High school theatre programs across Greater Cincinnati are gaining a new platform to learn, perform and connect through the Queen City Theatre Collaborative.
The initiative, sometimes stylized as QCTC, provides workshops and master classes led by Broadway touring artists and regional theatre professionals. It also includes a Theatre Passport that gives students discounted access to local productions, professional adjudication of school musicals and an end-of-season celebration at the Aronoff Center for the Arts to showcase their work.
Led by the nonprofit Commonwealth Artists Student Theatre (CAST) in partnership with the Cincinnati Arts Association and Broadway in Cincinnati, the collaborative officially launches Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Aronoff’s Fifth Third Theatre.
The kickoff party runs from 6-9 p.m. and will feature food, drinks, dancing, raffle prizes and opportunities for students and educators to learn more about the program. The public event welcomes high school students, educators and media representatives.
“At CAST, I have the privilege of watching young artists discover their voices every day,” said Jason Burgess, the company’s artistic director. “The Queen City Theatre Collaborative is about giving those voices a larger stage – uniting students, educators and organizations in a way that reminds us all of the power the arts have to shape the future of not only our theatre community but the region as well.”
Geneveive Holt, vice president, Midwest at Broadway Across America, said the initiative honors the “talent of our local students and (highlights) the hard work being done to produce high-quality musical theatre in our local high schools.”
Schools can enroll in QCTC from Aug. 28 through Sept. 10. The $300 fee covers access for all students at a participating school, and applications are available online at www.caststages.org/qctc.
“The future of theater in the Queen City is bright, and we are so pleased to be a part of it,” Holt said.
Queen City Theatre Collaborative
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