From: Julie Condy <jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net>
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Subject: The Red Sneaks wows the attendees of the Association of Theater in Higher Education in New Orleans
Date: Jul 26, 2007 2:16 PM
July 26, 2007

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Julie Condy

E-mail: jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net">jcondy@bellsouth.net

Phone: 504-598-3800 (office)/ 504-650-1343 (cell)

Website: www.crescentcitylights.org

Professional photos available




Audience members are profoundly moved after experiencing The Red Sneaks!

"This vibrant production left me speechless and in tears,”
enthused an audience member from the Association of Theater in Higher Education



ONLY SIX MORE PERFORMANCES THROUGH SUNDAY AUGUST 5th

OF THE RAP/HIP HOP MUSICAL, THE RED SNEAKS BY ELIZABETH SWADOS

BY THE NORD CRESCENT CITY LIGHTS YOUTH THEATER HELD

AT THE NORD TY TRACY THEATRE IN DOWNTOWN NEW ORLEANS



NEW ORLEANS, LA – On Wednesday, July 25 the NORD Crescent City Lights all-teen cast performed The Red Sneaks by Elizabeth Swados for a sold-out house of collegiate theater educators attending the national conference by the Association of Theater in Higher Education.



These college faculty members in drama and theater gave the young cast a standing ovation. The teens hosted a talk back with the audience at the close of the show where the audience was spellbound by their stories of their lives after Katrina and of their resilience and insight.



“In the talkback, the teen cast was wise, kind and full of hope – a modern miracle!” said Barry Kendall from the Commonwealth Institute. When asked about the tragic ending to “The Red Sneaks” the cast members commented with a world-weary wisdom borne of living in a disaster zone, “That’s life, isn’t it? We all die and some sooner than others.”



The Association of Theater in Higher Education is holding their annual conference in New Orleans, July 26 – 29 and its delegates are eager to attend local theater productions. “The technical expertise of these young performers is astounding for young teens”, said Gwendolyn Alker, of the NYU Theater Department. “They are young professionals. Crescent City Lights provides a valuable service to New Orleans giving teens theatrical experiences that of the quality to be held in high regard by universities.”



You still have a chance to see The Red Sneaks with 6 more performances through August 5th.

Performances take place at the NORD Ty Tracy Theatre, located on the first floor of Gallier Hall, 545 St. Charles Ave. (Enter via Lafayette Street entrance).

Performances held this weekend are: Saturday, July 28 at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, July 29 at 3:00 p.m. The final weekend of performances are Friday, August 3 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, August 4 at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday, August 5 at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets are $15, general admission. Order your tickets online at www.crescentcitylights.org or by calling 504-598-3800. For group sales, call 504-598-3800.

Set to a vibrant score featuring rap, hip hop and childish rhymes mixed with Latin and Brazilian rhythms, The Red Sneaks transports you to a world where youth has no value unless you have the ‘power’ of The Red Sneaks. The Red Sneaks runs through Sunday, August 5th. The all-teen cast features Diamond Butler as Dedre, Tyler Chetta as Shawn, Harold Jenkins as Shun and as the members of the Ensemble: Rachel Abbate, Benny Armstrong, Jr., Kanedra Carter, Jena Ducros, Maya Ferrand, Daniel Hereford, Desne Jones, Leslie Knowles, Garrison Linn, Jessica Mixon, Whitney Mixon, Stephanie Pitre, Tatyana Reimonenq, Josef Stengl and Kaylen Temple.



The Red Sneaks, with music, book and lyrics by Elizabeth Swados, is directed by J Hammons, with vocal direction by Julie Condy, choreography by Maritza Mercado-Narcisse, costumes by Charlotte Lang, stage design by Constantinos Kritikos and lighting design by Mark Montabano. The Crescent City Lights band features Curtis Pierre of Casa Samba on percussion with Meghan Swartz on keyboard, Gene Black on drums and Bruce Tyner on bass.



About the Crescent City Lights Youth Theater (CCLYT)

Founded in 1993 as the Summer Stages Children’s Theater, CCLYT is a program of Stage to Stage, Inc., a Louisiana 501c3 nonprofit corporation that has produced more than 25 musicals with all-kid casts. Our productions are genuine entertainment for all ages ("I couldn't believe that an all-kid show would be so professionally done!” - an audience member) and are a life-enhancing educational experience for our young cast members ("I wouldn't be where I am today without having been a part of Summer Stages!” from a student on a full college scholarship). Stage to Stage, Inc. is dedicated to providing quality performing arts opportunities for young people, while teaching them life and job skills necessary for success in any field. More than 600 students have taken part in our programming. Many of our alumni attend NOCCA Riverfront, as well as colleges from coast to coast, with a plethora of arts’ majors and scholarship winners among them. Staff artists include professionals from the New Orleans Opera Association, New Orleans Ballet Association, NOCCA/Riverfront, and Tulane Summer Lyric.

A nonprofit organization, we are a partner with the City of New Orleans Recreation Department and are supported, in part, by the generosity of our audience, the Peyback Foundation, the Junior League of New Orleans, the City of New Orleans, through Community Arts Grants, and by the State of Louisiana through Decentralized Arts Funds both administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.