Beck Youth Theater Opens Season with Mark Twain Classic Tom Sawyer 10/28-31

On the 100th anniversary year of Mark Twain's death, Beck Youth Theater celebrates the life of this great American humorist with their presentation of his classic coming-of-age story Tom Sawyer, October 28 through 31, 2010, on the Mackey Main Stage. Show times are 10 a.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Beck youth bring to life this humorous story about Hannibal, Missouri's most famous troublemakers. Along with Tom Sawyer, all your favorite characters are here-Huckleberry Finn, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Polly, and Injun Joe-in this faithful retelling of the adventures of Tom and his gang. Delight in this charming tale about the bonds of friendship and a boy's journey toward discovering the strength of "doing the right thing."

Interestingly enough, Austin Bilski, who portrays Johnny Miller, part of Tom's Pirate Gang, in Beck's production, is an actual descendant of Mark Twain. He is joined by a cast of 47 talented young actors ages 6 to 18, who are all students from the Beck Center's Dance, Music, and Theater Departments.

Director Russ Stich adds his unique comedic twist to this production as he leads this enthusiastic cast. "The cast is doing an amazing job of finding and portraying the fun and innocence of this true American classic," says Stich. "It's great to see them connect with Tom's simpler time and leave their electronic fueled lives behind for a while."

Tickets are just $12 for Adult/Senior and $10 for Children/Student (18 and under). Special discounted rates are available for groups of 13 or more. For tickets, visit www.beckcenter.org or call 216.521.2540 x10.

C.A.S.T., Beck Youth Theater's parent fundraising group, will host a Halloween party after the Saturday matinee in the Music-Armory building. Festivities include refreshments, games, art activities, and a fortune teller. Tickets are $5 per person. A limited number of tickets are available. Proceeds will be used to purchase a new keyboard and amp for the Youth Theater Department.

Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available.

Beck Center's production of Tom Sawyer is presented through special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, IL. The show is sponsored by Cox Communications and Music Is Elementary. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this production with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. This production is also generously supported by the public through a grant from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional Theater Productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies, and gallery exhibits featuring regional artists. For more information about the Beck Center, visit www.beckcenter.org.

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