CCPA Presents Melissa Modifer in Concert, 12/6-8

Curtain Call Performing Arts (CCPA) is proud to present Melissa Modifer in Concert, the first concert in the 2013-2014 CCPA Concert Series. The series is a follow-up to last year's set which featured local talented musicians and performers in the intimate setting of the California Conservatory Theatre (CCT). The 2013-2014 concert series will feature a diverse collection of performers year round. The first concert of the season features hometown talent, former CCPA actor, and regional musical theatre standout Melissa Modifer (San Leandro) performing with music director Andy Kust and special guests Brittany Howk and Thomas Kulkus. Melissa Modifer in Concert runs December 6-8 at CCT in downtown San Leandro.

Now a junior Bachelor of Music (BMus) candidate at Arizona State University (ASU), San Leandro native Melissa Modifer study's voice with Judy May. Melissa will be back in town for a performance filled with her very own musical theatre favorites followed by a set of her own original compositions. With musical director and pianist Andy Kust and special guests Brittany Howk and Thomas Kulkus, 'In Concert' offers a rare opportunity to see Melissa perform live in her hometown. The show will be a night filled with beautiful, fun, and intimate moments as Modifer takes the audience on a unique journey combining musical theatre, pop, and original pieces.

With many high profile performances in regional musical theatre and on the Curtain Call stage, some of Melissa's most memorable performances include Diana Goodman in Next to Normal (Mesa Encore Theatre) where she was the Best Actress METTY Winner, Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (Tri Valley Rep), and Muzzy Van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Mille (Star Struck Theatre) where she received the Star Achievement Award. Curtain Call is thrilled to have Melissa back on stage. Modifer last performed as the Cat in the Hat in CCPA's Seussical (2011), was voted Best Actress in the CCPA 2010 BESTIE awards for her portrayal of the Witch in Into the Woods (2010), and dazzled audiences as Amneris in Curtain Call's summer main stage production of AIDA in 2009.

Musical director and pianist Andy Kust and special guests Thomas Kulkus and Brittany Howk join the concert slate with impressive backgrounds. Andy Kust was Melissa's classmate and colleague at ASU, where he earned his Master's Degree in Theater Music Direction and held the Teaching Assistantship in Musical Theater. Currently, Andy is on the faculty of the BFA Musical Theater Program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, where he is the resident music director, vocal technician, and repertoire coach. Andy is an award-winning Music Director whose recent projects include Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, and Bat Boy, among others. Kust is also a regular substitute keyboardist for Broadway National Tours and his current and past students can be seen performing in New York and in regional theaters across the country.

Special guest artist Thomas Kulkus made his theater debut ten years ago in Salt Lake City, UT, with favorite Utah credits including Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Cat in the Hat in Seussical, and Lun Tha in The King & I. Currently residing in Phoenix, AZ, some of his recent credits include George in Spring Awakening, Roger in Grease, and various roles inRAGTIME. Kulkus has also competed in many vocal competitions locally, regionally, and nationally, and in 2010 was crowned first runner up in the Utah's Top Talent competition and placed in the top ten finalists at the KWC National competition. Special guest artist Brittany Howk is currently a Sophomore Music Theatre major with Melissa at Arizona State University and studies with Carole FitzPatrick. Howk's recent favorite roles include Doria Hudson in Smile, Elle Woods inLegally Blonde, and Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She also looks forward to sharing the stage with Melissa again this spring in ASU's production of Rent, where she will be playing Mark's Mom/Ensemble.

This December, Melissa comes full circle with a headlining concert featuring four (4) shows in the intimate setting of CCT. Melissa Modifer in Concert runs December 6-8 at the California Conservatory Theater. Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for students/seniors, and $10 for children 10 years old and under. For tickets and more information visitwww.curtaincallperformingarts.org, or call the box office at (510) 909-9516.