Victoria Bussert Directs ONCE At Beck Center For The Arts

Beck Center for the Arts presents Once with the esteemed Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program. This limited engagement runs February 8 through 24, 2019 in the Mackey Theater. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Special Wednesday and Thursday performances will take place at 8 p.m. on February 14, 20, and 21. Buy early and save with promo code: DUBLIN to receive $5 off each adult/senior ticket purchased by February 7. Preview performance is the Thursday before opening night, February 7. Tickets range from $10 Smart Seats to $33 each. Group and student discounts are available. Tickets are on sale now.

Once boast impressive credits with book by Enda Walsh and music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Based on the motion picture written and directed by John Carney, Once is the winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, and four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical.

This production is directed by Victoria Bussert, acclaimed Director of Music Theatre at Baldwin Wallace University and features a talented cast of 14 students from Baldwin Wallace's nationally recognized Music Theatre Program. Musical direction is provided by Matthew Webb, Resident Music Director for Great Lakes Theatre and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, with choreography by Gregory Daniels, Dance Program Coordinator and Associate Professor at Baldwin Wallace.

Once follows a Dublin street musician and a Czech immigrant who are drawn together by their love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story, underscored by emotionally charged music. Once speaks to the transcendental power of music to connect us all.

"We are thrilled to be the first Music Theatre program in the country to tackle this extraordinary piece. We continue to be grateful and excited for our special annual collaboration with the Beck Center for the Arts," remarked director Victoria Bussert. Part of what makes Once such a unique piece is that leads, Kelsey Brown and Jake Slater, will actually be playing instruments during the performances. Bussert says, "students began instrumental rehearsals this past September with our music director, Matthew Webb, and will have the entire score memorized prior to beginning staging rehearsals in January."

Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available. For more information visit beckcenter.org or call Beck Center Customer Service at 216.521.2540 x10.

This production of Once is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and is generously sponsored by Cox. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com. Programming at Beck Center for the Arts is made possible through the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council. Beck Center gratefully acknowledges the generous funding provided by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions on two stages, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for individuals with special needs, free gallery exhibits year-round, and outreach education programming.