Rock Ridge Performing Arts

Who’s excited?! We will soon be streaming some of your favorite RRPA musicals straight to your home! Stay tuned for more details. 🎥🎭

How to Fill Out Your Performing Arts School FAFSA

playbill.com The step-by-step guide to apply for FAFSA financial aid to pay for your performing arts education.

With the school year just around the corner, we have some exciting things coming VERY soon! Visit rockridgeperformingarts.org to stay updated and join the family! 🤟🎭

Can you believe we have done a #RRPAThrowback for every show RRPA has ever done? Looking back at these shows, so many amazing memories come up and we realize how each story we tell impacts all of our lives in huge ways. Even though we are physically distant, remembering the wonderful art we have made together can make us feel closer than ever! Comment below which #RRPAThrowback show you miss the most ❤️

Your LAST CHANCE to see Frozen Jr. is this weekend! Enjoy the Snow Cast tonight, or pick from any of the three casts to stream tomorrow! Tickets are available at rockridgeperformingarts.org. ⛄️✨ #RRPAFrozenJr

It’s NOT too late to see Frozen Jr! With just two more days of streaming this weekend, don’t miss your chance to see everyone’s hard work performed on stage! To purchase a streaming pass, head over to rockridgeperformingarts.org ❄️ #RRPAFrozenJr

Moana Jr. Summer Camp 2021 is already almost FULL! Be sure to register before this Saturday to take advantage of our Early Bird Registration Special. More details at rockridgeperformingarts.org! 🌊☀️ #RRPAMoanaJr

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It’s time to get excited! Just ONE more day until we start streaming Frozen Jr. summer camp performances! Streaming passes are available at rockridgeperformingarts.org. ❄️✨

In just 2 days YOU can watch Frozen Jr. from the comfort of your own home! Find a date that works for you, and purchase a streaming pass at rockridgeperformingarts.org before it’s too late! ☃️ #RRPAFrozenJr

The first day of Frozen Jr. streaming is just 3 days away! To see these talented campers perform, head over to rockridgeperformingarts.org and purchase a streaming pass! ❄️ #RRPAFrozenJr

For the first time in forever RRPA will be STREAMING our summer camp performances starting August 7th. Don’t miss your chance! Make sure to purchase your live streaming tickets at rockridgeperformingarts.org! ❄️👑 #RRPAFrozenJR

Thank you LCPS and the community for your continued support of the arts in our communities!

Rock Ridge Performing Arts Broadway Bound Summer Camp finds a safe way for the show to go on

Ashburn may have been experiencing a heat wave this July, but it was “Frozen” inside Rock Ridge High School July 13-24 as the Rock Ridge Performing Arts (RRPA) Broadway Bound Summer Camp met and staged three performances of the Disney musical.

The RRPA Broadway Bound Summer Camp is sponsored each year by the school’s Drama Boosters. The camp is open to students in grades K-9 and lasts for two weeks. Students in grades 10-12 serve as interns to help with the production. At the conclusion of the camp, students perform a musical for an audience of family and friends.

With school buildings closed in March and staying closed for the remainder of the school year, it didn’t look promising that Broadway Bound would be able to happen this year.

Back in April, I read a quote...that said if you don’t know the direction in which you are headed, just sit and wait. Rather than choosing a direction and making a decision about Broadway Bound in April, I was really listening to the science and watching what the Governor was saying, as well as what LCPS was saying,” RRPA Artistic Director Anthony Cimino-Johnson said.

When June rolled around, the Governor had granted permission for summer camps to meet. Cimino-Johnson thanked Risk Management Manager Kelly Briner and Assistant Superintendent for Support Services Kevin Lewis for greenlighting the operation of the camp.

When the good news came, Cimino-Johnson was prepared. “I had been researching since April...how to do this safely and how to get children together again. Following different theatre threads, following different articles about how to open a business, how to open a school, and how to open the theatre community ultimately, I put together guidelines in May so that they were ready in June for the people who needed those guidelines,” Cimino-Johnson said.

The guidelines also were presented to the 220 families who had students signed up to attend the camp. Families were given the option of attending this year or deferring their attendance to summer 2021, which about 60 percent of them did.

Cimino-Johnson called himself the “Safety Tsar” and indicated that safety was the first priority as he outlined the extraordinary efforts of the staff to keep students safe. Students were greeted in their cars each morning by two staff members wearing face shields. The students had their temperatures taken and responded to a symptom survey before exiting the car. The students then sanitized their hands upon arrival and reported to their assigned rehearsal room.

The camp operated in the school’s largest spaces--the cafeteria, the auxiliary gym, the media center and the auditorium. Six foot by six foot grids were taped off on the floor to designate the areas in which students could rehearse. Students performing choreography within these spaces moved in the same direction at the same time, discouraging the students from moving together. The use of the grid was on top of a mask mandate. Students were required to wear masks at all times while in the building but were given frequent mask breaks outside. Cimino-Johnson said that even the youngest campers kept their masks on and that they were worn while singing and dancing with no negative impact. Students ate lunch outside under the school’s entrance awning. There were no more than 30 students in any cast or crew, and the casts and crew worked in separate spaces.

Cimino-Johnson noted that the limitation of the six by six grids caused directors to have to modify their directing styles. “This was really cool to watch because it was a totally different style, but still all the magic of RRPA,” Cimino-Johnson said.

The extreme stress of managing the safety components paid off when Cimino-Johnson received parent feedback about the program. The parent emails said:

“I’m seeing my child come to life again.”

“I haven’t seen them this happy in the last four months.”

“Thank you for providing this safe space for our children.”

Cimino-Johnson reflected on the experience. “It didn’t matter that the kids were in masks or that the show was staged differently or that there weren’t costumes. What mattered was that kids were interacting with their peers, and they were having fun doing it.”

In previous years, RRPA would typically sell 600-700 tickets for each of the three performances of the production. That couldn’t happen while enforcing social distance protocols, so the company took two actions to share the Disney story of Elsa, Anna and Olaf with the public. New protocols were put in place for the in-person performances. Students were limited to four tickets. The entire auditorium was taped out to reduce the seating to 150 people in total. Guests could arrive 40 minutes before show time and underwent a COVID screening and temperature check before finding their seats. The guests used hand sanitizer and were directed into and out of the auditorium in one direction. Staff members employed a fogger disinfectant between performances and wiped down all of the seats with Virex.

Because of the limited seating, RRPA also is offering a scheduled content streaming of a live performance. Information about purchasing a streaming pass for showings in August can be found at https://www.showtix4u.com/events/rrpa.

Despite the heavy lift to ensure the safety of students and audience members, Cimino-Johnson said this summer camp was one of the most impactful programs to date. “It was worth it when you see the kids on the stage again and coming to life. I had parents in tears after the performances come up to me and thank me. It was so worth it because these kids deserve it, and they are pretty incredible.”

Information about registering for next summer’s RRPA Broadway Bound Camp, which will culminate with a production of Disney’s Moana Jr., can be found at https://www.rockridgeperformingarts.org/.

Loudoun County Public Schools

Loudoun County Public Schools’ (LCPS) Public Information Office has been honored with three awards from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

“A Journey of Education and Remembrance,” (https://vimeo.com/377883495) a video detailing the Holocaust education efforts of Nicole Korsen and Jennifer Rodgers of Dominion High School, received the Award of Excellence. The Award of Excellence is NSPRA’s highest honor in the Publications and Digital Media Awards program. Videographer Jeff Riegel produced this piece, which also was recently recognized with a Gold Telly Award.

“Making of Newsies: A Rock Ridge Performing Arts Production” (https://vimeo.com/334990441) also received the Award of Excellence. LCPS-TV spent four months documenting the process of producing a high school musical from auditions all the way through opening night. The video features behind-the-scenes footage of costume fittings, set construction, vocal rehearsals, dance rehearsals and the sitz probe with the orchestra. Videographer Laura Wen produced this piece.

“LCPS Digital Promise” (https://vimeo.com/364844909) received an Honorable Mention in the contest. This video was created to introduce attendees of last fall’s League of Innovative School Conference to host-district Loudoun County Public Schools and its surrounding community. The video highlights the unique characteristics of the County and the innovative instructional practices used in our classrooms. Videographer Jeff Riegel also produced this piece.

NSPRA announced the recipients of their Publications and Digital Media Awards on Monday, July 14. NSPRA recognized honorees during a live virtual celebration on Facebook and Youtube Friday, July 17, at 3 p.m.

Frozen Jr. Camp Recap

These past two weeks at Broadway Bound couldn’t have gone any better! Thank you to every single camper, intern, and staff member for making it as safe and positive as possible. We can’t wait to continue impacting lives one story at a time, even during these challenging times! 💙❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Best of luck to the Snow Cast this evening on their performance! Let’s finish off Frozen Jr. summer camp with a bang! ☃️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Spectacular job Youth Cast! You all had an amazing performance this afternoon! Remember, you can still watch it this August by purchasing a streaming pass! ❄️🎭 #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Happy performance night to the Ice Cast! Break legs everyone! For those who would still like to see the show, check out our streaming service at rockridgeperformingarts.org!❄️🤍 #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

We’re almost there! The first Frozen Jr. performance is TOMORROW! All three casts got to run through the show in the auditorium today, and we are beyond thrilled to see the RRPA stage finally brought back to life during these challenging times! ❄️💙 #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Frozen Jr. Lighting Designer Highlight

Our lighting designer Alexa Janoschka has done so much amazing work these past two weeks! Here is a little bit of insight on her experience and Frozen Jr.’s spectacular tech crew! 🛠❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Our campers have come so far! With the first show just 2 days away, they cannot wait to get up on that stage and perform! Don’t forget to check out our streaming service at rockridgeperformingarts.org to purchase a streaming pass. 🎭💙 #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Do you want to see Frozen Jr? Well you’re in luck! The performances will be live streamed during specific times in August, so you can watch it from the comfort of your own home! To learn more and purchase your very own streaming pass, head over to rockridgeperformingarts.org ❄️☃️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Week 2 of Broadway Bound Summer Camp has been AWESOME so far! The show is starting to take shape and our campers are still enjoying every minute of it! We can’t wait to show you what these kids can do! 🎭☃️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Frozen Jr. Choreographer Highlight

We are so incredibly grateful for our fabulous Frozen Jr. choreography team! Here is some insight from alumnae Katie Howard and Shreya Muju on their process. ❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Frozen Jr. Week 1 Recap

Frozen Jr. week 1 recap! What an amazing first week of summer camp! ❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Annnd that’s a wrap on week 1 of Broadway Bound Summer Camp! It was a fantastic week filled with so much joy from every camper, intern, and staff member. Check back later for an awesome week 1 recap video featuring interviews from some of our campers! 🎭❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Day 4 recap! Everyone is having SNOW much fun at camp! ☃️❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Day 4 at Frozen Jr. Camp was absolutely a blast! We’re nearing the end of week 1, and the energy from our campers is still through the roof! See you all tomorrow to close out this awesome week! ❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Day 3 recap video! This week has been amazing so far! ❄️✨ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Day 3 of Broadway Bound Summer Camp is in the books! Our campers have been working so hard to learn the blocking, choreography, and vocals for Frozen Jr. Also check out our talented tech crew campers designing some gorgeous wigs for the show! Don’t forget to look out for today’s recap video later this evening! 🎭☃️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Day 2 recap! What a fantastic (and safe) time here at Broadway Bound Summer Camp! ❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

Another FUN day at camp! Today our campers started learning the choreography and vocals of Frozen Jr! Our tech students also began working on the awesome set for the show. Everyone is having a BLAST so far, and we cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store! ❄️☃️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

[07/13/20]   Day 1 recap video! It’s amazing to see our campers having so much fun while still staying safe. Look out for more recap videos later this week! 🎭❄️ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

The first day of Broadway Bound Summer Camp was AMAZING! Our wonderful campers had a full day of auditions, call-backs, and of course social distancing. We cannot wait to begin rehearsing Frozen Jr, and we will see everyone again tomorrow! ❄️✨ #RRPABroadwayBound #RRPAFrozenJr

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