All-City FOOTLOOSE Opens at Ohio Theatre in PlayhouseSquare Tonight, 6/1

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) presents its thirteenth annual All-City Musical, Footloose to crown the District's 2011-12 series of All-City Arts Programming. The production features the talents of over fifty CMSD students from across the District and takes place on the stage of the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare, tonight, June 1  through June 3, 2012. Tony Sias, Director of Arts Education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, co-directs the production with Kimberly Brown. Based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford, Footloose was adapted for the stage by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. The show's music was written by Tom Snow with lyrics by Dean Pitchford. Additional music for Footloose was written by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman.

The All-City Musical is an enriching experience for the students involved in the production, according to the CMSD's Director of Arts Education, Tony Sias, who has served as the director of the All-City Musical for ten consecutive years. "The All-City Musical is an extraordinary program that provides students with a structured arts-based experience that refines individual talents, stimulates critical thinking, focuses creativity, strengthens social skills and affords students an informed perspective on the world," said Sias in a recent interview about the upcoming production. "These young people are amazing."

The All-City Arts Program's Managing Director, Kimberly Brown, furthered Sias's statements and emphasized the show's relevance for its participants. "The students in this year's production of Footloose easily identify with the themes of community and control, love and loss, the fear of abandonment and the joy of acceptance."

Footloose, one of the most explosive movie musicals of all time, bursts onto the stage with exhilarating results. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period in his new high school. What he isn't prepared for is the ban on dancing by the local preacher, determined to exercise a control of the town's youth. The heartfelt story that emerges is of a father longing for the son he lost and of a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people - guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.

The production team for the thirteenth annual All-City Musical is a distinguished group of professional artists from across northeast Ohio. Dr. David Manning Thomas, a music teacher at John Adams High School with a distinguished career in music, will serve as Musical Director for the production. Kevin Marr II and Jessica Oliver will co-create Footloose's choreography. Fritz Lombardi will serve as scenic designer while Tesia Benson will design costumes for the production. Colleen Dowling will design lights.

Opening Night for the thirteenth annual All-City Musical Footloose is scheduled for Friday, June 1st at 7:30 p.m. The production will continue with a Saturday evening showing on June 2nd at 7:30 p.m. and a closing matinee performance on Sunday, June 3rd at 3:00 p.m.

All tickets for the thirteenth annual All-City Musical, Footloose are $15 and are available by phone at (216) 241-6000, online at www.playhousesquare.org or by visiting The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. All seating is general admission.

The primary goal of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District is to become a premier school district in the United States of America. The Cleveland Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, orientation, age, religion or disability.

The thirteenth annual All-City Musical is presented with generous support from The Abington Foundation, The Bruening Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, The Human Fund and Kaiser Permanente.

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