Ovation Academy students make national and local strides!

Ovation Academy students make national and local strides!
One student competing on live television, one student awarded top honors in the One Earth Film Festival Competition, two students cast in professional Chicago productions, fifteen students attended the national Junior Theatre Festival, and fifty students participated in a workshop with renowned Hamilton dancer!

OAK PARK, Illinois (March 12, 2018)
Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts provides the highest quality of training and instruction in the arts, encouraging excellence, enthusiasm, professionalism, and passion in our students. These students have used their arts training to further grow in theatre, film, and television to impact our community.

Representing Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts’ inaugural trip to Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, GA, 15 company members received the EXCELLENCE IN DANCE award for their adjudicated performance of Willy Wonka JR. JTF is the world’s largest annual musical theater festival, exclusively dedicated to students ages 8 - 18 and attended by 6,000 people. 2018 marked the first year Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts has been a part of the festival.

Other honors received are as follows: Malou Munch and Alex Medina- Festival All Stars, Milla Liss and Bennet King - Broadway Slam team, and Pierce Cleaveland - dancer selected for the 2018 Choreography DVD filmed in New York City in the summer of 2018. Ovation’s Musical Director, Emi Lee Hart, was selected as 1 of 3 Musical Directors to participate in the festival’s Broadway Slam. Ms. Hart received top honors for her leadership in Musical Direction. Ovation’s award winning company members include Pierce Cleaveland, Lucas Crossman, Rachael Frost, Isla Gordon, Grace Iverson, Rose Kaegi, Talia Kiessling, Bennett King, Milla Liss, Alex Medina, Bailey Mossbacher, Malou Munch, Lucas Puntillo, Kate Shannon, and Ella Steffen. In addition to the amazing families supporting our company members and Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts, the phenomenal Ovation team inspiring and creating the magic include: Choreographer Ragan Hughes; Musical Director and Managing Director Emi Lee Hart; and Founder and Creative Director Tina Reynolds.

Pierce Cleaveland, 6th grader at Julian, can be seen on this season of Master Chef Junior on Fox Network as one of the top twenty-four competitors! Pierce auditioned for the show because he “likes to cook and wanted to be on TV.” The show filmed in July 2016 and is aired on Friday nights at 7pm CST. Pierce was also recently cast in “Disaster” the Musical with Chicago Theatre Workshop as twins Ben/Lisa. This will be Pierce’s first professional musical theatre production! Audiences can see him in “Disaster” Thurs April 12 - Sun May 6, 2018 at the Edge Theater in Chicago. Ovation Academy is proud of Pierce’s determination and accomplishments!

Alejandro (Alex) Medina, 5th grader at Whittier, has been cast in his second professional production in Chicago! Alex first performed in Porchlight Theatre’s “Billy Elliot”, which ran for an astounding 13 weeks in 2017. He has now been cast as the lead role of CJ in Chicago Children’s Theatre premiere production of “Last Stop on Market Street”. Alex has been a member of Ovation Academy since our inaugural summer of 2015, starring as Danny Zuko in Grease! Alex can be seen as CJ from April 24-June 3, 2018 at the Pritzker Family Studio Theatre. Ovation Academy is ecstatic to see where Alex’s career will take him next!

Andrew Edwards, 7th grader at Roosevelt, was awarded first place in the One Earth Film Festival Middle School Competition! His film, titled “Plastic Not Fantastic”, explains how harmful plastic is to our environment, and urges listeners to “re-think” their use of plastic bags. You can watch “Plastic Not Fantastic” at www.oneearthfilmfest.org. Andrew moved to River Forest one year ago and and Ovation Academy is honored to have him as a student!

Aaron Gordon, Hamilton cast member from Broadway in Chicago, hosted a workshop at Ovation Academy over President’s Day weekend! Fifty students had the opportunity to learn music and professional choreography from the show itself! Aaron, along with Ovation musical director Cameron Burgess, taught “My Shot”, the iconic song from Hamilton the musical. This high-intensity and challenging workshop also included a talk back with Hamilton company member Aaron Gordon. Ovation Academy is grateful for opportunities to expand our students’ skills and theatrical experiences!

Press Release
Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts – Students Make Local and National Strides!
Contact: Tina Reynolds
Phone: 708-222-7564
Email: TeamOvation@OvationAcademy.org
Website: www.ovationacademy.org