Joe Chvala Talks About
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
Opening January 13

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is for kids and adults alike, and embraces the sweetness of being human.

From director Joe Chvala:

"Like any adult between 18 and 65 years of age, I grew up with Peanuts. Back in my childhood, I, like many kids my age, imagined the Peanuts characters to be living in a nearby neighborhood as I read about them in the "funnies." I was really taken with Peanuts. I watched all the holiday specials every year, I sketched the characters and shared the cartoons with others. A few years later, when I heard that they were doing a musical version of Peanuts in New York, I could not wait until someone in my hometown would do it so that I could audition to play Snoopy, because that was me. So when I was a sophomore in high school, my choir teacher decided to do the show and I was thrilled. I auditioned. He posted the cast list and...tragedy! I did not get the part of Snoopy. I was cast as Charlie Brown.

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New Winter Classes in 2012

Every session, BTAC’s catalog of art classes features those favorite offerings our returning students count on, taught by the valued artist-instructors we love. At the same time, we also like to create courses each season that provide new learning opportunities.

On Thursdays, January 19 – February 23, from 2:30 – 5:00 p.m., Jonathan Aller will begin a new course devoted to oil painters of varying backgrounds and experience levels. Oil Painting Studio will be a welcoming environment for both the aspiring oil painter as well as the established artist who is looking for helpful feedback and studio time. Mr. Aller (known to BTAC students for last fall’s and this winter’s Figure Drawing classes) is a highly skilled oil painter who trained in classical painting at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. He’s eager to share his knowledge of oil painting and offer you valuable one-on-one attention in this six-week course.

More Class Offerings

2012 Writers’ Festival
Call for Authors and Vendors

The BTAC Writers’ Festival and Book Fair is currently accepting author and vendor registrations for table space at the 9th Annual Book Fair, March 24, 2012 at the Bloomington Center for the Arts. Space is limited and is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Table reservations are due January 15, 2012. For more information and to download an application, click here

This year's Keynote Speaker is Minnesota's Pat Proft, a comedian, actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. In addition to the keynote address, workshops and panels will be presented on the day of the Book Fair. The cost to attend the keynote and each workshop and panel is $12 per event and pre-registration is required. The book fair and author readings are free and open to the public.

Click here to view a workshop schedule and register online, or call 952-563-8575. Space is limited – reserve your spot today!

Historic BCT Photos Sought

1955 was a momentous year: The minimum wage reached $1, the first McDonald’s opened, Coca Cola was first sold in cans, and Bloomington Civic Theatre (BCT) produced its first show, The Curious Savage.  Soon, BCT was staging three to four productions per year. A number of dedicated community members who invested in the theater in those early years remain big BCT fans, including Jan Smith of Plymouth. Jan acted in several BCT productions in the early ‘60s, and she remembers the spring 1962 production of Pinocchio with particular fondness. BTAC is seeking Pinocchio photos on Jan’s behalf. If you can help, please contact Andrea at 952-563-8745 or by email.

Photography Events at BTAC

The City of Bloomington’s Winter Fete celebration will take place January 21 – 29, 2012, with a week of activities throughout the city. Join BTAC on Saturday, January 21 at 1:30 p.m. in the Bloomington City Council Chambers as we help kick off the festivities with a free and open-to-the-public Winter Fete Photo Scavenger Hunt and contest.

Photographer Jessica Lee will present pointers and ideas for taking good photos and then turn you loose to take photos in five categories: 1) shadow and light, 2) space and corridors, 3) people, 4) nature/macro, and 5) nature/landscape. Photos must be taken in or around the Bloomington Center for the Arts and submitted, via e-mail, by 7 p.m. on January 21.

Read about prizes and related art exhibits

BTAC Gives Back

Like most nonprofit organizations, BTAC depends on the support of institutions and individuals who contribute their time, talent, and treasure to help sustain our programming. In return, we contribute to the community in a variety of ways. Aside from providing high quality theater productions, exhibits, and art classes for all ages, BTAC:

• Donates more than $5,500 annually in certificates for complimentary theater tickets and class registrations to a wide range of nonprofit organizations. In 2011, we responded to in-kind donation requests from approximately 100 charities including VEAP, Pacer, Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, The Raptor Center, Human Rights Campaign, National Child Protection Training Center, United Hospital Foundation, Twin Cities Opera Guild, the Minnesota Zoo, and many others.

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BTAC Instructor-Student Art Show
November 17 – January 13, 2012

The annual Instructor-Student Art Show is always a wonderful opportunity to view a sampling of the beautiful work being done in our classrooms in many different mediums throughout the year. This year’s exhibition represents the work of 58 artists, both instructors and their students. Many of the artists and their guests enjoyed the opening reception on November 17. It was a fun evening of mingling, live music by flutists from the Medalist Band, refreshments, and, most importantly, art appreciation. The Instructor-Student Art Show is on display in the second level Atrium Gallery now through January 13.

View more photos of the event.

Join Us for the
New York Arts Experience!
May 3 – 6, 2012

On May 3, a group of BTAC friends and supporters will depart for four fun, art-filled days in the Big Apple. Join us for this fifth annual tour and enjoy:

• three Broadway musicals from top seats;
• a behind-the-scenes perspective from a Tony Awards voter;
• a welcome reception, group dinner at Sardi’s (famous for its celebrity caricatures),and closing brunch;
• tours of the Guggenheim Museum and Paley Center for Media; and
• “free time” options for exploring other arts activities with one of our trip leaders or on your own.

Prices include round-trip airfare, ground transportation, Sheraton Manhattan Hotel accommodations, museum and theater tickets, and certain other expenses. Details, prices, and a tour registration form are available online or by contacting us at 952-563-8575 or info@bloomingtoncivictheatre.org.

View BTAC's Calendar of Events

Postcard Mailing Problem

We recently experienced a problem with our mailing of postcards for our upcoming production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. For those of you who received a postcard with the wrong name but the correct address, we apologize for this error. Somewhere in the process, the company that handles our mailings mixed up the addresses and the names. Please do not worry that we have your information wrong. Our information was not changed and this should be a one time incident only.

Again we apologize for the problem and confusion it may have caused.