Port Summer Theater Presents Beauty and the Beast July 20-23
by Angie Mack Reilly
PORT WASHINGTON, WI
2017 seems to be “the year” for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast! I think that all of my private students and their families went to go see the show in theaters! Did you? I would love to hear your thoughts!
I was the Musical Director and Associate Producer for the show a few times…… both at the Schauer Arts and Activities Center and the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center through the North Shore Academy of the Arts. So many good memories! Many of my former cast members are now college age and doing absolutely amazing. Here was part of our set in 2010. Wow. Seven years already.
(But this theater season, it’s ALL going to be about Disney’s the Lion King Jr. for me!)
OH!!!And did you hear that the North Shore Academy of the Arts has a new director who recently moved to town? Yep, Heather or “Mrs. O” has done Beauty and the Beast as well! Here’s her reel of her show…..
Beauty and the Beast was also performed in Cedarburg this year and now Port Washington is going to be doing their rendition of the show.
I am really excited that a former and longtime music and musical theater student of mine will be playing the lead role of “Belle”. I recognized Tina Binn’s talent long ago. That’s why I made her my Assistant Director in several of the shows I produced. I am blessed with funny memories of Tina that make me laugh even now. I am used to seeing her in comedic and evil roles (which take a TON of talent, by the way….) I haven’t seen the show yet. But I know that if Tina is a part of it, there are bound to be comedic ideas of hers in the show. We shall see.
I love musical theater because it engages so many of the senses. The sounds, the costumes, the dances, the lights, the set changes, the excitement! Children of ANY age can learn soooooo much from watching a live show. Trust me on this.
So. Here’s the “skinny”……
Performances:
July 20th at 7:00 PM
July 21st at 7:00 PM
July 22nd at 7:00 PM
July 23rd at 2:00 PM
Tickets:
$12.00 for adults
$8.00 for seniors and children 10 & under
Tickets can be purchased in advance through cast members or at select locations in Port Washington.
Performance Location:
Port Washington High School Auditorium
470 West Jackson Street
Port Washington, WI 53074
Creativity has long been a favorite topic of mine. In fact, I have conducted a few classes on creativity for adults which included my original curriculum and interactive lecture series. In addition, I have been in the arts and industry for a good 18 years mainly as an educator and director. So I am going to go ahead a call myself a well qualified CREATIVITY COACH and public speaker if that’s OK with you…… (this is where you email me to conduct some classes at your business…I promise they will be fun!)
THE CONCEPT OF COLLABORATION
Were you ever in a school production growing up? What did you like the most about the experience? Let me guess….. HOW FUN IT WAS working on a creative project with others. Right?
Collaboration is one of the most thrilling aspects of the creative cycle for any type of artist. In fact, I would venture to say that even a few of you business professionals enjoy those group “brain storming sessions” in the workplace. One idea feeds into another idea and then another idea……. In my book, I call it “Idea-itis”.
The times in my life that I smile upon the most are those where I got to collaborate with other artists.
Because of the line of work I am in, I have seen and experienced the power of creative collaboration OVER and OVER again. Seeing how the cast members interact during the final weeks of a show is priceless. In all honesty, it’s almost euphoric.
There really aren’t words to express the power of thirty-some people or more coming together in unity with 110% passion to communicate a message to a viable audience. Creative synergy is just downright fun!
I can’t tell you how many people I have “paired together creatively” over the years. It’s what I do. Networking WITH PURPOSE. Not “coffee, name tags and one sole speaker”. Naawww, that’s not networking. I am talking, “let’s DO something creative….and let’s do it together!” (Us musicians like to call it “jamming”).
People who are gifted creatively can sometimes tend to be shy in social situations. Just my observation. Part of the mission of Ozaukee Talent is to bring people together around a common purpose such as a music-related event or class. This can especially help those who are anxious in peer settings.
Right now, I have a group of pre-teen girls that I am mentoring through a group singing class. The girls are not only learning how to sing, but how to plan their own event as a group. Their final collaborative project (or performance) will be on August 25th at 4:30 pm at 1111 Broad Street in Grafton. These girls are gaining important life lessons such as working together as a team and being a leader among peers. They are learning how to incorporate their ideas in a group setting. They are learning from each other. They are learning how to, both, compromise as well as stand up for what they believe in.
Real life skills.
I am expanding that concept into other after school programs this fall. Ozaukee Talent will be offering a group guitar class, drum class, piano class and contemporary music class for teens. Youth will not only be learning music, but learning how to help and collaborate with their peers as well. Class sizes will be small, safe and comfortable. And they will have their own “creativity coach” on hand to facilitate learning and encourage innovative thinking.
I found out a long time ago that some youth are a lot more capable of coming up with original ideas and co-leading than we realize. They just need to be given the opportunity. That is why I love mentoring youth. I have more than enough stories on how my students have “risen to the occasion” to choreograph and teach a song, help out with set design or be the emcee for a musical event. And the esteem that they gain is priceless. Because I have been teaching so long, I also have the privilege of seeing many of my former students now as adults. Some have even interned with me this year. Again. Many many MANY success stories!
I am also offering group classes because several private music students of mine have already learned how to play and write songs on their instrument. So the next logical step for them would be to take those skills and combine them with the skills of another musician or singer. In all honesty, that is how they will grow to the next level of musicianship.
The group classes also cost much less than a private lesson. So I am looking forward to working with youth whose families might not be able to afford “one on one” musical tutoring.
Stephanie began piano and songwriting lessons with me at the age of 9 and continued until she released her first album as a 13 year old. The rest is history. And it’s history in the making!
Stephanie will be teaching both youth and adults for the summer session which will be starting up soon.
To book a lesson slot with Stephanie for this summer, please visit OZAUKEE TALENT REGISTRATION for available time slots.
Ozaukee Talent is pleased to be offering internships during the summer of 2017. Internships provide one on one training in a real life setting for those wanting to succeed in music-related fields. Contact angie@ozaukeetalent.com
I often say, “In the entertainment industry, it’s not what you know but WHO you know.” Stephanie Erin Brill is someone to know.
If you LIKE the idea of a local, female-led business willing to INVEST IN and PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES for youth, please consider DONATING a TAX DEDUCTIBLE gift to OZAUKEE TALENT. Your dollars will be put to good use. angie@ozaukeetalent.com
BIO
Stephanie Brill is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. She has been playing piano for fifteen years, has been writing for eight, and has been singing all her life. At age thirteen Stephanie recorded her first album, Heartbroken Joker, consisting of ten original songs. At age fifteen she recorded a five-song EP titled Save the Day. Throughout her music career she has played shows all around Wisconsin: Cedarburg’s Strawberry Festival, The Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI)’s Youth Showcase, Waukesha’s FridayNight Live, Appleton’s Mile of Music, The Miramar Theater, Steelbridge Songfest, Madison’s Union Terrace, Turner Hall, Summerfest’s KNE and U.S. Cellular Stages, and many more. Stephanie was nominated twice for WAMI’s Rising Star award and received both The Madison Area Music Association (MAMA)’s First Chair award as well as the award for Youth Female Vocalist of the Year 2015. Her original music has also placed her in the Wisconsin Singer Songwriter’s Series (WSSS) Contest’s top five two years in a row. Stephanie will be entering her third year of studying Songwriting and Composition at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota this fall.
Arts Donations Sought for Local Female-Led Business
GRAFTON, WI
From the heart of Angie Mack Reilly, Ozaukee Talent founder 5/2/17
I officially opened up Ozaukee Talent in February of 2016. I had taken a two year hiatus from my long-time producing/directing/teaching/marketing position at the North Shore Academy of the Arts (NSAA) in Grafton due to some medical issues that have since been resolved.
Some soul searching showed me that I absolutely wanted to continue mentoring others in the arts as I have been for the past 18 years or so. I opened up Ozaukee Talent and started renting and creating my music studio on the 3rd floor of the NSAA building so that I could begin taking on private music students again. I immediately opened up a “hands-on Music Lab”to aid in multi-sensory learning and boost student curiosity about the science behind sound. I have also hosted and participated in quite a few music events and held workshops and classes.
Within my first year, I was able to rebuild my private lesson client list to around 30 students per week. People were excited to see that “I was back” after going through breast cancer and reconstruction surgeries. I was also able to continue working with NSAA as a contracted producer/director for their musicals. The next musicals that I will be producing for them are Disney’s Aristocats and then the big one…. Disney’s The Lion King at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center.
Owning my own business has been an exciting adventure! Because of my past experience and networks, I have had a strong foundation to build upon. My heart is full of gratitude!
However, during the past year, I have been at the point where I am literally working 12-14+ hour days. Not only am I a music producer and teacher, but now I am the Founder, Web Designer, Social Media Marketing Director, Accounts Receivable, Administrative Assistant, PR Person, Sound Engineer, Box Office, Event Planner, Tech Support, Strategic Planner, Customer Service, Operations Manager etc…for my own business. Yes, it’s a lot. But “Angie Mack Reilly” has been known for having a strong work ethic!!!
I am at the point where business growth is inevitable and I am excited to begin the next phase. I am also excited to have been accepted as a fiscal receiver through the solid, reputable and well established arts organization, ARTS WISCONSIN. These means that I can immediately begin receiving much needed donations through them. I am so thankful that I found out about their fiscal receiver program! Thank you Arts Wisconsin!
I did not want to get into debt during my first year, so I paid for everything “out of pocket” or without loans and kept operations and expenditures at bare minimum. I bought things like classroom equipment and materials, paid for rent, paid for computer equipment and programs, paid for marketing, etc…. All of these expenses meant that my NET INCOME for 2016 was around 18k which is slightly above the poverty line.
It has been a tough year financially. But like any good entrepreneur, I have made sacrifices to make it work without days off. The issue is that I do not want to burden my clients by raising rates. And, as it is, I have had to turn low-income clients away so that I could meet my budget needs. This has been a tough decision because some of the best talent is known to be found in low-income areas and families. I want people of all income levels to have access to my services starting this summer.
I also have students that I would like to mentor and bring to the next level through creating opportunities for production and increased exposure in the arts. I want to train and connect my students with the business world, because the arts combined with business is a powerful combination as you well know.
I would like to utilize new and more music technology with my students. Already, I have a middle-school student that I have been training to compose digital music for video games. He wants to land a programming job with a large video game company. (I have a strong history of sending my private students off to college for arts-related and leadership careers.)
I would also like to host more events, bring in top notch industry leaders, produce podcasts, make recordings, create video tutorials and so much more. I want to give my students the most up-to-date tools and opportunities. I want to encourage their innovative ideas through providing them with resources for mass creative communication.
Finally, the work that I have done with Paramount Records music history is internationally documented and recognized. I am not your average local music teacher. Look around my website https://ozaukeetalentdotcom.wordpress.com and you will see that I have solid credentials, experience, testimonials and connections spanning over the past few decades.
My Paramount Record efforts have brought thousands and thousands of dollars in tourism revenue to our county and even to southeastern Wisconsin. None of these efforts have gone into my pocket including my efforts to co-build paramountshome.org which won the Wisconsin Historical Society Website Award in 2006. I pitched the idea of having an annual blues festival. I wrote the show, “PBS History Detectives” asking them to film in southeastern Wisconsin. The Paramount Plaza in the heart of Grafton? Yours truly was a major part of that as well as the Chairperson for the large piano key Walk of Fame. I helped playwright Kevin Ramsey on his musical, “Grafton City Blues” which premiered at the Milwaukee Rep and is now premiering nationally under the name of “Chasin’ Dem Blues”. I was a contributor on Jack White’s Grammy Award-Winning Paramount box sets. Worked with the Grafton Preservation Commission on putting together a self-guided Paramount Walking Tour booklet. I could go on. The point is that I GIVE BACK to the community and make it a better place for families and businesses. My community service and volunteer work is massive. That tradition will continue.
Ozaukee Talent has the potential of reaching national and international arts and entertainment leaders. My students and I need your help to get to the next level.
Arts Wisconsin is a charitable, nonprofit 501c3 organization that helps arts industry entrepreneurs.
(Arts Wisconsin will see that any donations will get to Ozaukee Talent as well as hold me accountable for any donations that I receive.)
Finally, I am well aware of the leadership and wage gap faced by women in the arts. I am also well versed in the social issues and challenges that women face in today’s society. Just recently, I was kicked off of my state health insurance because “I make too much”. For a breast cancer survivor, being without insurance at this present moment in time is a bit scary. Asking for donations for my business is scary.
However, I am hanging onto faith and hope that there are people, organizations and businesses who know or care about my situation enough to help out monetarily. I am looking for those willing to take a brave stance at aiding the arts, aiding women, aiding new businesses, aiding children, aiding creative youth with mental health issues and ultimately aiding our community and nation at a very pivotal time. I am looking for people with empathy to act as arts benefactors as in days of old. The terms “starving artist”, “wage disparity” and “glass ceiling” don’t have to be “a thing”.
So, I thank you for your donations, ideas, connections, advice, resources, encouragement and overall support. Feel free to email me at angie@ozaukeetalent.com
Ozaukee Talent is located on the 3rd floor of the NSAA building and is founded by Angie Mack Reilly. Reilly has a vast amount of music directing experience, industry connections and testimonials through working in the arts for the past 16+ years.
PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS in piano, voice, guitar, percussion, acting, songwriting. Available for youth and adults. See what’s available and reserve a slot now in the Ozaukee Talent Online Shopping Cart! EMAIL: angie@ozaukeetalent.com PHONE: 262.309.4412
OZAUKEE TALENT “La La La Singers”
Target Ages: 9 to 13
Times/Dates: Fridays 4:30 to 5:30 June 16th through August 25th
Calling everyone who loves to sing! This is a “student-led” performing group that teaches leadership skills, innovative thought, vocal technique and simple dance routines to improve coordination. COST: $120
YOUR FAVORITE DRAMA CLASS!
Target Ages: Elementary School Age
Times/Dates: Wednesdays June 14th to August 16th 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Play fun, interactive drama games, learn some new theater techniques, gain confidence, work with props, and act in costume, meet new friends and be prepared to laugh a lot! COST: $110
OZAUKEE TALENT SUMMER WORKSHOPS ($45 each)
Target Ages: 5 to 13 MASTERING THE MONOLOGUE
• Friday June 16th from 1-4
• Friday July 14th from 1-4
Every actor should have a variety of monologues “under their belt”! BRAIN BOOSTING IMPROV GAMES
• Friday June 23rd from 1-4
• Friday July 21st from 1-4
Fill your afternoon with fun while learning how to “boost your brain power” through improvisational games.
OPEN MUSIC LAB FOR PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN
Target Ages: 3 to 5 without a caregiver (there is a waiting room with Wi-Fi just outside of the room for parents who would like to stay.)
Hands-on, musical enrichment in a fun and multi-sensory environment. Register early to secure a slot. Limited spaces available.
Tuesdays June 6th to August 29th 6:30 to 7:30 pm
Wednesdays June 7th to August 30th
• 10:30 to 11:30 am
• 1:00 to 2:00pm
COST: $130 per child (50% Sibling Discount for 2nd child)
Cedarburg High School Bulldogs Logo“From the CPAC ‘Birds’ Nest'” photo of the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center taken by Angie Mack Reilly of Ozaukee Talent
It was January 2nd and I was conducting auditions for the North Shore Academy of the Arts (NSAA) Jr. Stagekids production of “Annie KIDS”. This would be about the fifth time that I was going to be directing this show. Over my years of being a children’s theater director, I have been privy to “more than your average” renditions of the song, “Tomorrow”. I have seen countless numbers of little girls in dresses hoping to be that dream role of ” Little Orphan Annie”.
After seeing about 25 children audition that night, one of the last to come in was a confident brown haired girl with deep brown eyes and eyebrows named Sydney. She was wearing street clothes and LED Light Up Shoes. She confessed that she had just heard about the Annie auditions that day.
My audition assistant and I listened to Syd sing. She had a “pop” sounding voice and did a monologue that captured the emotions of anger and sadness pretty well. When asked what role she was hoping for, she replied, “Annie or Daddy Warbucks”. In an upbeat voice, she went on to say that she would be happy with any role. Her “team spirit” was impressive.
“Anything else you would like to share with us?” I asked while organizing my audition notes.
“Um. Yeah! I am going to be on MasterChef Junior in a few weeks!”
My audition assistant and I just looked at each other. Our jaws proverbially dropped. We weren’t expecting to hear THAT at the end of a long night! Maybe we could expect to hear something like that at auditions in a place like Chicago or Dallas. But in Grafton, WI? Tiny Midwestern, Packer-loving village of just over 10,000 people?
“How did you get that?” I asked.
“Well, I auditioned and they kept calling me back!”
When Syd left the audition room, my assistant and I looked at each other and laughed, “Whaaaaaaaaaat?????”
Long story short, we cast Syd as the oldest orphan, “Duffy”, in “Annie KIDS”. The show will be at the North Shore Academy of the Arts on March 27 at 5:00 and 6:15 pm.
Syd is going to be featured on MasterChef Junior’s 5th Season which premiers tonight on FOX at 8/7 c. BE SURE TO SUPPORT THIS WISCONSIN GAL by tuning in and supporting #sydthecookingkid
Out of the THOUSANDS of children who auditioned for this season, Syd was one of 40 culinary contestants to make the final cut.
About being on the nationally televised show, Syd has coined her own feelings and term as being “nervouscited”.
Particularly exciting about this season is that the young culinary experts will be serving up dishes to Michelle Obama, Martha Stewart and the Muppets to name a few.
Contributing to her rapidly rising fame, Syd was featured in the MasterChef Junior 2017 #superbowlcommercial . You can see her in pigtails shaking the oil off of some fries eight seconds into this commercial. Not bad for a 10 year old from West Bend, Wisconsin!
(“Props” to the producers of the commercial for doing a take on “It’s a Hard Knock Life” from “Annie”!)
Syd’s mom, Angela Neuser, who is an elementary education teacher admitted to me that she was scared of the show’s icon, Gordon Ramsay, more than Syd was. But when she saw her daughter’s first interaction with “Hell’s Kitchen” celebrity chef, she knew that Syd would be OK. She believes that Syd’s basic cooking skills, fun and creative personality, and ability to accept constructive criticism will only help her on the show.
“We do a lot of cooking at home. But it’s Syd’s own creativity that caused her to experiment and bring her cooking to the next level.”
Syd’s signature dish is Angel Hair Pasta with Onion and Green Pepper Marinara.
Be sure to support her using the hashtags #teamsyd and #sydthecookingkid on @MasterChefJrFOX The show will be airing every Thursday for the next several weeks.
CONTACT Angie Mack Reilly at angie@ozaukeetalent.com
Ozaukee Talent 