Fox Country Players 2011 Fine Arts Academy

It is not too late to register for the Fox Country Players 2011 Fine Arts Academy  Rising Stars from first grade through college won’t want to miss this fun filled experience.  Please, visit www.foxcountryplayers.org  and fill out a registration form today!
Students entering first through eighth grade have a chance to shine at the Fine Arts Academy   They will perform skits based on the theme of CHANNEL SURFING.  These young actors will spend two weeks singing, dancing, painting and acting their way to a final performance based on classic TV titles that we all know and love!  The two week program (July 11-23) meets each day from 9:00-11:00 and culminates in two stage performances on July 22 and 23 at 7:00pm.  You’ll definitely want to “tune in” to CHANNEL SURFING!
CHANNEL SURFING students will have the opportunity to work with some great directors!   Jessica Muldowney Connors has been involved with theatre, both on and off the stage, since grade school. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with degrees in Fine Arts and Speech Communication and is thrilled for the chance to share her knowledge, expertise and love of theatre with her students!  Connors lives in Plainfield, IL with her husband Shawn and their three children Sam, Millie and Evelyn.Laurel Gawlik will be a sophomore at Missouri State University next year working toward her Bachelor of  Fine Arts in Musical Theatre.   A graduate of Yorkville High School, she was extensively involved in the arts and starred in several shows at YHS including the title role in “My Fair Lady”.  Gawlik has also played a role in several Fox Country Players productions and has been a big part of the Children's Community Theatre of DeKalb.  On the collegiate level, Gawlik will be performing in Noah's Art, a departmental show next semester.  She is excited to be working with the Academy and to share her enthusiasm with these aspiring performers.
Choreographing both CHANNEL SURFING and HAPPY DAYS will be Jenna Schoppe.  Originally from Oswego, IL, Schoppe is a singer, dancer, actor and choreographer living in Chicago.  She has been dancing since she was just a little tyke and has been choreographing for musical theatre and show choir for the past 8 years.  She is happy to be a part of this fun and positive theatre experience and can’t wait to “see what these kids can do”!  
Musical Director for CHANNEL SURFING and HAPPY DAYS, Rebecca Hof is currently wrapping up her first year with the Yorkville School District as choral director of treble ensembles at YHS/YHSA and general music teacher at Bristol Bay Elementary, Grande Reserve Elementary, and Yorkville Intermediate School.  Hof graduated summa cum laude from Millikin University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education emphasizing in vocal studies.  She has been involved with theatre for fourteen years and you can see her on stage this summer in Kaneland’s Fine Arts Festival's production of “Bye Bye Birdie”. 
Jennifer Fule and Laura Allen, both of the Kendall Arts Guild, will work as a very talented team in the Art Department for the 2011 Fine Arts Academy.   Art Director for CHANNEL SURFING, Jennifer Fule is in her third year with the Academy and is ready for another great summer. She has lent her skills for set painting and photography for numerous Fox Country Players shows, including “My Fair Lady”, “The Fantasticks”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Father of the Bride”.  Jennifer studied art at College of DuPage, and is presently majoring in elementary education at Waubonsee Community College. She teaches at the Little Hands Pre School in Yorkville, where she lives with her husband Alex and their daughters, Jamie and Allie.Laura Allen will be the Art Director for HAPPY DAYS.  Allen  graduated from Aquinas College with a degree in Fine Arts.  She too has been on the art team for Fox Country Players productions such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Footloose”, and “The Wizard of Oz” and she appeared on stage in their production of “Nunsense”.  Allen has been involved with several plays at Yorkville High school and with Indian Valley Theatre’s Melodramas.  Always supportive of the Arts, Allen lives in Yorkville with her husband Robert and their four children, Louis, Clark, Bobby and Debbie.
Doug Earnest will once again lend his extensive set building knowledge and technical expertise to theis summer’s Academy.  A member of the Fox Country Players board of directors, Earnest has been an integral part of countless FCP productions both on and off the stage.  As master carpenter, he has produced amazing true-to-model sets for shows including “You Can’t Take It With You” and “Beauty and the Beast”.  A self-employed kitchen and bath remodeler, Earnest lives in Oswego with his wife Michelle and their daughters Rionna, Renae, Rachel and Robin.
High school and college-age students won’t want to miss the chance to perform in HAPPY DAYS - A New Musical.  This upbeat show is based on the hit Paramount Pictures' television series, and reintroduces one of America's best loved families, the Cunninghams, and the days of 1959 Milwaukee complete with varsity sweaters, hula hoops, and jukebox sock-hoppin'.  This perfectly family-friendly musical will have everyone  rockin' and rollin' all week long!Students enrolled for this awesome theatre experience (July 11-30) will meet for three weeks from 12:00-3:00 on July 11-22 and from 9:00-3:00 on July 25-29. The students then present two stage performances of HAPPY DAYS - A New Musical on July 29 and 30 at 7:00pm.
The cost of the Academy is $70 for grades 1-8 and $100 for grades 9- College.  The tuition includes a show T-shirt, rehearsal materials, student membership in Fox Country Players and a lifetime of memories 
Registration forms can be found at www.foxcountryplayers.org.  For more information, please contact Academy Director, Jen Whittington atfcp.fineartsacademy@gmail.com, visit us on facebook at FCP.Fine Arts Academy or call Jen at (312)437-2518.