25th Anniversary!

THE 25TH CELEBRATION GALA WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!  Even though the actual gala is over, we are still celebrating all year!  25 years is a huge accomplishment and we want to recognize the fabulous organization that has been a staple to the Orange County and surrounding areas.

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MTA has something to celebrate…25 years of excitement!  In 2009, MTA celebrates it’s 25th Anniversary and wants YOU to be a part of it!  In our 25th Anniversary season, we celebrate the accomplishments of MTA over the past years.  We anticipate moving forward for the next 25 years in continuing our mission of fostering life-long skills, friendships and the experiences for young people that are unique to MTA.

Please join us in  “A BROADWAY SILVER CELEBRATION” …..Save the date:  Saturday, May 2, 2009 7:00pm-11:00pm ….as we celebrate MTA’s “past”, “present”, and “future”!  It is sure to be an evening not to miss!  Also, special guests of the evening have numerous Broadway credits, amongst other things.  We are excited to present Rex Smith, Linda Griffin and Jeffrey Polk.

The multi-talented Rex Smith, a veteran of stage and screen, started his career as a “teen idol” heartthrob with the platinum album hit “You Take My Breath Away.”  Turning to Broadway at the height of his popularity, Rex made his Broadway debut as Danny Zuko in the original production of “Grease” and received the Theater World Award for his portrayal of Frederick in “The Pirates of Penzance” on Broadway. Other starring roles on Broadway include “Grand Hotel”, “Sunset Boulevard”, “The Scarlet Pimpernel”, “Annie Get Your Gun”, and “Kiss Me Kate”. He expanded his career to encompass TV shows, both primetime and daytime, and feature films.

Linda Griffin was in the original Broadway cast of “The Drowsy Chaperone“, as well as the original West Coast Premier and soon-to-be Broadway bound production of “Minsky’s” in Los Angeles(Shubert Company).  Linda did two National Tours of “Beauty and the Beast” and National Tours of “A Chorus Line” and “42nd Street”.

Jeffrey Polk was seen in the Broadway and Los Angeles companies of “5 Guys Named Moe”, as well as the Los Angeles(Pantages Company) of “The Lion King” as “Banzai” the Hyena .  Jeffrey was in the Las Vegas and National Touring Companies of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” with Gladys Knight.

Buy Tickets now using our secured PayPal system.  You don’t even need to have a PayPal account.  Just click the “Buy Now” button and select the number of tickets you want and you’re all set.  Tickets will not be mailed. Your name will be on file at the door.  You may bring your receipt for verification purposes.

TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE AT THE DOOR

Cast List for Disney’s My Son Pinocchio, Geppetto’s Musical Tale

Cast List to follow after auditions 9/10/10

Cast List CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

Cast list to follow the 9/11/10 auditions

Rehearsal Schedule CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

MTA’S “CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG” REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

Please note: Unless otherwise specified, all Saturday Rehearsals are from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for the full cast, and all Thursday Rehearsals are from 6:30-9:45 p.m. for selected scenes/numbers

Tech week:
Monday, January 17, 2011 thru Thursday, January 20, 2011  5:30pm to 10:15pm

Opening night performance, January 12, 2011 at 7:30pm

ALL TECH DAYS AND PERFORMANCES ARE MANDATORY

Schedule coming soon…

Ticket Information

ACE (After Class Enrichment)

What is ACE?

ACE stands for After Class Enrichment. We are currently contracted with the Irvine Public Schools Foundation and bring musical theatre to the Irvine schools after school program.

What do we provide?
Musical Theatre is a class in which students are given basic training in the fields of acting, singing and dancing. We will teach the students the proper skills needed to produce an abbreviated version of a popular musical such as Aladdin, Grease and Seussical. All of this occurs over an 8-10 week course, which will end with a final costumed performance for all friends and family to see. We offer 1 ½ hour sessions as well as 1 hour sessions.

Who can participate in Musical Theatre?
Our classes have been designed to accommodate students in both the lower
(K-3) grades and the upper (4-6) grades, and just recently, the middle schools.
Are you looking for an “all school” musical or a 6th grade show? One that would encompass a full semester, or year, we can accomodate your needs!

What will each student receive?
During the 8-10 week session, each student will go through an audition process, be given a role in the musical and spend their time rehearsing that role. They will receive instruction from working actors and directors who live in or around Orange County. A script and a music cd will be provided on the first day of class for all students to practice with at home.

Musical Theatre is a fun way to build a child’s confidence, self-esteem, and memorization skills. For costs and more information on how to bring this class to your school, call Musical Theatre Academy of Orange County at (949) 955-3737.

ACE SHOWS:

1. ALADDIN
2. ALICE IN WONDERLAND
3. ANNIE
4. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
5. DISNEY MUSICAL REVUE
6. GREASE
7. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (coming spring)
8. THE LION KING
9. SEUSSICAL
10. SNOW WHITE
11. THE SOUND OF MUSIC
12. TWISTED BROADWAY (new!)
13. WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Note: We are always working on new shows and are open to suggestions!

Jimmy Hippenstiel

Artistic Director

Jimmy Hippenstiel has many roles at MTA, including Artistic Director which involves him in overseeing the artistic aspects of all MTA productions and classes and working with all directors/instructors to ensure that MTA continues to offer both positive learning experiences and accomplished productions and classes.  Jimmy has been with the Academy for many years as an outstanding director and choreographer as well.    Jimmy’s background includes a BA in Musical Theater from Cal State Fullerton, as well as an AA in Music and Conducting from Citrus College in Azusa. He was a three year member and Student Conductor of the prestigious Citrus singers, traveling throughout Europe and Hawaii. Prior to that, Jimmy toured nationally with “The Young Americans” and Columbia Artists Recordings. As a ten year employee of the Walt Disney Company, Jimmy toured extensively throughout the world, performing at such exciting venues as New York’s Lincoln Center and Radio Center Music Hall, as well as The Hollywood Bowl. Jimmy also spent ten years as a dancer and guest entertainer on Princess Cruise Lines.

Director/Choreographer

Jimmy is the resident director/choreographer for the Musical Theatre Academy of Orange County. Jimmy has choreographed and directed many programs extensively throughout the O.C. area. Jimmy’s dancing background has taken him around the world with Princess Cruises, and with the Walt Disney Company. Highlights include performing at New York’s Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.

JASON LIVESAY

Private Voice Teacher

Not only is Jason an accomplished performer, but a composer as well. Besides a huge musical theatre background as a performer, musical director and conductor, Jason has been the opening act soloist for concerts of Cheryl Crow, Huey Lewis, Starship, Smashmouth, and more, as well as corporate shows for IBM,Toyota and others. Jason also is an accomplished composer with credits extending into television, motion picture features and trailers, with 20th Century Fox, Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, ABC Family, Walt Disney and many other medias and companies too numerous to list here. Jason attended Azusa Pacific University and UCLA and received his music degree. He has a great website that’s fun to visit and will give you more details: http://jasonlivesay.net

ERIN SEARS

Private Voice Teacher

Musical Theatre Academy of Orange County is pleased and excited to introduce to our family, Erin Sears.  Erin received her B.A. Degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Vanguard University and will receive her M.A. in Choral Conducting from Azusa Pacific University in Spring 2010. Erin enjoys musical theatre and has performed prominent roles in shows such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator), The Sound of Music (Leisel), Working (Housewife), Bye Bye Birdie and Fiddler on the Roof. She has performed in many of the most prestigious venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall, St. Peter’s and St. John’s Basilica in Italy, St. Paul’s Cathedral in New York, the Honda Center, and Beijing Performing Arts Center. Erin has sung on numerous recording sessions for film scores and movie trailers and has shared the stage with The Ralph Carmichael Big Band, and Linda Eder. She regularly performs with the award-winning quartet Hypnotic, and the two-time Sweet Adeline International Chorus Champions the Harborlites. Erin as been teaching music in Orange County for five years. Check out Erin’s website:    www.erinelizabethsears.com

Holly Bisaha

Production Vocal Director

Tiny Tot Theatre and Elementary Stars Instructor

Holly Bisaha attended Catawba College for the Performing Arts in North Carolina, on a Performing Arts scholarship. She then went on to join the critically acclaimed group, The Young Americans, where she had the opportunity to perform nationally and internationally. Holly continued her career as a headliner for Princess Cruise lines, toured extensively around the world as a vocalist with such artists as Stevie Wonder, Frankie Valli, and Huey Lewis. She also works as a session singer at BrokenWave Studios in Burbank.

Her acting credits include roles in Anything Goes, Oklahoma, Me and My Girl, and Grease to name a few. For over 12 years Holly worked in the lead role of Miss Annie in Wild Bill’s Wild West Extravaganza (owned by Legends in Concert of Las Vegas), and sang with several large event bands, with high profile clients such as Disney, Mitsubishi, Coca Cola, and the Mighty Ducks. During this period, Holly was the director and featured performer for a number of professional production companies - Irwin Productions of Las Vegas, Bollotta Entertainment and Sam Trego Productions. She has also filmed numerous commercials and videos, the latest for Chandon Champagne.

In more recent years, Holly directed an original Rock Opera titled ‘Destiny Faire’, produced by ‘Trick of the Tale’ Productions. The show received rave reviews, filling up Escondido’s Performing Arts Center.

Stephen Reifenstein

ACE Director

(After Class Enrichment, in the Irvine School District)
Stephen has been involved in Musical Theatre for over 17 years, acting in and directing a number of shows and reviews. His acting credits have included roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Anything Goes, Working, Oklahoma and many others with theatres such as Musical Theatre West, Elizabeth Howard’s Curtain Call Dinner Theatre and Main Street Players. For over 7 years, he has been directing productions such as Annie, Bye Bye Birdie, Aladdin and Cinderella with Orange County Children’s Theatre, La Habra Depot Theatre, Broadway on Tour, Yorba Linda Civic and the newly formed Musical Theatre Orange County. Stephen is dedicated to building the confidence and social skills of our youth. He feels the ACE program is a wonderful opportunity for all involved. By day, Stephen is a Cost Analyst for a company in Orange.

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