Matt Lenz Set for Broadway Dreams Foundation's Arts Intensive, 6/13-19

Atlanta's Broadway dreams will come true for the 6th consecutive summer when The Broadway Dreams Foundation (BDF) presents their acclaimed Summer Performing Arts Intensive Monday, June 13 through Sunday, June 19, 2011 at The Woodruff Arts Center (1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA). Director Matt Lenz (Catch Me if You Can) and a roster of Broadway veterans will work with aspiring young performers from the Atlanta area throughout the week in preparation for "True Colors," a one of a kind Broadway concert open to the public. Performances will take place at the Hertz Stage Saturday, June 18th at 2 pm and 7 pm and Sunday, June 19th at 1 pm and 5 pm. Tickets are $30 - $50 and are now on sale at www.woodruffcenter.org, at the Woodruff Center Box Office, or by calling 404.733.5000 .

The Atlanta Summer Performing Arts Intensive will feature a faculty roster of Broadway favorites including Tony Award winner Jarrod Emick (Damn Yankees, Leap of Faith), ABC soap star Nicholas Rodriguez ("One Life to Live," Tarzan), Tituss Burgess (Jersey Boys), Deidre Goodwin (A Chorus Line), Tyler Hanes (A Chorus Line), James Kinney (Sweet Charity), Quentin Darrington (Ragtime), Jessica Dillan (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Claci Miller (Annie Get Your Gun), BDF Artistic Director Paul Canaan (Legally Blonde) and celebrity vocal coach Dave Barrus. The Broadway faculty will perform in "True Colors" alongside Atlanta's performing youth.

BDF Executive Director Annette Tanner remarked, "We are so pleased to be returning to Atlanta this summer in a completely new venue. Located in the heart of Midtown, The Woodruff Arts Center is a pillar of the Atlanta arts community. In addition to our exciting new venue, we have
the distinct honor of welcoming Broadway's own Matt Lenz to the BDF creative team. He comes to us with an incredible breadth of knowledge and flair and will undoubtedly help us to create an experience our students and audience will not soon forget."

Matt Lenz is the Associate Director of the new Broadway musical Catch Me if You Can. He served previously as the Associate Director of the smash hit Hairspray on Broadway and for the national tour and companies in South Africa, Las Vegas, Toronto and Germany. He was the Resident Director of Disney's Beauty and the Beast and has received critical acclaim for his work as a director Off-Broadway and in regional theatres across the county.

Lenz joins the previously announced theatrical producer and director Richard Jay- Alexander who will stage BDF concerts at Omaha's Holland Performing Arts Center on Saturday, July 16, 2011 and Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, August 6, 2011.

Over three thousand students have participated in the BDF program in cities such as Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, San Diego and Omaha. Students have gone on to perform in regional, national and Broadway productions including Disney's The Lion King, Spring Awakening and Bring it On. Other students have pursued careers in the arts or attend prestigious theatre programs in universities throughout the United States.

The Broadway Dreams Foundation offers significant scholarships to hundreds of students each year, ensuring that all qualified students are able to realize their Broadway Dreams regardless of their financial status. For more information on The Broadway Dreams Foundation, please visit www.mybroadwaydreams.com.

TRUE COLORS - THE 2011 SUMMER INTENSIVE TOUR

ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Woodruff Arts Center's Hertz Stage (1280 Peachtree Street NE)
Summer Intensive Workshop Dates: Monday, June 13 through Sunday, June 19, 2011
Tuition Cost: $895
Public Concert Performance: Saturday, June 18 & Sunday, June 19, 2011

OMAHA, NEBRASKA
Holland Performing Arts Center (1200 Douglas Street)
Summer Intensive Workshop Dates: Monday, July 11 through Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuition Cost: $695 (Early registration until June 1)
Public Concert Performance: Saturday, July 16, 2011

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (260 South Broad Street)
Summer Intensive Workshop Dates: Monday, August 1 through Sunday, August 7, 2011
Tuition Cost: $995 (Early registration until June 1)
Public Concert Performance: Saturday, August 6, 2011

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos