Civic Theatre of Allentown Announces Updates and Ends Registration For Children's Theater School

Civic Theatre of Allentown, home to the Lehigh Valley's premier children's theatre school, is days away from wrapping up registration for its Fall 2009 sessions. Since opening registration earlier this month, two events have helped shape the session to come:

-An extra donation from the family of Betty T. Muir has allowed for Civic to pay the way for three local children to attend Civic Theatre School this year, up from two in years past.

-Civic Theatre has signed on Equity Artist Joshua Neth to teach the high school classes of both Civic Theatre School's coming fall and winter sessions.

Betty T. Muir was a professional actress, veteran of numerous Civic shows and devoted Lehigh VAlley Theatre goer. A scholarship was set up in her name in 2003 to allow qualified children from low-income families the opportunity to learn the theatre arts at Civic, and for the majority of that time two children have been awarded the scholarship each year.

Due to the generosity of the Muir family Civic Theatre will be able to offer scholarships to even more children than ever before. 

Joshua Neth, an Allentown-based Equity Artist, was recently seen as the Beast in Civic's Fall 2008 production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Signing on as a Civic Theatre School teacher is an honor to Neth: "I seriously admire all that Civic has been able to do in the Lehigh VAlley Theatre community," says Neth, "I'm thrilled to be able to teach here."

Neth is a member of Actor's Equity, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. He received his Bachelor of the Arts in Acting and Directing from Northern Kentucky University. He has performed in national tours with The Metamorphosis Company, The Chamber Repertory Theatre of Boston and Theatre IV Virginia. Joshua played Off-Broadway in New York in the leading role of The Grove St. Theatre's production of Lanford Wilson's Balm in Gilead. He was a member of the 2004 resident acting company for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and also performed at The Cincinnati Public Theatre.

Locally, he has directed shows at The State Theatre of Easton, Stage Door Workshop, City Space and Bangor High School, where his production of Guys and Dolls received the school's first ever Freddy Award nominations. He is also the director of the Associated Mess, an improv comedy troupe based in the Lehigh Valley that has started performing regularly at Civic Theatre.

Securing Neth as a teacher and an additional scholarship for a local child has already made this coming session of Civic Theatre School an eventful one, and further proves that Civic Theatre of Allentown is home to the region's premier children's theatre institution. Civic provides the Valley's youth with an exciting program in drama and movement, in turn helping to develop discipline, teamwork and self-confidence along the way. Registration forms are available online at civictheatre.com, by calling Civic's Box Office at 610.432.8943 or by stopping by Civic's 19th Street Theatre at 527 N 19th Street in Allentown.

 

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