Saturday's performance by The Singing Hoosiers kicks off Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center's first full season.
The shows this year will include singing groups, comedy, a band and a Russian circus.
Jennifer Shepherd, WCHS assistant principal, said there will be school activities, such as musicals and choir performances, at the Arts Center, but that's not all. The goal also is to bring a wide variety of activities for the community to the Arts Center.
Most of the events booked have an educational component to them, Shepherd said. For example, The Singing Hoosiers from Indiana University will hold a voice clinic for students. The students then will sing a song with the Hoosiers during their show.
The Singing Hoosiers will be at the WCHS PAC auditorium Saturday, with showtime at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 each, and there are no reserved seats. The event is co-sponsored by the Kosciusko County Chapter of the I.U. Alumni Association.
Before Thanksgiving, the Russian American Kids Circus will take to the PAC stage Nov. 17. Sponsored by Zimmer, Shepherd said the Circus "is really just a fun, family opportunity."
Tickets for the 6 p.m. Nov. 17 circus show will be $12.50 each.
According to information provided by Shepherd, "The Russian American Kids Circus on Stage is a fully staged professional production whose stars are all children between the ages of 6 and 16. A circus like no other, they transform performing skills into a circus spectacular on the theatrical stage. Their performances fill the air with a blur of spangles, dazzling you with flying acrobatics, synchronized unicycling, artful juggling, daring aerial feats, precision acts of balancing, entertaining clown segments, and the magic of black lights. All routines are performed using state-of-the-art techniques and equipment in the old-world hallowed tradition of the circus."
In 1994 in Brooklyn, N.Y., Alex Berenchtein, a former Moscow Circus star, along with his wife Regina and mother-in-law Olga Partigul, opened up the non-profit academy The New Way Circus Center Inc. The advanced students formed the performing troupe, which came to be known as The Russian American Kids Circus on Stage.
The group has performed more than 1,500 national and international performances in 34 states, Canada and British Virgin Islands. They have performed with Bill Cosby, and appeared on the same stage as Whitney Houston, Joan Rivers and Ray Charles.
To kick off Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Voices of Unity, a children's choir from Fort Wayne, will perform at the PAC Jan. 20. The group also is set to perform for the students at the high school Oct. 19 during a convocation.
WCHS graduate Jeff Handel will be a percussionist in the Dallas Brass when they perform Jan. 27. The group also will hold a clinic for students in grades 7-12. The students then will perform with the Dallas Brass for two numbers during the Jan. 27 show.
Comedy will be central for two other shows at the PAC.
The Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation is sponsoring the Second City Comedy show. Many of the "Saturday Night Live" actors got their start with Second City. No date has been confirmed yet, but Shepherd said the show will be in February or March.
Second City also will hold up to four improvisation workshops for students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade, depending on interest levels. Tickets to the show will be $12.50 each, and $5 for the workshop. More details will be announced at a later date.
"That should be a fun thing," Shepherd said.
The other night of comedy will be "Mama's Night Out," as part of the Heart Truth Campaign. The tentative date for the show is Feb. 2.
Nick At Night held a competition for America's funniest mom, "Search for America's Funniest Mom." The three finalists have been touring as "Mama's Night Out."
Karen Morgan is a trial attorney turned stay-at-home mom turned stand-up comedienne. Sherry Davey has appeared on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" and Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn." Nancy Witter is a three-time MAC Award winner who performs in clubs and at corporate events throughout Manhattan and around the country.
Shepherd said the PAC is at the beginning stages of having a season outside of school activities, which will benefit the community as well. They want to make the PAC comfortable for the community, she said, and make ticket prices reasonable.
"We just hope the community takes advantage of it," Shepherd said.
The goal of having the performances is not to create a money-making venture, she said, but to break even. Many of the events, hopefully, will be sponsored.
She also said they will try to balance what the PAC offers with what already is being offered in the community. She said they don't want to conflict with other events in the community if possible.
"We want to fill the facility. It's here to be used," said Shepherd.
Other upcoming shows at the PAC include a WCHS choral concert Oct. 16; One-Act Plays, Oct. 23; and the drama department's "Seussical, the Musical," Nov. 9-11.
Tickets for any show may be purchased at the PAC box office from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or prior to the show. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 574-371-5040.
