Choreographer & Mother-to-be At Work on Two Productions due in May

Choreographer Alia Curchack-Beeton of Petaluma is at work on two productions due to make their arrivals on May 28.

Curchack-Beeton is currently working as the choreographer on the rock opera "Rent." The North Bay premiere of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning Broadway music opens on May 28 in the GK Hardt Theater, the main theater of 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Alia Curchack-Beeton is also pregnant with her first child. The baby's official due date is also on May 28.

"I recently returned to my hometown of Petaluma with my British husband. We've been living in England, but I shipped him back here to have our first baby," said Curchack-Beeton.

"It's so much fun adapting the choreography for this theater space and the unique gifts of this cast. Although our production follows the original quite closely, the talented cast and crew bring their own flavors and nuance to this timeless story, making for a boisterously fun and exquisitely moving theater experience," said Curchack-Beeton who received a BFA and the Gold Medal in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC where she also trained intensively at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance. In 2003, she was resident choreographer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Curchack-Beeton is thrilled to be working on the Broadway show she loved enough to audition for on Broadway. She said if she wasn't due to give birth at the end of May, she would have loved to also be in the cast of the 6th Street Playhouse production, in addition to being the show's choreographer.

"My brain is in my belly at this point! It's interesting trying to work with that bovine feeling that comes in late pregnancy. At times I find myself in front of the group about to demo something or answer a question and my mind just goes blank. All I can do is stand there and blink until inspiration hits again," said Curchack-Beeton.

"And of course this pendulous belly makes for some awkward moments. But lucky for me, the actors are incredibly switched-on and self-motivated, with awesome ideas and input. Their support makes my job really easy," she said.

"I'm sure I'll have to sing the songs from 'Rent' as lullabies when the baby is born. The music must be thoroughly ingrained into her neural development. As for the dancing, she's clearly a little booty-shaker as well. But we take turns. When I'm active, she rests, and when I'm trying to rest, that's when she gets her groove on," said Curchack-Beeton.

"On opening night, I'll be sure to get a seat near the exit and if contractions start I'll try to sneak out quietly," said Curchack-Beeton.

"Rent" will be presenTed May 28 to June 27, 2010. The 6th Street Playhouse is located near historic Railroad Square at 52 West 6th Street in downtown Santa Rosa.

For tickets or more information call 707-523-4185 or visit www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

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