Lacheys Drop Plans For SCPA

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jkiesewetter

Entertainment professionals Drew and Lea Lachey have dropped plans to revive a musical theater program at their alma mater, the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Over-the-Rhine The SCPA, which auditioned 26 students for the program in March, still plans to move forward with reinstating the curriculum at the acclaimed Cincinnati Public School.

They’ll look to other music theater professionals and other funding sources to make it work.

“I’m very disappointed that he’s not going to be able to work with us this year, but at least he got the school talking about bringing musical theater back,” said Gina Kleesattel, the SCPA faculty member who will head the program.

Drew Lachey said he realized the proposal wouldn’t work because “the school and my team didn’t agree on our role in the program,” he said. “We wanted to have more of a hands-on role and the way it’s set up now through regulations ... they couldn’t allow it.”

Drew wouldn’t have been able to teach the class because he’s not a licensed teacher. State and federal accountability standards and curriculum guidelines also restricted what he could do.

“The whole school system ... was very different from when Drew was in school,” Kleesattel said. “It’s very complicated and I just think he felt like he couldn’t do what he wanted to do.”

Lachey said he still hopes to help the school out, but “the way we’d initially envisioned the program wouldn’t work. It’s an unfortunate situation but we are looking forward to getting back into the school and finding a way to help the school in the future.”

He said the decision had nothing to do with the school putting the brakes on his side-proposal for a reality show about the Lacheys’ life in Cincinnati and their work with the school.

“In his proposal to the district, the Lacheys had called the show a reality version of “Glee,” a musical TV series that airs on Fox.

The school’s governing committee was cautious because of problems with “Taking the Stage,” a previous MTV reality show at the school. At a May meeting, Lachey and his wife Lea had allayed most of the committee’s concerns. But the group still decided to delay the reality show indefinitely. The school is also in the midst of search for a new principal and some in the group thought a reality show would be adding too much too fast.

Lachey was adamant at the May meeting that he would remain committed to the musical theater program regardless of whether the school approved the reality show.

On Tuesday he re-iterated that his decision was unrelated to the school’s decision on the reality show.

He said he and Lea are open to opportunities to work with other school districts, but that no solid plans are in the works.

“We’re always looking for different opportunities to give back,” he said. “It was a good fit here, but we aren’t looking solely at SCPA. There are talented kids all over the city.”

SCPA Discusses New Lachey TV Show

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Written by jkiesewetter

In case you didn’t see Jessica Brown’s story today, Drew Lachey explained his proposed “Glee”-style reality TV show about the revived musical theater major at the School for Creative & Performing Arts to the school’s governing board yesterday. Here’s a link to her story in which he said creative control would be retained by his Flying Pigs Production (which he owns with brother Nick), and would not be relinquished to any network. MTV had creative control over Nick’s “Taking the Stage” in 2009-2010. Parents also complained about how MTV cameras disrupted class work.

“If the show happens, we heard about the concerns … with the last show. I will do anything within my power to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Drew said.

“We’re not going to try to go to MTV and do a show like ‘Jersey Shore’ or a ‘Desperate Housewives of CPS.’ We want this to be a positive thing for Cincinnati. We don’t want to capitalize on the negative. There are network homes for what we want to do. There are people who want good TV.”

Is another SPCA reality TV show a good idea? Would you watch?

Nick Lachey Boys & Girls Club Luncheon

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Cintas Center
May 3, 2011

Miles Wilson with Nick Lachey

Sometimes we need to take a break from the beer gardens, specialty happy hours, and all that downtown gloss to understand what makes Cincinnati different from Las Vegas or Los Angeles. From casino cities by the desert, built in the shadow of atomic light, to those loose promises of fame, beauty and Pacific coast real-estate, the idea that vanity and wealth will make us happier and/or better than others is not the kind of society to which I subscribe.

Myles Harper, Christopher Estep, Javele Jackson and Mike Keneddy

I guess what keeps me from heading west is the compassion I see here that seems vacant in places where everyone is fighting to be the big fish in the pond. Cincinnati does not prey on the dreams of its youth, on the contrary, it does everything it can to build them. On Friday, April 29th I was proud to witness the guardian angel that is Cincinnati, as evidenced by the Youth of the Year recognition luncheon of the Boys and Club of Greater Cincinnati - an open-door-organization currently sponsoring over 10,000 underprivileged youths, giving a brighter future to children with a darker present.

Youth of the Year Finalist, K’ron Covington with Molly Riehl

2011’s Youth of the Year was Javele Jackson, from the U.S. Bank Club chapter in Avondale, Javele uses his natural leadership ability to help younger children with basketball fundamentals, and is planning to attend Mt. St. Joseph College in pursuit of a career as an athletic trainer and nutritionist. Javele described the club as, “A civilized place where the staff cares about your well being and where there are resources and opportunities to keep you off the streets.”

I spied a number of celebrities on the scene, actively making a difference, including Fox 19 news anchor Tricia Macke and hometown hero Nick Lachey – multiplatinum recording artist, committed philanthropist and keynote speaker for the luncheon. Mr. Lachey’s name has been behind a laundry list of humanitarian causes; VH-1 Save the Music!, Feeding America, the Make-A-Wish foundation and The Nick Lachey Foundation: dedicated to helping children, families and communities in need all across the continent.

SCPA Choir Performs

A true celebrity gives as much as he takes from the world. A lesson we should all remember as we continue to dream and strive for greatness.