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Youth Troupe Actors Run Wild In Madagascar A Musical Adventure

Branson Regional Arts Council presents Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR.

Place: Forsyth Performing Arts Center, 178 Panther Road, Forsyth, MO 65653

  • Friday, June 23rd at 7pm

  • Saturday, June 24th at 7pm

  • Sunday, June 25th at 2pm

BRAC Youth Troupe Actors RUN WILD with their production of DREAMWORKS MADAGASCAR – A MUSICAL ADVENTURE JR.

The Branson Regional Arts Council (BRAC) invites area residents to escape the “zoo” of life and join them on a transatlantic musical adventure when its Youth Troupe actors perform DreamWorks Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. beginning Friday, June 23rd.  Based on the DreamWorks Animation Motion Picture, the show follows a group of Central Park Zoo animals who are unexpectedly shipped to Africa.

Drew Cohen – President of Music Theatre International

DreamWorks Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. follows four friends who are thrust into an exciting, high-stakes, international adventure at the very moment in which they start to imagine the possibilities beyond the safe environment in which they live. The BRAC Youth Troupe actors are on a similar journey, they are experimenting with new skill sets as they venture into new territory personally and creatively, and they are forming new friendships through the shared experience of collaborating on this show.  MTI, through its Broadway Junior™ division, works with the authors of classic musicals to create special editions suitable for students to perform.

– Drew Cohen – Music Theatre International

Branson Reginal Arts Council presents DreamWorks Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR.  at the Forsyth Performing Arts Center on Friday, June 23rd at 7pm, Saturday, June 24th at 7pm, and Sunday, June 25th at 2pm.

General admission for adults and children is $5.00 per person at the door.
BRAC Members can attend all three performances at no charge.

Lisa Murphy – President of Branson Regional Arts Council

We are very excited to announce that our Youth Troupe will be one of the first groups in the nation to present Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. Families will really enjoy experiencing this production together, and we have a great cast of talented young actors who will sing and dance their way into your hearts.

To celebrate our first show of the year, we are inviting all of our supporting members to see this production at NO COST! If you aren’t a member yet, we encourage you to join us today!

 – Lisa Murphy, BRAC President

Claim This Member Benefit… Join BRAC Today!

Annual BRAC Memberships may be purchased online for only $20 (individual) or $50 (family) and provide additional benefits throughout the year. Visit BransonArts.org/membership/ for more information.

DreamWorks Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. features original music and lyrics by George Noriega and Joel Someillan and a book by Kevin Del Aguila.  As the show opens we learn that Marty the zebra may be celebrating his tenth birthday at the Central Park Zoo with his friends Alex the lion, Gloria the hippo, and Melman the giraffe, yet he longs to experience life outside of the zoo’s walls. When Marty eventually escapes, his animal friends from the zoo pursue him into New York City. After reuniting, the animals are chased by the police, and ultimately felled by tranquilizer darts. They awake, trapped in crates, on a ship, which – through a series of events – is thrown off course.  Upon reaching land the animals discover they have been shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar.  Ultimately, it is only in being so lost that they can begin to discover where they really belong. 

DreamWorks Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker in 1952, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theaters in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30 and 60-minute musicals for elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

 

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Arts Council To Support Branson Show Awards

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2016 Branson Show Awards Winners Selected!

Clay Cooper - 2015 Entertainer of the Year

Clay Cooper – Last Year’s 2015 Entertainer of the Year

 

The Branson Show Awards have been honoring outstanding entertainers in Branson since 2008. Created by founder Gary R. Wackerly, the annual nominees are carefully reviewed by a non-biased Award Committee who personally attend every show before announcing the nominations and selected winners.

The committee accepts no direct advertising from any theaters or shows, and does not benefit financially from anyone in the entertainment industry.

Awards are typically announced in the Fall of each year, however, health issues have forced Mr. Wackerly and the BSA Committee to postpone the presentation the past two seasons.

Last year, the Show Awards received assistance from the Branson Regional Arts Council who arranged sponsorship for the award trophies and a dinner presentation ceremony held at the Uptown Cafe.

 

Executive Director of the Branson Regional Arts Council, Jim Barber, is pleased to announce that the Arts Council is stepping up again this year to help put the event back on track by sponsoring the 2016 and upcoming 2017 Branson Show Awards.

As a recipient of a few Branson Show Awards myself, I am very aware of Mr. Wackerly’s love for our area entertainers.

His volunteer efforts, and those of his committee, have helped our show industry for many years by providing legitimate marketing tools that entertainers and theatre shows have used to differentiate themselves to the millions of visitors traveling to the Ozarks for entertainment.

These award titles are very helpful to many of the recipients who proudly share and promote the recognition, so it’s vital that we help the awards stay on schedule. – Jim Barber, BRAC Executive Director

And now, the 2016 Branson Show Awards Winners are…

BEST SHOW – Clay Cooper’s Country Express
BEST LEGACY SHOW – Barbara Fairchild
BEST NEW SHOW – Rock and Roll Revival
BEST COMEDY SHOW – Smoke On The Mountain
BEST GOSPEL SHOW – New South Gospel
BEST VARIETY SHOW – The Duttons
BEST THEATRICAL PRODUCTION – Moses
BEST MORNING SHOW – The Bretts
BEST SHOW FOR FAMILIES – Amazing Pets
BEST MUSICAL FAMILY – The Haygoods
BEST TRIBUTE SHOW – Carpenters Once More
BEST DINNER SHOW – A Tribute To George Strait
BEST MATINEE SHOW – #1 Hits of the 60’s (& 50’s too)
BEST SHOW LIMITED ENGAGEMENT – Arizona Keepsakes
BEST PATRIOTIC SALUTE – Clay Cooper’s Country Express
BEST MALE VOCALIST – George Dyer
BEST FEMALE VOCALIST – Tamara Tinoco
BEST SINGING GROUP – Statler Brothers Revisited
BEST FEMALE SINGING GROUP – Branson Dreamettes
BEST MALE SINGING GROUP – New Jersey Nights
BEST QUARTET – Million Dollar Quartet
BEST BAND – Labamba
BEST KEYBOARD – Darrell Croy
BEST LEAD GUITAR – Wayne Severson
BEST BASS OR UPRIGHT – Larry Alred
BEST DRUMMER – Josh Gabriel
VIOLINIST OF THE YEAR – Amy Dutton Arambulo
BEST HORN – Marvin Short
BEST INSTRUMENTALIST – Katherine Haygood
BEST TRIBUTE ARTIST – CJ Newsom
BEST IMPRESSIONIST – Terry Sanders
COMEDIAN OF THE YEAR – Terry Sanders
BEST PHYSICAL COMEDY – Jordan Gabriel
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR – Andrea Brett
BEST DANCE TROUPE – Country Express Dancers
BEST FEMALE DANCER – Jennifer Turner
BEST MALE DANCER – Steve Parish
FEMALE ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR – Heather Gentry
MALE ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR – Timothy D. Dutton
YOUNG MALE ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR (age 11-17) – Timothy J. Dutton
YOUNG FEMALE ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR (age 11-17) – Nadia Cole
BEST MAGIC SHOW – Illusionist Rick Thomas
BEST DUET – Shane Vorhaben & Dave Sanders
BEST MASTER OF CEREMONIES – Mike Patrick
ENTERTAINERS OF THE YEAR – Hughes Brothers, IT
BEST CHRISTMAS SHOW – Maxine’s Christmas Carol

Trophies for these 2016 Branson Show Award winners will be delivered in a few weeks, and a special 2017 awards dinner event is currently being planned for later this year. More information on the Branson Show Awards can be found at BransonShowAwards.com.

Support Arts in the Ozarks! Be a member of the Branson Regional Arts Council… JOIN HERE NOW! 

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Madagascar Jr. Cast List Announced

The Branson Regional Arts Council is excited to announce the cast list for our upcoming productions, Madagascar Jr. and Shakespear’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Congratulations to all who were selected.  Cast list subject to change if actors are unable to accept roles.

Madagascar Jr. Cast List

Alex – Carter Hendrickson

Marty –  Gianna Redding/ Jordan Kendrick

Gloria – Danielle Groff

Melman – Dakota Cooner

Mason the Monkey – Ryan Cardwell

Skipper – Jacob Foreman

Kowalski – Tobias Collins

Rico – Carlie Strong

Private –  Emrie Straka

Zookeeper Zelda– Izzy Hall

Zookeeper Zoe – Alexis Fischer

Zookeeper Zeke – Kevin Williams

Ship’s Captain – Micah Collins

 

Zoo Guests:

Lee Brown

Ruthana Collins

Cadence Kleeman

Electra Arndt

Charis Myers

Joel Frost

TBA……

 

New Yorkers:

Candy Hammernose – Lucy Riley

Camera Woman  – Katie Sundahl

Police Officer #1 – Korey Brown

Police Officer #2 – Morgan Brown

Animal Control Officers –  Anna Cardwell, Sabrina Kulis

Newspaper Man  – Jacob Deeter

Old Lady – Molly McNeil

Passerby – Hallie Horn

TBA………

 

Lionesses:

Lead Lioness – Bo McHenry                  Olivia Fennell

Ashley Williams                                         Lauren Rantz

Anna Foreman                                            Gemma Redding

Audrey Echols                                            Jordan Kendrick

 

Lemurs:

King Julien – Abigail Sundahl

Maurice – Jacob Deter

Mort – Hallie Groff

Lynn Lemur – Macy Martin

Lee Lemur – Austin Cardwell

Lew Lemur – Morgan Brown

Lars Lemur – Paige Stanford

Lee Brown

Ruthana Collins

Cadence Kleeman

Electra Arndt

Charis Myers

Joel Frost

TBA……

 

Foosa:

Head Foosa – Derek Brown

TBA………. 

Congratulations to all cast members!!!

We are very excited to have such a great group of students. Please note, the directors will be casting students in multiple (TBA) roles as we begin the rehearsal process.

 

 

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Production Cast 

Bo McHenry                        Derek Brown

Lucie Riley                          Morgan Brown

Audrey Echols                    Olivia Fennell

Abigail Sudahl                    Jordan Kendrick

Anna Foreman                    Danielle Groff

Jacob Foreman                   Carter Hendrickson

Gianna Reding                    Jacob Deeter

Gemma Reding                   Carlie Strong

Austin Cardwell                 Dakota Cooner

 

 

 

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Branson Convention Center Art Exhibition Grand Opening

The Branson Regional Arts Council, in collaboration with the Branson Convention Center will be hosting the opening reception of the current fine art exhibition featuring acclaimed artists. These artists will display their award winning artwork, ranging from oils to acrylics to photography, at the Branson Convention Center Art Gallery located at 200 South Sycamore, Branson, MO.

This free, community event is this Friday, May 12th from 7pm – 9pm at the Branson Convention Center Art Gallery located on the second floor concourse of the venue. Reception attendees will have the opportunity to meet the artists and hear about their works and creative process. The Branson Regional Arts Council Board of Directors and staff will also be part of this fun premiere event. Refreshments including a cash bar will be available.

Convention Center General Manager Marc Mulherin is thrilled with the response he has been receiving from the thousands of visitors and convention center guests, and city officials that pass through the art exhibit every week.

We are honored to have the opportunity to share great works of art from area artists at the Branson Convention Center.  I am in awe every time I’m at an event and see these beautiful masterpieces on display for the world to view. – Karen Best, Branson Mayor

Each artist will display a variety of their work in the Concourse of the Branson convention center on a 14’x20′ wall panel. All works are for sale and will be replaced by the artist as they are sold, so it is advisable to visit the exhibition often during the exhibition dates. Click here to view and purchase artwork online.

Featured Missouri Artists:

*online gallery pieces subject to change

Please plan to attend and also invite all of your family and patrons to the public opening. We hope to see you there.

Reception attendees will have the opportunity to meet the artists, hear about their works and be part of this premiere event.

 

 

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