Click here to download the song!

We wish Josh the best of luck in launching his professional music career!

Congratulations to all of the musicians involved in our Studio Showcase! The night of music was a huge success!

Pictured: Voice student Abby Galvin with her teacher Amanda Kohl at the Studio Showcase.

Hello Friends,

BackBeat City is very excited to support the intense, creative efforts of Eli Baker. 

Eli is 11 years old and has been involved in hip hop and the BackLash Show Choir at BackBeat City.  You may have seen him in Casanova in NYC this winter, or at the Goodspeed in Mame last summer or perhaps in A Christmas Carol at the Hartford Stage in the winter of 2011.  Eli recently decided that he had an interest in on-camera work and just booked a starring role in an NBC Pilot directed by David Schwimmer, produced by Jason Bateman, and written by DJ Nash.  It will feature JK Simmons as his Dad and Parker Posey as his Mom.  He has left for LA to film for the month.

“I can’t thank BackBeat enough for getting me started!  Dreams really can come true!” — Eli Baker.

NOVEMBER 16TH, 17TH AND 18TH @ King Phillip Middle School, West Hartford, CT

Tickets can be purchased online at WHTheater.org or at Pfaus Hardware in West Hartford, CT.

FYI: When purchasing tickets for the show please be sure to indicate on the Website that you have been referred by Amanda.

Website: www.WHTheater.org

Dance intern David, from Back Beat City, would like to show you a glimpse of his choreography.

Please Check Out His Video Below!!!!

Outside of rehearsal, the kids have played improvisation games, prepared their solo’s,duets, and trios for Project Inspiration, and worked in acting workshop teams to write, direct, and act in their own created pieces of art. I can tell that these students truly love the theater! Additionally, we are incredibly lucky to have such a supportive management team and an incredibly talented Music Director, Alan Dougherty. We are thrilled about how well this cast has adjusted and taken control of a completely different time period. As the show is just around the corner, we will continue to thrive towards creating an incredible production as we start to work with props, paint and assemble set pieces, and challenge character discoveries in hopes that we can create a cohesive production to where all the pieces of the “Millie Puzzle” perfectly fit.

18 Days until opening night!

Kyle Reynolds
Director and Choreographer

We are so extremely excited and pleased to announce an international collaboration that has been in the making for over 3 years!  Its finally going to happen!  It gives me great pride and incredible honor to announce that BackBeat City and The Internationally recognized Destiny Africa Children’s Choir will unite this Saturday for a day of reflection, collaboration, and community, with an explosion of a performance scheduled for Saturday nights Learn Love 5 at the Middletown Performing Arts center at 7:30.  Both the middle school and high school show choirs will be mingling with the choir, and we plan on really showing off our collaboration at the show.  Here some background:

In 2009, I  enjoyed the choir’s performance and was so inspired, that I had made a pledge that we would unite at some point.  They are an internationally recognized group who stops people in their tracks based on their energy and devotion to their art.  With the help of Tom Petrisko, and the perfect timing of their 2012 American tour, we have secured what should be an incredible situation for our young people.  Not only will the choir perform for us , but even better, they will perform with us.  Their director and I are so excited for them to be connected in some way, he cancelled some events to ensure this could happen.  We will have only a 2 hour rehearsal before the show to try and put together something amazing, but we are confident we can.  This is sure to be a memory in the making.

The meet and greet will begin on Saturday afternoon from 4-6 at MPAC.  Here, we will begin to  create what we hope to be long lasting relationships.  Through rehearsal and some team building, along with a lot of Q&A, these two groups will work to meld together before the audience arrives.  Both their director and myself feel this may be one of the best things to happen for his kids on the US tour.  They will have dinner together as well at 6 and will run the show at 7:30.  Its sure to be memorable.

Because of all of this “ on the fly” planning, please allow BBC the slack we need to make this happen.  It appears we will need to change the arrival for Sat to 3:30 for BB and BL, but aside from that this shouldn’t impact much else. Because this is SATURDAY NIGHT  ONLY, we cannot gaurantee enough seats will be available for everyone who wants to see this collaboration, so it is first come, first served.

Thanks,

Greg Colossale
Mayor of BackBeat City

The information from their flyer is pasted below:

AUDITIONS FOR BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL!
Have you ever dreamed of playing Ralphie or one of his band of memorable friends? Do you long for an official Red Ryder Carbine Action BB gun? Do icy flag poles entice you? Are you unable to resist a triple-dog-dare? Then come audition for A Christmas Story, The Musical!

A Christmas Story, The Musical!, is coming to Broadway this holiday season. The show’s producers, including Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in the original 1983 film, are holding open auditions to find the next Ralphie, his friends and classmates, including: Randy, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farcus, Grover Dill, Mary Beth, and Esther Jane.

Open Call Audition:
Seeking exceptionally talented boys and girls ages 8-13 who sing, dance and act to play Ralphie, his brother Randy and his band of friends and classmates. Kids should be under 4’ 11”. Boys should have unchanged voices. No experience is needed to audition.

When:
Saturday June 16, 2012 at Pearl Studios (500 8th Avenue, 12th floor)
Registration begins at 11:30 with auditions from 12:00-5:00.

To prepare: For the audition please prepare a brief song that is rhythmic, classic Broadway, and shows off your voice and personality. Please bring sheet music—a pianist will be provided. Please also bring a headshot (or some kind of picture) and a resume if you have one.

A Christmas Story, The Musical! begins rehearsals in NYC October 1st. The production will run on Broadway from November 6, 2012 – December 30, 2012

This is a paying job.

For More information about this production, visit our website: AChristmasStoryTheMusical.com,