Performances at: Batavia High School 260 State Street Batavia NY

Friday January 11 at 7:30PM

Saturday, January 12 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM

Sunday, January 13 at 2:00PM

Tickets available in person:

 Adam Miller Toy Store

8 Center St, Batavia, NY

Or Online at:

www.showtix4u.com

For additional information:

 Contact: Eric Traugott

encoretheatrearts@gmail.com

585-615-8893

Encore! Theatre Arts to present

Edgar Lee Masters’

Spoon River Anthology

at The Space

Rochester, N.Y. - Tickets are now on sale for Encore! Theatre Arts Spring production, Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology, which will be performed May 20-22, 2011.

About the production:

Spoon River, Illinois could be a place anywhere in small town, 1920s America. The townspeople will evoke images of friends, foes and family - but they have all been dead for some time. In 2 hours, audiences will hear nearly 80 townspeople tell stories of triumph, love, betrayal, murder, courage and cowardice. In the end, Spoon River is not filled with stories of death, but a celebration of living life with no regrets.

This black box theatre production will include folk songs and multimedia - film, photo stills, sound effects and more - woven throughout the show and features a cast of 18 actors/musicians from the greater Rochester area. The artistic director is Leah Stacy, with music direction from Eric Traugott and costumes by Mattie Benedict.

About the book:

Spoon River Anthologyhas been capturing imaginations since it was written by Edgar Lee Masters in 1915. The original manuscript contained over 200 poetic soliloquies and has since been revised, adapted for the stage and used in high school and college literature and theatre curriculums.

Tickets and showtimes:

Performances are May 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and May 22 at 2 p.m. Due to the nature of the performance space, audience members are advised to buy tickets in advance, as there are only 80 seats available each night. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students/seniors and available on http://encoretheatrearts.com or http://showtix4u.com. All shows will be at The Space, Door #2 in the Hungerford Building, 1115 E. Main St., Rochester.

For more information, visit http://encoretheatrearts.com.

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His role: Thenardier

"Les Miserables has been an phenomenal experience and I can confidently say that others share the same sentiments. I have met some many wonderful new people and I am enthralled to have shared this experience with everyone.

Les Miserables is a very profound and heart wrenching show, but despite all of the strife, there are glimpses of comedy which my character and his "charming" wife provide. Every cast member has something to bring to the stage, allowing our production to really shine."
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Alex Black| Age 18 | Nursing major at SUNY Brockport

His role: Javert 

"Rehearsals are fun because we MAKE them fun. Lynda (Hodgins) is a great director and likes to get things done and get down to business, but us kids like to loosen her up. The good thing about the cast is we usually know when to get serious and when to mess around. Either way, rehearsals always turn into a fun time with friends. 

People should come to this show because even though it is set in a time much earlier than 2010 it is still very relatable to most audiences. What I personally love about this show is how emotionally attached everyone gets to the characters. 

You can't help but feel bad, sorry, a whole spectrum of emotions for each individual character. It makes for quite the heart wrenching performance but thats what people look for in a show. Even a cold hearted audience member could shed a tear watching Les Mis."
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Sydney Alexis | Age 17 | Senior at Notre Dame High School, Batavia

Her role: Factory girl/ensemble

"Rehearsals are great. After a long, irritating day at school they're just what I need. I get to actually be somewhere with people who share the same interests as me and who don't judge. My favourite part of the whole thing has got to be the process of thinking up and the making of a big secret surprise that won't be revealed until Halloween night! I can't say much more... Stay tuned!

Les Miserables is, without a doubt, power in musical form. The show is filled with tough, painful lessons on love, revenge, failure and hope. There is a lot to get from the story and everyone will leave with a piece of it- from a song in their heart to a tear on their cheek. You're going to learn something from this show. And I guarantee you're going to love it."
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Jake Bortle | Age 17 | Senior at Leroy Jr./Sr. High School 

His role: Jean Valjean

"Above all, rehearsals have been extremely rewarding. Watching the show come together even in the past few days really puts my dreams into reality. I have always wanted to play this role and having it finally come true, and with such a talented cast, really makes everything worth while. 

My favorite experience in the show would have to be my favorite song, 'The Confrontation.' I love singing this song with Alex (Black, who plays Javert). Being onstage with sets, costumes, hair, and make-up, this scene really intensifies. Every single time we sing it, it gets more and more intense. 

But to keep this short, people should come see the show because it's awesome. But really, the talent in this cast is something you would not expect from people our age. Every single person is putting all they can into the show, and it really shows. The quality of this show really is fantastic and will blow anyone out of their chairs."

For more info, including ticket prices and show dates, on Les Miserables School Edition, click here or become a fan Encore! Theatre Arts on Facebook by clicking here.

Jocks. Brainiacs. Skaters. Cheerleaders. It may sound like a typical high school experience, but this weekend the spectacle won't be in the Batavia High cafeteria, it'll be on the stage. 

Starting Thursday night, Encore Theatre Arts will be performing "Disney's High School Musical." The play, which is based on the smash-hit movie, follows nerdy Gabriella and jock Troy as they sing and dance their way through falling in love and discovering their place in high school.

Director Lynda Hodgins says that the play is very similar to the movie, with only a few changes, such as a new character and a slightly different setting. Some of the original characters were cut out completely, and others' parts were slightly adjusted.

"The Taylor in the musical has a bigger part than in the movie," says Maureen Edwards, 12, of her role as Gabriella's best friend. "You see her friendship with Gabriella more."

The show will also differ from the movie when it comes to dancing, says choreographer Tara Kaczorowski, who also has the part of mean-girl diva Sharpay Evans. 

"The only dance that's the same as in the movie is for 'We're All in This Together,' because we thought kids would be expecting that. Surprisingly, this has been one of the easiest shows I've choreographed so far, because the music has a good beat and it's fun to dance to," says Kaczorowski.

So is it difficult taking on the roles of some of the most beloved actors in recent 'tween media? 

"Well, I based some of my character off of Zac Efron's," says Brian Bodgan, who plays jock-turned-actor Troy Bolton. "I try to give him the same passion and pizzazz that Zac did, but I'm definitely a different Troy."

Bogdan, 24, says he was attracted to the role right away because of similarities between him and his character. 

"I was a lot like Troy in high school. I grew up playing sports year-round, and also doing theater. They always went hand-in-hand for me, and Troy is trying to find the balance between them. So I see a lot of myself in the character."

Justin Ryan, 22, who plays Sharpay's equally attention-loving sidekick, brother Ryan Evans, also has no trouble getting into his role.

"I basically am Ryan in real life," he laughs. "You know, theater geek, classy dresser. I actually used a lot of stuff from my own closet for my costumes." 

The cast, which is mostly composed of high school and college students as well as twenty-somethings, is proof that the story is popular among all ages, not just children.

"I love the movie," Edwards confesses. "I used to listen to the soundtrack every day."

"When it first came out, I thought it was fantastic, and I was in college!" says Ryan.  "There was so much hype for it, and I thought it was really great."

When asked if it was his favorite movie, Paul Teresi, 16, replies, "Duh!"

And Bogdan said "It's a story I think everyone can relate to. The characters are going through this journey of discovering themselves, and everyone goes through that in high school. It's a time for finding who you are. I think that's what makes the show so successful and recognizable."

"Encore is a new company," says Hodgins, "and they wanted to do something with a wide appeal that's a big ticket seller."

Sell tickets it surely will. After all, everybody loves a high school musical.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7-9 and 2 p.m. Jan. 10 at Batavia High School. Tickets are $10 when purchased at Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles and $12 at the door.

The cast of Encore! Theatre Arts' production of "High School Musical" at the Richmond Memorial Library - left to right: Alex Grayson (Chad), Brian Bogdan (Troy), Samara Brown (Gabriella), Justin Ryan (Ryan), Cara Ferraro (Kelsi), Kiera Davis (Taylor) and Tara Kaczorowski (Sharpay).

Performances aren't until January, but fans young and old got a sneak peak Tuesday night at the Richmond Memorial Library. The show's seven main cast members came running into the library's Gallery Room -- each fully in character -- to perform some of the play's songs, including "We're All in This Together."

Children and their families who attended could buy advance tickets to the show, and anyone who did so was rewarded with free HSM gift items.

"The kids love [HSM]," said Sandra Gillard, RML children's librarian and coordinator of the event, "so this seemed like a great cooperative venture."

The library has done similar preview programs with other groups in the past (see, for example, article on RML's "Cinderella" program at http://preview.tinyurl.com/ye5kecg), and Encore! Theatre Arts, being a fairly new organization, was interested in a similar collaborative effort.

ETA was founded in June by Eric Traugott, who is also producer and musical director for HSM.

"I wanted to make sure that there continued to be quality theater in Batavia and Rochester," Traugott said. "We have a lot of great groups already, but I still wanted to fill in the gaps and make sure there's always something available."

ETA has put on many performances in Batavia and in Rochester since its inception, but arguably none are comparable to HSM in popularity. The kids who came on Tuesday knew all of the words to the songs, and one young girl even commented that her basketball coach uses HSM lyrics to motivate his team.

Traugott and Director Lynda Hodgins hope people will be happy to see this nationwide phenomenon in the hands of local talent.

Performances of HSM will take place at Batavia High School from Jan. 7-10. For information on times, tickets sales and other details, please visit www.encoretheatrearts.com.

January 7-9 ,7:30 PM and January 10, 2:00 PM. Batavia High School Auditorium

Directed by Lynda Hodgins, Choreographer Tara Kaczorowski, Music Director, Eric Traugott, Orchestra Director, Kevin Mclaud.

Tickets are $12.00 Adult, $10.00 Senior and Students, $8.00 Children under 12.

Advance General Admission tickets available beginning  Dec 1, 2009 at:

Adam Miller Toys and Bikes 8 Center St Batavia, NY. 585 343 0548 or at the door.

For more information, please call: (585) 615-8893 or email at: info@encoretheatrearts.com.

Perfect stocking stuffer !!