Youth Broadway Karaoke Competition

It wasn't all show tunes, but it WAS exceptional entertainment last night in The Bon Ton Room at Matt Davis's All Play and No Work. Fifteen outstanding Jackson teens and tweens sang their hearts out to a sold out audience!

1. Kelsey Curl - Maybe (Annie)
2. Christina McKim- If I Loved You (Carousel)
3. Kiefer Gray Navarre- Long Black Train (Josh Turner)
4. Madelyn Bellew- As Long As He Needs Me (Oliver)
5. Allison Walsh-Hopelessly Devoted To You (Grease)
6. Jeremiah Weaver- The Impossible Dream (Man of La Mancha)
7. Cara Guernsey - You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift)
8. Shannon Watts - Born To Entertain (Ruthless!)
9. Chester Kosinski- Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)
10. Carly Brake- Forget about the Boy (Thoroughly Modern Millie) - SECOND PLACE
11. Ryan Bennet- Good Thing Going (Merrily We Roll Along)
12. Lindsey Cole- Popular (Wicked)
13. Desharrah Johnson - Bust the Windows (Jasmine Sullivan) - THIRD PLACE
14. David Fuller (and group/Maggie Lapp, Ainsley Herrick, Nicole Black) - This Is Halloween (Nightmare Before Christmas)
15. TR Krupa -One Song Glory (Rent) -FIRST PLACE

Host for the evening and co-creator of the event was Stephanie Pierce (with clipboard!), a student at Jackson High School.

Judges for the event were Christine Gorton, Matt Davis, Lenny LaFleur and Christopher Fultz.

Our photographer for the evening was lidija Fremeau of LAF Lines Photography.

Casting call for extras in Hilary Swank movie draws huge crowds to Chelsea

Yesterday was the open call for extras in a film starring Hilary Swank to be filmed here in Michigan. Those of you who DIDN'T make the trek to Chelsea yesterday made a GREAT decision. Those of us who did go, stood in line in the cold for hours before some of us gave up and went home. It is estimated 1,000 people showed up some as early as 7:00 am.

One person who got there early enough to make it INSIDE was Jackson's Ruth Flynn. She even got quoted in the Ann Arbor News. Read the article by clicking on the link. The comments following are pretty funny too.

Remember David Leamon?

David Leamon was the Director of the Jackson District Library for ten years until he left in the late 1980s to be the Director of the San Antonio Public Library. Eventually retired from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library recently, but retirement didn't last long.

Library Journal announced that David has been appointed Director of the Lawrence Arts Center. You can read about it here.

David appeared in Jackson community theater productions of School for Scandal and Once Upon a Mattress in the Baughman Theatre, Potter Center of the Jackson Community College. Anyone have any pictures?

Here's Your Chance to be in a Movie!

INFORMATION HERE IS INCOMPLETE. YOU MUST REGISTER TO AUDITION. PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE LINKED HERE.

An open call for extras for the upcoming Hilary Swank film Betty Anne Waters will be held on Wednesday, January 28th from 2 to 8 pm at the Comfort Inn Conference Center, 1645 Commerce Park Drive in Chelsea. No acting experience is needed.

They are looking for area residents who can portray inmates in a prison scene; college age students taking the bar exam; families visiting inmates; and courtroom participants.

The movie is slated to start filming in Ann Arbor in mid-February.

VIP Grant Received from Consumers Energy Foundation

This past Saturday the board of Center Stage Jackson met for its annual retreat at the Ella Sharp Museum. Board member Doug Meyers presented President Susan Murphy with a check for $850 from the Consumers Energy Foundation.

The check was part of the Volunteer Investment (VIP) Program recognizing organizations where employees and/or retirees have volunteered during the past 12 months. Doug and Don Mansfield filed the request on behalf of Center Stage!

The grant was doubled as a result of the Foundation's CEEPSACER Program. CEEPSACER (CMS Energy Employees Providing Service Around Children's Essential Resources) was established as part of Consumers Energy's commitment to America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth.

The money will be used to continue, strengthen, and extend the reach of the Youth Theatre program begun two years ago. 81 third through ninth grade students auditioned last week for YT's first musical, Enchanted Sleeping Beauty! Earlier grants allowed Center Stage to lower ticket prices for young people making live theatre more accessible.

Cast of Enchanted Sleeping Beauty Announced!

The cast of Enchanted Sleeping Beauty is now posted on the Center Stage Jackson website. Click here to go there.

Want to Sing?

For more information call 517-499-4086.

Who the Theatre Lost in 2008

From Playbill: "This is not meant to be a complete list of the countless theatre people who left us — and left us inspired — in the past 12 months." [Source]

And in December, Milford-based actor Randall Godwin, who memorably appeared in "Honus and Me," "Escanaba in the Moonlight," "Guest Artist" (as the scene-stealing bus station attendant), and "The Underpants" at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, passed away. (Ann Arbor News 12/28/08)

Cast of Holes Announced!

HOLES Cast (TBD = To be decided)

Stanley - JAKE CORNWELL

X-Ray - XAVIER NORTON

Armpit - MICHAEL CICIRELLI

Magnet - LUCAS MEYERS

Zigzag - T.R. KRUPA

Zero - CONNOR PIERCE / GRAHAM PETERSON

Mr. Sir - BOB BULLOCK

Mr. Pendanski - TONY BOLING

The Warden - SARAH WEBER

Elya - DUSTIN SCHONHARD

Madame Zeroni - PAM BULLOCK

Igor Barkov / Policeman #2 - DAVID FULLER

Myra's Father / Jesse - SCOTT HUTCHINS

Linda Walker - SAVANNAH ADAMS

Sara Yelnats - SAVANNAH ADAMS

Stanley Yelnats, the 1st - ETHAN DAVIS

Kissin' Kate Barlow - DELANEY DUCKHAM
Policeman #1 / Stanley Yelnats, the 1st - ETHAN DAVIS

Trout Walker - KYLE GUERNSEY

Sam -EMMANUEL HOWARD

Sheriff - RANDY GUERNSEY

Stanley's Father - BRIAN BARTO

Stanley's Mother -KRISTIN OLMSTED

The Judge - DON MANSFIELD

Ms. Morengo / Mrs. Collingwood - AMY KRENGEL

Myra - RHEA KRENGEL

Zero's Mother - CATE ROBARTS-SNYDER

Toughest Kid -CONNOR PIERCE / GRAHAM PETERSON
Attorney General - MELISSA TURNER

Some actors will double as townspeople or members of Kate's gang.

Heading to New York City This Spring?

Chelsea's Jeff Daniels will be opening on Broadway in Spring 2009 with Hope Davis (Proof), Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River) and James Gandolfini (Sopranos) in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage. According to reports the story, "deals with the aftermath of a playground fight between two boys and what happens when their parents meet to talk about it." Reza also wrote Art, which had a successful run in the late 1990s. Read more at Playbill.

Auditions for Michigan Shakespeare Festival

Interested in auditioning for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival's 2009 season? Check out their website and read the requirements. This year's plays are The Tempest and As You Like It. Shows run from July 14 - August 2, 2009.