Thalian Association Community Theatre

06/24/2022

TACT’s Rainbow Fish: The Musical

Love that our campers got to hang out at the childrens museum this week!

06/23/2022

Thalian Association Community Theatre Premieres New Military Musical at Historic USO in July

WILMINGTON, NC - Thalian Association Community Theatre in partnership with AARP will present the Wilmington premiere of Dogfight the musical July 8 through July 17. The production is directed by Star News Theater Award winner Cathy Street with music direction by Randy Craft, a professional music director and vocal coach from Nashville TN. The show stars Wilmington veteran performers Logan Mack, (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls) and Sydney Smith Martin (Footloose, Mr. Roberts, Mamma Mia). The musical will run at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center on 2nd street. Tickets are available at Thalian.org or by phone at 910-251-1788.

“I am so pleased to bring this premiere to Wilmington”, says Artistic Director Chandler Davis. “The music is absolutely stunning. It’s also always a pleasure to bring theatrical pieces featuring the military to a place with such a rich military history like the Hannah Block Historic USO Building.”

The hauntingly beautiful musical, Dogfight, by Pasek and Paul (Dear Evan Hanson, James and the Giant Peach, A Christmas Story) and Peter Duchan, was praised by countless critics and nominated for numerous awards, winning the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical. Based on the 1991 Warner Brothers film, Dogfight takes audiences on a romantic and heartbreaking theatrical journey.

It's November 21, 1963. On the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys' night of debauchery, partying and maybe a little trouble. But, when Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress whom he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of love and compassion.

Advisory Warning: Mature language and subject matter: not suited for very young audiences. Please be advised that gunfire/war effects are used in this production.

Established in 1788, Thalian Association Community Theatre is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to enhancing the Cape Fear region through live community theatre and arts education. Thalian Association Community Theatre produces five major productions annually on the Main Stage at historic Thalian Hall and professionally manages the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center for the City of Wilmington. The youth theatre program was created in 1979 to offer training and performance opportunities for children ages seven through high school seniors. In 2007, Thalian Association Community Theatre was designated North Carolina’s Official Community Theater by the state legislature. For more information, go to www.thalian.org.

06/20/2022

CELEBRATE JULY 4th AT THE HANNAH BLOCK HISTORIC USO BUILDING

Open House with Free Coffee & Doughnuts



WILMINGTON, NC–Celebrate July 4th with Thalian Association Community Theatre at the Hannah Block Historic USO/ Community Arts Center open house! The public is invited to join us between 1:00 – 6:00 pm when staff will be in 1940’s era costumes, serving free coffee, and doughnuts courtesy of Burney’s Sweets & More with sodas at the WWII price of 5 cents. A documentary celebrating the USO building will be showing all afternoon.



The lobby in the Hannah Block Historic USO Building has been restored to its 1943 appearance complete with reproduction furnishings and WWII exhibits. The exhibits include memorials to Medal of Honor recipients Charles Murray and Billy Halyburton, a painting of building namesake Hannah Block, WWII memorabilia, a tribute to the 9th & Nixon USO, and the National WWII Memorial Giclee.



The documentary film Home Away From Home – the USO at 2nd and Orange will be shown all afternoon on the Hannah Block 2nd Street Stage. The 5-minute film was produced in 2016 by Emmy nominated filmmaker Rob Hill to honor the 75th anniversary of the Historic USO Building. The film captures the building’s rich history beginning with WWII, the transition to a community center and how it continues to serve our community today.



There will be a short concert featuring Voices, the Community Arts Center Choir, at 3:00 pm in the building lobby. The choir was formed in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic and is directed by Silivea Johnson, well-known independent Christian recording artist, songwriter, and producer. Voices will perform America the Beautiful, Elijah Rock, and It don’t Mean A Thing.



The Second and Orange Streets USO Club was erected by the Army Corps of Engineers at a cost of $80,000 and opened in December 1941. At the height of the war, attendance reached 63,000 per month. Typical events included big band dances, plays, music recitals, art exhibits, hobby shows, guest lectures, wedding receptions, and weekly radio broadcasts. On weekend nights, 600 men crowded into the basement dormitory.

After World War II the City of Wilmington purchased the building for use by the Department of Recreation. In 1973 the building was renamed the Community Arts Center and placed on the National Register of Historic Places the following year. The Community Arts Center was rededicated in Hannah Block’s name in 2006, in honor of one of Wilmington’s most distinguished civic leaders and WWII veterans, and in 2016 received the James D. & Rosalie Carr Memorial Plaque from the Historic Wilmington Foundation, Inc.



Today the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center is one of three Type A USO buildings still standing and serves as a major cultural resource for area residents. Thalian Association has managed the building for the City of Wilmington since 1994. Classes are offered in a variety of visual and performing arts disciplines and the building is home to the acclaimed Orange Street Potters, the Official North Carolina Azalea Festival Youth Art Contest, the Memorial Day Weekend Festival Orange Street ArtsFest, and the Wilmington Art Association Juried Art Show & Sale.



On Sept. 2, 2020, Wilmington became the first city in the country to be designated as a World War II Heritage City by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The designation celebrates contributions by Wilmington to the World War II home-front war effort, and efforts to preserve and honor those contributions. The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA Memorial and the restoration of the Historic USO Building are the foundations of those efforts.



“We welcome everyone to visit the Historic USO Building on this very special holiday”, said Susan Habas Executive Director of Thalian Association Community Theatre. “Come in, learn about Wilmington’s WWII history, and enjoy free coffee and doughnuts.”



Established in 1788, Thalian Association Community Theatre is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to enhancing the Cape Fear region through live community theatre and arts education. Thalian Association Community Theatre produces five major productions annually on the Main Stage at historic Thalian Hall and professionally manages the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center for the City of Wilmington. The youth theatre program offers training and performance opportunities for children ages seven through high school seniors. In 2007, Thalian Association Community Theatre was designated North Carolina’s Official Community Theater by the state legislature. For more information, go to thalian.org.

06/16/2022

THALIAN ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY THEATRE ANNOUNCES RECIPIENT OF THE 2022 DONN ANSELL SCHOLARSHIP


WILMINGTON, NC – Thalian Association Community Theatre (TACT), the Official Community Theatre of North Carolina, is proud to announce that Sydney Short is the recipient of the $2000 Donn Ansell Scholarship. The scholarship is administered annually by Thalian Association Community Theatre and awarded to a deserving high school senior who has proven to be a serious student of the theatre with plans to further their theatrical education following graduation. Applicants must have been active with the community theatre association as performers, actors, or technicians.

Sydney is the daughter of Ryan and Trisha Short of Wilmington. She has been active in the Wilmington Theatre Community since 2nd grade when she was cast as Hendrika in Thalian Association’s production Miracle on 34th Street. Since then Sydney has been in nine productions with Thalian Association, Opera House Theatre Company, and City Stage. Sydney was also in Tobbot Films’ Remember Yesterday. When she is not onstage, Sydney can be found participating in sports such as fastpitch softball, volleyball, swimming, snow skiing, and playing guitar and ukulele. Sydney will pursue a BFA Musical Theatre degree at Syracuse University in New York.

The Donn Ansell Scholarship was established in 2013 by his family to honor Donn’s many achievements in local theater, radio and television, his service to the Wilmington community and his proud history with Thalian Association Community Theatre as its first Managing Director. The scholarship is partially funded through the generous contributions of the Ansell family and friends, and Michael Walton Jones and Troy Rudeseal of Wilmington Transport LLC. The scholarship presentation will be at the Thalian Awards July 24th at Ironclad Brewery.

Established in 1788, Thalian Association Community Theatre is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to enhancing the Cape Fear region through live community theatre and arts education. Thalian Association Community Theatre produces five major productions annually on the Main Stage at historic Thalian Hall and professionally manages the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center for the City of Wilmington. The youth theatre program offers training and performance opportunities for children aged seven through high school seniors. In 2007, Thalian Association Community Theatre was designated North Carolina’s Official Community Th eater by the state legislature. For more information, go to www.thalian.org.

06/02/2022

We have some summer camp scholarships available for our Old Pro Campers!

These are the camps that are available;

Time Travelers: Art Sampler Class / June 13-17, 1-4pm
Fractured Fairy tales / June 27-July 1, 9am-12pm
Triple Threat 101 / August 8-12, 9am-12pm
Art Basics: Fundamentals of Visual Arts / August 8-12, 1-4pm

If you are interested in one of the camps listed above and applying for a scholarship, please use this link and we will be in contact by email!

https://forms.gle/PUHstz788tZBnakM8

06/02/2022

Randy Craft will be in Wilmington, NC June 27-July 17, 2022 as Musical Director for Thalian Association's production of DOGFIGHT and while here, he is offering a Vocal Performance Bootcamp. Participants will receive SIX 30-minute voice lessons (two per week for three weeks between 5-7 PM) where they will work on two songs of their choice. The three weeks will culminate in a Masterclass Recital on Saturday, July 16th at 2:00pm at the Community Arts Center. Students will perform their pieces with piano, bass, and drums for their invited guests. This a great opportunity to bring in audition pieces or find new ones, learn new vocal warm-ups, and improve your technique. Slots are limited. Total cost is $300 for the six lessons and recital.

Located in Music City USA, Randy Craft has become one of the most sought after voice coaches in the Nashville area. He possesses a passion for teaching that very few other voice teachers possess. What sets Randy apart is his vast knowledge of the scientific approach to singing. Knowing how the anatomy of the human body works to form sound, Randy quickly gets results from his students - expanding range, ease, and style. But don't worry, you don't have to know anything about what your muscles are doing, because Randy has a talent for manipulating your voice into working properly with out you even knowing what's happening.

When studying with Randy you can expect to see amazing results fast. Students often find themselves singing up to an octave higher after their first session!! Versed in many styles, Randy can help you discover the artist inside that is dying to come out.

Click here to secure your spot!
​https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b044fa9a722a4f58-vocal1