Friday, October 30, 2009

Wonderland essay contest - Winners to receive Patel Conservatory class, tickets to Wonderland and dinner at Maestro’s !

Students in grades five, six, seven and eight throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties are invited to participate in the “Find your Wonderland: what makes your family wonderful?” essay contest, held by the Patel Conservatory at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

One winner in each grade level will receive four tickets to the Broadway Family Night performance of Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure on Wednesday, Dec. 2, complimentary valet parking, dinner for four at Maestro’s Restaurant, tuition to a Patel Conservatory class (restrictions apply) and a Wonderland prize pack. Additionally, award-winning students each will pick one teacher to receive two tickets to Wonderland.

To enter, students must submit a written essay answering the question “What makes your family wonderful?” in 500 words or less to the Patel Conservatory between Monday, Oct. 5 and Friday, Nov. 6. An impartial panel of judges will select the winners.

“The topic of our contest, ‘What makes your family wonderful,’ explores the tendency for each of us to drift in our own wonderland—unaware of those around us. We need to take the time to appreciate the wonderful people and joyful experiences in our lives, and share them with others,” said Wendy Leigh, TBPAC’s vice-president of education.

Performances of Wonderland will begin Nov. 24 in TBPAC’s Ferguson Hall and run through Jan. 3, 2010. “Wonderland will be a tremendous Broadway-quality show and for these contest winners to study the performing arts right here at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, where Wonderland will premiere, will be an incredible and unprecedented opportunity,” Leigh said.

The story of Wonderland, set in modern Manhattan, tells the story of author Alice Cornwinkle, a descendent of Lewis Carroll’s muse Alice Liddell, who is struggling with her career, her husband and her daughter. Audiences will journey with Alice to Wonderland and the Looking-Glass World, strange-yet-familiar places where she must reclaim her daughter, defeat the Queen and learn to follow her own heart.

Essays must be typed or printed clearly on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper and include contestant’s name, age, school, grade level, name of parent/guardian, mailing address and phone number. Essays must be mailed to Patel Conservatory, Attn: Essay Contest, P.O. Box 518, Tampa, Fl 33601-0518 or delivered to Patel Conservatory, 1010 North W.C. MacInnes Pl., Tampa, FL 33602-3720.

As part of the non-profit Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, the Patel Conservatory offers classes for children and adults of all experience levels in all kinds of dance, music and theater. More information is available by calling 813.222.1002, and by visiting www.patelconservatory.org.

1 comment:

Leslie Farrell said...

This is a great opportunity! "Wonderland" will be a terrific show.