Elk County Council on the Arts Summer Theater Camp: Junie B. Jones, JR.

 
 

Under the direction of Mr. Adam Brooks, the Elk County Council on the Arts Summer Theater Camp will present Junie B. Jones The Musical JR., a 60-minute student version of the witty and charming show featuring a book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich, which was adapted from the Junie B. Jones series of best-selling books by Barbara Park on Friday, June 17, 2022.

It's Junie B.'s first day of first grade, and a lot of things have changed for her: Junie's friend, Lucille, doesn't want to be her best pal anymore and, on the bus, Junie B. makes friends with Herb, the new kid at school. Also, Junie has trouble reading the blackboard and her teacher, Mr. Scary, thinks she may need glasses. Throw in a friendly cafeteria lady, a kickball tournament, and a Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal, and first grade has never been more exciting.

Summer Theater Camp is a weeklong experience for youth entering grade 3 in the fall of 2022, through this spring’s graduating seniors. Camp will be held Monday, June 13 through Friday, June 17 at the St. Marys Area High School.

*** Registration is now closed. ***


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The public is welcome to join us for the performance of Junie B. Jones The Musical JR. on Friday, June 17 at 7PM at the St. Marys Area High School Carpin Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30PM. Admission is free. Donations at the door are appreciated but not required.

A word from Mr. Brooks regarding casting and auditions:
The musical, Junie B. Jones, is completely based on the book series by Barbara Park which I am sure most of our children are familiar with. Regarding casting the musical: there is a place for everyone who auditions and attends the camp. There are solos, duets, speaking parts, ensembles parts... it's a standard musical meant for everyone.

I really want to cast the character Junie B. Jones as a younger, elementary or middle school actor. This will add to the effect that all characters are meant to be in the elementary grades. Same with her "friends". This will be your time to shine! There are certainly roles for older students as teachers, parents, and ensemble members. I want lots of singers and dancers for the big scenes and definitely need the leadership of older students. I will send out an audition night soon (videos are also welcome) for those interested in speaking/solo roles.

Email me if you have any questions at abrooks@smasd.org

Upcoming Class: Exploring Encaustic with Collage

Join artist Merry Ryding to explore the technique of encaustic painting and create your own work of art.

Encaustic, a hot wax medium, is the perfect vehicle to transform bits of ephemera into a personal work of art. Learn techniques to use this translucent wax medium with paper scraps and other lightweight materials. Participants may bring copies of photos, poems, quotes, or other things printed on paper.

Consider copies of letters, scraps of wallpaper, feathers, fabric, pressed and dried leaves or flowers, tiny shells, and other small, lightweight materials. The lighter the better, metal objects, stones, cardstock, and thicker papers do not work well. All other supplies will be provided.

What is encaustic?

“Encaustic is an ancient medium, used in the Minoan and Mycenean cultures of the Aegean Sea (they revered honey bees) and by the Roman-era Egyptians for the famous Fayum portraits. The medium is simply melted beeswax, sometimes combined with damar resin, with finely ground pure pigments for color.
Encaustic painting is done on a rigid surface, typically cradled wood panels. Unfinished wood surfaces take the encaustic medium well or the surface may be coated with specially formulated encaustic gesso. Occasionally, for an interesting background, I wrap the panel in hand-dyed fabric and layer with an encaustic medium. The important thing is to have a support that 'grips' the wax medium.
Painting with encaustic involves multiple repeated steps, but the many layers provide many chances to tweak your individual creative process. Begin on the panel with several base coats of encaustic, scraping down any ridges for a uniform surface, and then fusing each layer before adding the next.”
- More at mrydingartworks.com

Register to attend

This class will take place in the Elk County Council on the Arts sales gallery, 237 Main Street, Ridgway, on Saturday, May 28, 10AM - 1PM.

Space is limited to 8 participants. Cost is $55 per person.

Pre-registration is required: https://form.jotform.com/212506063911144

About Merry: mrydingartworks.com

ECCOTA and CEC partner with John Schlimm to launch THE SMILE ZINE

Elk County Council on the Arts and Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties are partnering with John Schlimm to launch his latest community art project titled THE SMILE ZINE: Art and smiles should be accessible to everyone.

Produced as both an e-zine and a printed edition of 1,000 free copies, THE SMILE ZINE is an 80-page black-and-white zine that uses the simple image and reference point of a human smile to draw attention to the very timely importance and meaning of art and mental health, as well as the accessibility, exploration, reflection, and intersection of both. And each cover has a colorful smile individually hand-inked by John.

 Short for magazine or fanzine, a zine is a small-circulation collection of images, text, and other artwork that traditionally is handmade and reproduced via photocopier by one person or group around one theme or cause, such as “Art and smiles should be accessible to everyone.”

In the tradition of artists like Keith Haring and the riot grrrl movement and more recently Austin Kleon, Ben Watts, and Jonas Brothers, as well as outsider creatives active in the 70’s and 80’s punk and activist scenes in LA and NYC, each page of THE SMILE ZINE visually explores these concepts of art and mental health through mixed-media collages and montages of words, images, drawings, interactive questions, and more. John both created new pieces exclusively for this work and also appropriated other components from his vast archive of original sketchbooks, books, and other works, along with letters and words clipped from magazines, newspapers, and other sources, and reassembled them.

“As an artist and mental health advocate, THE SMILE ZINE is a visual, fun, and engaging way for me to convey the message that art and mental well-being should be available to everyone,” John Schlimm said. “It gives the viewer of any age countless entry points for exploring and reflecting on this message, and then deciding what it means to them personally.”

Next up for John will be the release of The Brain Zine: How often do you think about your brain?, which is launching nationwide in May in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Printed copies of THE SMILE ZINE are free and can be picked-up at the ECCOTA Gallery in Ridgway, PA, and the CEC in St. Marys, PA, while supplies last. Copies will also be given to every student who is participating in The Gen-Z Community Service Summit at Ridgway Middle-High School on April 20. Additionally, the e-zine edition can be downloaded for free at JohnSchlimm.com.

In addition to ECCOTA and CEC as partners on this project, funding for THE SMILE ZINE was made possible by ECCOTA’s Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program grant via Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and a grant from Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund held at the Elk County Community Foundation. The printing of THE SMILE ZINE was facilitated locally at Printing Plus in St. Marys.