
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."

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."

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."

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
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
its clear that the stories springing from Hoffmans
bizarre imagination could (like most fairy tales originally) be quite frightening.
The
play was directed by McLeans 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 McLeans own Phillip
Reid and Rob Langston.
"What
would possibly bring dolls to life."

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.
