCT Costume Shop and several set pieces and props provided by Robin McIntyre and Bloomington Civic Theatre, the kids put together an expressive performance of their own design for dozens of family, friends, staff and board members of the collaborative organizations involved.

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So, you want to be an Artist…

by Rachel Daly Flentje
Director of Visual Arts

An artist once told me that you’re not truly an artist until you present your work to the public. Until then, you’re like a great singer who only sings in the shower – just another shower singer, not a performer.

But putting your work before the public can be a daunting task. Once your work is “out there,” in some ways, the public owns it, and each person who experiences your work does so in their own unique way. For example, when I see a play, my response to that experience is unlike anyone else’s. Certain parts of the play touch me in different ways; the story may make me want to cry or smile, partly because of my life experiences, my personality, my politics, my spirituality, or simply my mood that day. When I leave the theater, if it was a successful performance, I take a part of that play with me – I own it now and always.

The same can be said for the experience one has when viewing artwork. That piece of artwork is experienced differently by each person who views it. As an artist, you are not only opening yourself to criticism when you present your work for public viewing, you are also giving your work to the public – whether it’s ever actually purchased or not. It’s natural to want to share your work, but it can also be a bit scary.

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