Content about Karen Klicker

04.01.11

Among the cast members of Northgate High School's musical, "All Shook Up": (top) Lydia Glatz, James Kania, Leah Dunn, Colby Simpson; (middle) Bridgit Walters, Aaron Makatura, Taylor Reed, Kendra Anick, Sam Driscoll, Ayleah Whitehead; (front) Emily Sybo, Kim Senko, Casey Blackman.

By TOM STEINER

Blending Elvis Presley with William Shakespeare for a night of upbeat entertainment might seem like a rather daunting task, but the cast and crew of Northgate High School's musical has done just that in their production of "All Shook Up."

07.22.11

Singing for their supper

Everyone knows that public education is facing hard times. Budget reductions have forced teacher lay-offs, as well as cuts to the curriculum and student activities in school districts across Pennsylvania.

When a total of $5,265 was recently removed from Northgate High School's musical theater budget, some might have expected the director and aspiring actors and actresses to roll over and take a deep last breath.

06.03.11

Students get show business advice

Both local schools had some strong ties to the Gene Kelly Awards presented at Benedum Center last Saturday evening.

For starters, on Thursday, each school hosted the famed performer's widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, who visited Avonworth in the morning and Northgate in the afternoon, speaking to audiences comprised mainly of cast and crew members of this year's musicals, "All Shook Up" at Northgate and "Oklahoma" at Avonworth.

In her presentations, Kelly recalled her life with her late husband and answered questions about the world of show business.

05.13.11

Northgate cuts full-day kindergarten

The proposed final budget that will be voted on by the Northgate School Board Monday night will not include an increase in property taxes. It also will not include full-day kindergarten, a spring musical or a number of classes that could be lost due to teacher furloughs.

Although the board will vote Monday to approve the final proposal for spending in 2011-12, that proposal will not become the final budget until the board votes on June 20.

05.14.10

Musical will continue

Musical theater will continue in the Northgate School District for at least one more year.

Parents, staff and school board members spoke at the Monday board committee of the whole meeting in support of continuing arts programs that had been proposed for cuts in an effort to reduce spending and future budget deficits.

Musical director Karen Klicker said that the district would fund the high school musical for the coming year while everyone explored what board president Susan Nolan called "creative funding ideas."

04.09.10

Broadway musicals bound for local school stages

Broadway arrives in the North Boroughs this week, with the staging of two standards of American musical theater at local high schools.

Northgate students will take audiences back to the era of Elvis and the earliest days of rock 'n roll with its production of "Bye Bye Birdie," while Avonworth students will drop back a few years more, to the Roaring ‘20s, with its presentation of "Mame."