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News media articles, reviews, press releases for ArtReach plays
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This page (Page #11) has great articles from newspapers and school newsletters.  Check out all these great comments about ArtReach popular titles: Jack and the Beanstalk, The Nutcracker Prince.

Heartwood Regional Theatre Presents ArtReach's Musical 'Jack and the Beanstalk'
The Lincoln County News, ME

Heartwood's annual winter middle school production will hit the stage Thursday, Jan. 30 as an enthusiastic group of fourth through eighth grade Midcoast youth present an adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk."

This delightful piece features more than 20 students in a familiar children's story set in Appalachia, with cast songs, lots of humor, a fast-paced storytelling style, and giants.

 "Lots of humor, fast-paced storytelling and giants."
Jack and the Beanstalk play for kids to perform Jack snd the Beanstalk playscript for young performers
ArtReach's Jack and the Beanstalk - Heartwood Regional Theatre, ME

Students auditioned for directors Griff Braley and Teralyn Reiter in December. As school resumed in January, students dove into four weeks of focused rehearsals, which will culminate in school-day and evening public performances in Poe Theater at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.

Four school performances will be filled with elementary and middle school students and teachers bused in from numerous Midcoast schools on Thursday, Jan. 30 and Friday, Jan. 31. Each year, many students arrive as first-time audience members, wide eyed and new to the inside of a theater. Returning students enter with a knowing air of expectation and excitement, recounting memories from previous productions. Together, they share in the special thrill when the lights go down and the magic of live theater begins.

"This group has worked hard for the first two weeks."
Jack and the beanstalk play for kids to perform Musical adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk Jack and the Beanstalk Musical for young audiences
ArtReach's Jack and the Beanstalk - Heartwood Regional Theatre, ME

Reiter, while new to this program, is definitely not new to theater or working with students. Assisting in casting and directing the show, Reiter adds a strong resource for actors, bringing her strong passion for theater into the process.

"Teralyn is doing excellent work with warm ups, actor coaching, staging, and adds an all-around positive outlook," Braley said.

Costuming, including fun specialty pieces, is again in the excellent hands of Heidi Kopishke. Technical elements and light design are under the guidance of tech director Ryan Kohnert, with set and prop assistance from Annalise Garnett and a number of Lincoln Academy students.

"This really prepares them performances anywhere."
Jack and the Beanstalk by ArtReach Large Cast of Young People perform in Musical Jack
ArtReach's Jack and the Beanstalk - Heartwood Regional Theatre, ME

"They arrived in January, memorized and ready to dig into a month of deep learning and dedication to the material," Braley said. "This group has worked hard for the first two weeks, laying the foundation for a solid performance. As they learn to see beyond their own lines, to be aware of others onstage, and to create true ensemble, they experience the best aspects of live performance for an actor. This really prepares them for next steps in summer camp, high school, or performances anywhere."

Two public performances are scheduled in Parker Poe Theater at Lincoln Academy at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31 and Saturday, Feb. 1. Tickets are $5 for student and $10 adults. Reservations are available by contacting Heartwood by email at [email protected] or calling 563-1373.

ArtReach's "The Nutcracker Prince" Ushers in Holiday Season
McLean High School, Falls Church VA

The two work study theater classes joined forces to welcome the winter holiday with a colorful production of ArtReach's “The Nutcracker Prince” a play built around characters and themes of the iconic “Nutcracker” ballet set to music by Tchaikovsky.

The teenage Clara, her pesky brother, their mother and father and their eccentric Uncle Drosselmayer all came to life one Christmas Eve not so very long ago – a Christmas Eve that also featured a life-and-death struggle for gingerbread between the Rat King with his mousy minions and the soldiers of good led by the Nutcracker himself. The play speaks to the heart of the magic that Christmas represents to so many of us when we are children, but also to that special if complex moment when the future as a grownup man or woman beckons.

 "Welcome the winter holiday with a colorful production."
ArtReach's Christmas Play Nutcracker Nutcracker Prince play for kids
ArtReach's The Nutcracker Prince - McLean High School, Falls Church VA

The ballet was first performed in Russia in the late 19th century, its loose-knit plot pieced together from a collection of fantasy stories written in German by E.T.A. Hoffman. By all accounts, the author was fascinated with what it means to be alive and what would possibly bring inanimate objects, especially dolls, to life. From the ballet forward this theme was always presented with a light touch, yet it’s clear that the stories springing from Hoffman’s bizarre imagination could (like most fairy tales originally) be quite frightening.

The play was directed by McLean’s work study theater teachers, Carolyn Sullivan and John DeMers, with a Christmas-festive set assembled and painted by their colleague Dave Hoopingarner. Other assists came to the production team from McLean’s own Phillip Reid and Rob Langston.

"What would possibly bring dolls to life."
Rat King in ArtReach's Nutcracker Prince High School performance Christmas play for  kids
ArtReach's The Nutcracker Prince - McLean High School, Falls Church VA

The cast was led by Abby Criswell as Clara, Jack Dennis as her brother Fritz, Trevor Sheehan as the Nutcracker, Daniel Goodwin as Drosselmayer, Maia Stewart as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Ben Shue in an over-the-top turn as the snarling, gingerbread-crazed Rat King. Also contributing to the magic were Kathryn Knight, Ben Baker, Lauren Banks, Polina Leonova, Noor Haq, Alex Pisocky, Juan Ramirez, Adrian Guevara and Minh Lam. Issac Orrel served as The Storyteller.

Many parents contributed goods and services, especially Andrea Shank and Mary Knight. The students and their teachers were grateful to Mark Thompson and Dr. Ellen Reilly for their support.

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