This
page (Page #6) has stories and helpful info from behind the scenes
of ArtReach productions! Push back the curtain and check out
all these great ArtReach titles: Peter
Pan, Wizard of Oz,
Sleepy Hollow, Little Mermaid, A
Thousand Cranes, Mulan, Sword
in the Stone, Christmas Alice in Wonderland, About
ArtReach, A Christmas Carol, The
Little Mermaid, Amelia Earhart. Don’t
forget, a Teachers Guide will come with your School Play Package and
contain lots more background articles and info about your play!<pan>
Children's
Theater Group Produces ArtReach's Peter
Pan
Entertainment
& Life - Wellington Daily News - Wellington, KS
Citing
the need for children to be with their peers and have an outlet for
creativity, Twilight Players theater group director Janet West gave
abridged plans for a children's theater workshop this summer in
Greensburg, and his efforts have been met with deep appreciation and success.
"There
are many studies that indicate that children in drama and fine arts
programs develop balance and maturity," West said.
"This
year's favorite was Peter Pan."
ArtReach's PETER
PAN - Ardtornish
School,
St Agnes, SA, Australia
She
went on to say that, especially this year with the interruption of
COVID-19, children need to understand how to be safe and live without fear.
She
said that an important factor in the continuation of the workshop
and production of Peter Pan was to provide the children with a
structure and a safe place to be normal and to play with their
friends, with children their age.
The
Twilight Players is a community theater program that is part of the
Twilight Theater and Community Auditorium, organized a workshop for
young actors and actresses in Kiowa County. This is a weeklong
workshop, and the second annual hosted by the Twilight Players. Last
year, after a week of practice and rehearsals, the young people
started The Wizard of Oz. This year's favorite was Peter Pan.
"Drama
and fine arts programs develop balance and maturity."
ArtReach's PETER
PAN - Ardtornish
School,
St Agnes, SA, Australia
"I'm
absolutely delighted with the way things turned out. They are great
kids and they responded well to teaching. They worked hard and they
are a great group of kids. Loved it," West said.
More
than 100 people attended the performance last Saturday in Greensburg
to watch Peter Pan which took place at the Twilight Theater. West and
his crew hope to continue this traditional workshop for years to come.
The
cast was a long list of young people from Kiowa County. Jiwoo Chang
played Peter Pan, Addy Carrillo played Tinker Bell, Amelia Barnes
played Wendy, Sebastian Favela played Michael, Andy Kyle played John,
Brennan Arredondo played Captain Hook, Cash Lothman played Smee,
Alaina Kost played Mother Darling, Gabi Cervantes played Tiger Lily,
Javan Oberle played the Great Big Little Panther chef, Truman Barnes
played Tootles, Grayson Ballard played Skylights, Evelyn Stokes
played Pearl, Natalie Koger played Starfish and Eli Cervantes played
the crocodile . Savannah Hall was the narrator. She played a key role
as a coach on stage.
"I'm
absolutely delighted with the way things turned out."
ArtReach's PETER
PAN - Ardtornish
School,
St Agnes, SA, Australia
West
ran the show. Amber Cambell was the musical director assisted by
Randy Rinker as pianist. Angelique Libby helped with musical
auditions and Sue Greenleaf provided snacks to make sure no one was
too hungry at rehearsals.
"The
Wizard of Oz" set for Thursday-Sunday run at Reynolds Center
Cast of 37 has
kids ages 7 through 17
The
Yellow Brick Road leads to Southern Arkansas University this week as
Magnolia Arts presents Katherine Schultz Miller's stage version of "The
Wizard of Oz."
ArtReach's
The Wizard of Oz
Just Imagine Youth Drama
School, Tasmania AU
Two
different casts of area young people will perform the play on
separate days. The first cast will be on stage at 6:30 p.m. Thursday
and Friday. The second cast will be featured at 6:30 p.m. Saturday
and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Performances
will be held in Foundation Hall at the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and
Community Center. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the door or
at the Cosmopolitan Ladies Club.
Director
Janet Rider-Babbitt said Tuesday that about half of both casts
consist of seven-to-17 year-old stage newcomers, while the other half
includes young people who have participated in other Magnolia Arts
productions, including last year's musical "Oliver!"
"Munchkins,
talking trees, flowers and flying monkeys!"
Just Imagine Youth Drama
School, Tasmania AU perform ArtReach's The
Wizard of Oz
Miller's
"Wizard" is a non-musical version that lasts about an
hour. The action is moved along by narrators who fill in the gaps
between the play and the famous film.
While
major characters in the total cast of 37 are split between the two
troupes, both casts will share Munchkins, talking trees, flowers and
flying monkeys - consisting mostly of the younger members of both casts.
"They
get to perform every night because their parts are smaller,"
Rider-Babbitt said.
Abby
Pieratt and Bailee Weston have unofficial duties as Munchkin, tree,
flower and monkey wranglers.
"There
are a lot of new kids. We've tried to even them out so there are new
kids with some seasoned kids," Rider-Babbitt said. "It is
working well."
"It's
definitely a boost for their confidence."
Just Imagine Youth Drama
School, Tasmania AU perform ArtReach's The
Wizard of Oz
The
casts have been rehearsing for five-and-a-half weeks. Rider-Babbitt
praises the performers for picking up their lines and acting skills.
"The
kids are enjoying it. There are some kids who were silent when they
first came in, and now they are speaking loud. It's definitely a
boost for their confidence," Rider-Babbitt said.
The
younger people have also taken charge of lighting, sound effects and
props, she said.
The
cast in order of appearance are as follows. The Thursday-Friday cast
members are listed first. The Saturday-Sunday cast members are listed
in parenthesis.
THE
JONESBOROUGH REPERTORY THEATRE PRESENTS THE
LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW A GREAT HALLOWEEN CLASSIC
By
Pam Johnson, The Loafer Online
The
Headless Horseman. Oh, the image that brings to mind: a black
cloaked, horseback riding, headless figure holding a jack o' lantern.
Spooky, classic ghost story material. The perfect thing to see this
Halloween season. The Jonesborough Repertory Theatre will
present Washington Irving's well-known speculative fiction, The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, for three weekends, October
21st-November 2nd.
"The
perfect thing to see this Halloween season."
ArtReach's
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville, GA
Set
in the 1790s in the fictional settlement of Tarry Town, the legend
says that Major Andre, a Hessian soldier who was beheaded by a stray
cannonball during the Revolutionary War, haunts the roads of the area
in search of his head. As Irving puts it, "The ghost rides forth
to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head."
But
there's a lot more to the story than a Headless Horseman. Meet
Ichabod Crane, the nervous, superstitious new schoolmaster of Tarry
Town; Katrina Van Tassel, Ichabod's soon-to-be romantic interest; and
the manly man Brom Bones, who is in love with Katrina. Put these
three together and you have a hilarious, entertaining tale that will
make you laugh, make you empathize, make you cringe, and make you
shudder. And it will make you see something good, something bad, and
something of yourself in each of these characters.
"The
ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head."
ArtReach's
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville, GA
Ichabod
becomes the unfortunate target of Brom Bones and his gang, and the
unsuspecting target of the manipulative Katrina Van Tassel.
"Katrina
is nasty," said Heather Allen, who portrays the beautiful
daughter of a wealthy farmer. "She wants to make Brom
jealous." This she does by showering her attentions on poor
Ichabod. Or should we refer to him as "poor" Ichabod? He
actually has his own devious motives. "For Ichabod, it's not
about Katrina's heart, but about her wealth." So they both are
playing a game of hearts.
Then
there's Brom Bones. "He's a bully," said Derek Smithpeters
who brings this character to life. "He likes to pick on Ichabod,
especially when it becomes known that he believes in ghosts." A
perfect set-up of man versus the legend of the Headless Horseman.
We
have three characters, each with their own agenda. Who is the good
guy? Who is the bad guy? Or is it fair to really label them like that?
"The
Playwright focuses on the lightheartedness & comedy."
ArtReach's
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville, GA
In
talking about people in general, Derek said, "Everyone's not
all truly good or bad; both are in them. Kind of Jekyll and
Hyde." That's why we can see some of ourselves in these
characters. We can identify with their struggles, with their goals,
and with their eccentricities. That's what makes the story ring true.
And
that's also what makes us laugh: poking fun at these truths about
human nature. "The playwright keeps it true to Irving's story,
but she focuses on the lightheartedness, the comedy," said
director Janette Gaines. "Yes, it's intense because there is a
Headless Horseman. But there are times in our lives when we just need
to laugh, and that's what this playwright focuses on."
Janette
and the actors stressed that this show is family friendly.
"It's
light entertainment, and appropriate for all ages." Janette
said. "It's the kind of story to tell around a campfire."
The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow is adapted for the stage by Kathryn
Shultz Miller and is sponsored by People's Community Bank. Rounding
out the engaging cast are Adam Honeycutt, Kari Tuthill, Christopher
Ward, and Tara White.
The
JRT is located at 125½ West Main Street in Jonesborough. Shows
will run on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and
Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $16, general admission, $14 for
students and seniors. To purchase tickets, call the Historic
Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423.753.1010 or go online to www.jonesboroughtheatre.com.
Gaslight
Drama Camp to perform ‘The
Little Mermaid’ this weekend
Summer Drama
Camp features ArtReach Play for Kids to Perform
Tickets
are now available for this year's Gaslight Drama Camp performance of
the Musical "The
Little Mermaid" by Kathryn Schultz Miller.
Performances will be 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
"The
girl with the beautiful, musical voice."
Gaslight Theatre Summer Camp
performs ArtReach's "The
Little Mermaid"
During
a frightful shipwreck, a prince is tossed in the sea and rescued by
a mermaid princess. When she sings him a haunting lullaby, he falls
in love with the girl with the beautiful, musical voice.
Drama
Camp is sponsored by Park Avenue Thrift, The Lounge and Bauman
Matching Grant, as well as many more individual and business donors.
A total of 41 campers began the camp on May 31 and have been working
to create a perfect under the sea experience.
Directors
for this year's camp are Catina Sundvall, Angela Gallagher, Nathan
Sundvall and Sylvia Earhart. Tickets can be purchased in person, at
the box office, or online. Contact the box office at (580)
234-2307 or visit Gaslight Theatre on Facebook.
"A
total of 41 campers create perfect experience."
Gaslight Theatre Summer Camp
performs ArtReach's "The
Little Mermaid"
The
Gaslight Theatre of Enid, Oklahoma, was founded in 1966 under its
original name of Enid Community Theatre. Gaslight is one of
Oklahoma's oldest and most active community theatres. Enid Community
Theatre's organizational mission is twofold: to provide a wide
spectrum of high-quality theatrical entertainment to a broad audience
in Enid and the surrounding communities, and to provide a setting for
nonprofessional actors, directors, designers, and technicians to
learn and practice their art.
ArtReach's
A Thousand Cranes at Hutchison School
Middle
School students learn about Japanese culture and theatre
Congratulations
to the cast and crew of our middle school play on a spectacular run!
The girls ran two plays, "Hana's Suitcase" and "A
Thousand Cranes," in repertory over the weekend. They treated
the entire Middle School to a matinee last week and hosted more than
350 guests during the evening performances.
"Traditions
of Japanese theatre of Noh, Kabuki, and Bunraku were used."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Hutchison School, Memphis TN
To
prepare for the show, the girls studied the plays in rehearsal, but
also in their original books. Borrowing from the theatrical
traditions of Japanese theatre of Noh, Kabuki, and Bunraku, music and
metaphor were used to show the story in an abstracted way in "A
Thousand Cranes." Actors appeared in black traditional koken
costumes* to help the audience focus on the aural and visual aspects
of the props, showing time and place for Sadako's story. In
"Hana's Suitcase," the staging helped the audience
understand events that were happening in present day and the past.
The timeline blurred through creative use of space and lighting.
Shadow play was used to create mysteries for the children to uncover.
Both plays featured real girls and real events during and after WWII
and explored themes of remembrance, hope, and peace.
"The
plays explored remembrance, hope, and peace."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Hutchison School, Memphis TN
This
particular show had a rich and rewarding rehearsal process. Our
inclusion director, Rachel Shankman, a second generation survivor of
the Holocaust, met with the girls to share her family's story. Her
conversation helped them understand what happened to the survivors
after the liberation of the concentration camps. Our cast also took
time to meet with Lara Hana Brady and her father George Brady. Mr.
Brady shared Hana's story and a first-hand account of the Holocaust
with our girls. This conversation was an amazing opportunity to learn
about history and the events in "Hana's Suitcase" from the
man who lived it as a boy. Dr. Catherine Phipps, Head of
International Studies at The University of Memphis, also met with our
cast members to explain what life is like as a middle-schooler in
Japan. She was able to answer all our girls' questions about schools,
everyday life, and time-honored traditions in Toyko.
"Cast
learned
what life is like as a middle-schooler in Japan."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Hutchison School, Memphis TN
*
(theater) A black-clad person who enters the stage to rearrange the
set, unremarked by the actors.
FSHS
TIGER DRAMA CAMP PERFORMS THE
LEGEND OF MULAN
Fort
Scot Biz - Fort Scott News - Schools (KS)
This
year's annual Fort Scott High School Tiger Drama Camp performs The
Legend of Mulan on May 28 and 29.
Nearly
40 students in 1st through 9th grade have spent two weeks at camp
preparing for the production. Performances are at 7 p.m. on May 28
and 2 p.m. on May 29 at the Fort Scott High School Auditorium.
The
playwright, Kathryn Schultz Miller, describes the show this way,
"Mulan inspires us all with a grand desire to be the best we can
be: honest, tenacious and brave. She leads us on an epic journey over
mountains and rivers - through the hills and valleys of fear and
courage and human emotion. Mulan knows it doesn't matter if she is a
boy or a girl. She just wants to make her mark, prove her mettle, and
leave the world a better place."
"40
students have spent two weeks at camp preparing."
Fort
Scott High School Tiger Drama Camp rehearses ArtReach's 'The
Legend of Mulan'
The
character of Mulan is played by 8th grader Ashlyn Cannon. Other
notable characters include Captain Cheng, portrayed by freshman
Mykael Lewis; Pika the Rabbit played by 6th grader Abel Chaplin and
7th grader Chrislen Newman; Imoogi the Dragon played by 7th graders
Izzy Budd and Ana Rupprecht; and Momo, the Emperor's Assistant,
played by freshman Kaiden Clary.
The
camp and show are directed entirely by FSHS Thespians.
Senior
Christina King is the Director, assisted by sophomore Regen Wells
who also serves as Stage Manager and Choreographer Kinsley Davis, a junior.
Technical
staff include sophomore Lexi Hill - Lighting Designer, senior Khris
Patel - Sound Designer, senior Breena Cox - Music
Director,
sophomore Silvia Moreno - Props and Set Designer, and junior Izzy
Carreno - Music Operator. Many other Thespians serve as acting
coaches and leaders.
During
the 2-week camp, students learn about most technical theatre areas
such as lighting, sound, costuming, stagecraft, and make-up. They
also help to create the artistic set decor and learn sabre combat.
Tickets
for the show should be purchased in advance at
fortscotthighschool.ludus.com. Adults are $8 and children are
$6. There may be tickets available for purchase at the door, but
seating is limited. Masks and social distancing are required. Doors
open 30 minutes prior to showtime.
A
NOBLE PRODUCTION AT MHCC: Sword
in the Stone
The
Advocate: Mt. Hood Community College, Gresham OR
The
MHCC Theatre Department has begun to perform Kathryn Schultz
Miller's "Sword in
the Stone" this week, with busloads of elementary school
students from all around the Northwest coming to see the show.
We
were fortunate enough to sit in on one of the dress rehearsals to
get a glance at the play before the seats were packed full of
restless children, and found the production enjoyable.
The
script has been brought to life by the students of the Mt. Hood
Theatre program, and tailored by the director, Julie Akers, to
interact with audience members' imaginations. There are plenty of
parts where the characters break the fourth wall and beckon the
audience to help them in their quest, which takes them to the skies,
moats, and dragon-infested mountains of Arthurian England.
"Magic,
special effects & sword fighting."
MHCC
theatre students rehearse for “The
Sword in the Stone.” Landon Spady, The Advocate
All
of these elements would not be nearly as exciting if the actors did
not bring their individual talents to the characters of Arthurian
legend. All but three of actors are first-year students at Mount
Hood, and when asked, Akers expressed excitement at being able to
work with such young talent.
She
said there were some challenges in working with the script when it
was handed to her by the department's head, Mace Archer (who is
currently on sabbatical). The script calls for drastic and rapid
scene changes that transform the stage from a castle, to the sky, to
a field, and to many other difficult-to-depict locations. There are
also lots of magic, special effects, and sword fighting in the play,
which require a lot more rehearsal time for the actors and tech crew
to pin down, in order to put on a smooth performance.
Despite
all of these challenges, the cast and crew has risen to the
occasion. Akers said that she can't wait to return to direct the
upcoming spring production at MHCC, "The Miracle
Worker." The Theatre Department will open ArtReach's Sword
in the Stone Saturday, Nov. 16 to MHCC students and the general community.
Alice
in Wonderland is a Christmas Play?
Read The Story
of Alice in Christmas Land
"Curiouser
and curiouser!”
-- Lewis
Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
If you thought
Wonderland was curious, wait until you visit Christmas Land!
Alice in Wonderland is one of the world’s most famous and
beloved classics for children. Alice
in Christmas Land gives the familiar story a musical holiday twist.
The play begins
as Lewis Carroll calls for Alice who must be hiding. While he
looks the Storytellers begin the story describing merry old England
at Christmas time. When Alice finally presents herself Lewis
sees that there are not 1 but 6 Alices! He asks 5 of them to
sit down and wait their turn to play the part as the play progresses.
Lewis Carroll
is determined to take photographs of Alice with his fancy
camera. But Alice is reluctant because she would rather
decorate the Christmas tree. Mr. Carroll agrees and Alice
unpacks the ornaments. To her surprise each ornament represents
characters in the stories that Mr. Carroll has told her. She
discovers the Queen of Heart’s heart ornament and Mr. Carroll
tells her that this is the most important ornament of all because it
represents the spirit of love and kindness which is the center of
holiday spirit.
At
last Alice poses for a picture but as she does she becomes sleepy
and drifts into a dream. The next thing she knows, a White
Rabbit has entered and wakes her up. But this not the White
Rabbit she remembers from the story, this rabbit is dressed in a
Santa costume and carries a great sack on his back. However,
the White Rabbit seems to have no understanding of who Santa is and
what Christmas is all about. The Christmas White Rabbit
says "Mustn’t be late!” and disappears down his rabbit hole.
Alice follows
the rabbit and finds herself in a very unusual place. Little
does she know that she has fallen into Christmas Land where every
inhabitant has a very strange idea of Christmas. She finds a
bottle that says "drink me”. When she drinks from the
bottle she grows very small, as small as a cupcake. A
Caterpillar comes along and tells her that tasting the cupcake will
make her grow. One taste of the icing and Alice’s head is
in the clouds!
Along
come Tweedledum and Tweedledee, two little boys who are flying
through the air, lofted up by the propellers on their hats.
Alice asks them to take her flying and together they soar up so high
they see the Christmas star! Alice then asks them to help her
become the right size for a little girl again. They give her a
gingerbread man and tell her to eat part of it to grow down.
Next
Alice meets the grinning Cheshire Cat who is now a Christmas Cat
with green and red stripes. The Cat has the habit of
disappearing and reappearing during their conversation. The Cat
sings a version of "Deck the Halls” that seems crazy to
Alice. The Cat tells her, "We’re all mad here,”
and sends her along to the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
But
the Mad Hatter refuses to serve tea, claiming his party is really a
tree decorating party. But Alice doesn’t see any tree and
has an absurd exchange with the Hatter about his tree that isn’t
there. Dormouse sings a Christmas carol that is just as silly
as the Cat’s song. Alice declares, "No one here knows
anything about Christmas at all!”
The Mad Hatter
sends Alice along to the garden of the Queen of Hearts where Alice
finds decorators throwing away yesterday’s Christmas tree
ornaments and putting up new ones. Everyone seems terrified of
the Queen and indeed when the Queen appears everyone runs away.
The Queen asks
Alice to play croquet and Alice agrees. But this is not like
any croquet game Alice has played before. The mallets are
flamingos, the arches are people from the audience and the balls are
hedgehogs. After an attempt to play the game, Alice tells
the Queen that she cheats. This prompts the Queen to sing of
her own virtues and call for Alice’s head. Alice calmly
informs the Queen that there must be trial first.
At
the trial the Queen accuses Alice of sending a Christmas card,
claiming the fact establishes Alice’s guilt. At last,
Alice pulls the heart ornament that Mr. Carroll has given her and
presents it to the Queen. Alice tells the Queen that she should
represent love and kindness, symbolized by the heart, because
that’s what Christmas is all about. If she did, Alice
tells her, "All of your subjects would understand Christmas a
great deal more than they do now!”
The Queen is
outraged and cries "Off with her head!” All the
Alices appear together and demand that they should like to see the
Queen’s head off. All Alices ask for the
audience’s help and together they drive the Queen away.
Soon Alice is
sleeping as before and awakens to hear Mr. Carroll and everyone
singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” As Alice
tells Mr. Carroll about her dream, each of the characters appears
before her. The Queen appears, demanding her heart. Alice
says "With this, you can be the very best Queen there ever
was.” When the Queen wishes everyone a Merry Christmas,
the crowd shouts, "All hail the Queen of Hearts!”
Mr. Carroll
tells Alice to keep each Christmas in her heart for all are precious,
prompting everyone to join in singing, "We Wish You a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
"If
I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.”
-- Lewis
Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Interview
Questions for Kathryn Schultz Miller
Prepared by
Morgan Cobb, Florida
State University
-What
drew you to playwriting?
I had a terrific teacher in
High School who believed in me. He gave me confidence to write
and act. He steered me towards some small publications and a
creative writing scholarship to college. That got me going.
-Which
of your plays are you most proud of?
A Thousand Cranes will
probably always be up there as my most favored script. But I am
also just as proud of Welcome Home about a Vietnam Vet. I'm
also very proud of many of my short comic plays such as Emperor's New
Clothes, Sword in the Stone, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Among the large cast plays for kids to perform, I like The Jungle
Book and Velveteen Rabbit.
-I
noticed several of your plays have actors playing multiple
characters was that intentional? If so why?
The first plays I wrote were
for touring to schools, so we had to have a small cast of very
talented adults with few actors and few props for traveling in a
van. Although that was a necessity I came to see it as an
artistic benefit. Many restrictions caused me to up the
artistic stakes, putting imagination above physical stuff like sets
and props. Minimalism became our style.
Already the successful author
of Sketches by Boz, Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby,
The Old Curiosity Shop, Barnaby Rudge and American Notes, Charles
Dickens (1812-1870) was one of the best-loved novelists of the time
when he wrote this short novel, which was completed in a mere six
weeks in tandem with the production of the eleventh episode of the
serially published Martin Chuzzlewit.
Originally published on
December 17, 1843, the book was rapturously reviewed and became an
instant success, the first 6,000 copies of its initial print-run
being sold out by Christmas, with 2,000 further copies from the
second printing snapped up by the 6th of January. While obviously
enormously popular from the outset, it has remained Dickens’
most widely enjoyed work, with hundreds of further reprints and adaptations.
Dickens was completely
responsible for the entire production of the book, and he
commissioned John Leech (1817-1864) to produce a series of hand
colored etchings and wood engravings to illustrate the volume.
The
Little Mermaid - A Huge Success!
By
Shannan Smith, SCCS Performance Teacher
We
had a wonderful show with The
Little Mermaid, S.C.C.S.'s all school end of year play.
There
were about 50 students involved ranging from grades 2nd - 12th.
Missing the show and wanting more performances has remained the major
theme among various students. One of the seniors said, "I miss
going to practice after school, I'm glad I participated in theatre
before I graduated."
After
teaching here for 3-1/2 years, I've discovered that students who
participate in drama feel extremely satisfied and accomplished.
"Well-developed,
young actors bringing stories to life."
Santa Clarita Christian
School, CA - The Little Mermaid
Every
year our K-6th grade students have the opportunity to participate in
bible based drama chapels. Once they are in junior high, they may try
out for the all school play, like The Little Mermaid. When in high
school, they really hone in their acting craft. The high school
students tend to take the major leads in school plays because they
are enrolled in an A-G accredited theatre class. While working with
them closely, I’m able to educate the students on theatre
aspects such as improv, staging, the history of theatre and teaching
them about opportunities where they can create their own venues in
acting. Drama students are definitely stretched in every area
however, this helps the students to think quickly and present
themselves well.
I
thoroughly enjoy working with students in grades K – 12,
engaging with the various levels of talent, watching them grow from
excited children to well-developed, young actors bringing stories to
life. Look for next year's play as we will be performing C.S.
Lewis's classic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Those
rehearsals will begin after winter break. Thank you for coming out to
see this year’s show!
'Amelia
Earhart' aims to thrill young audiences
Augustana
College in Rehearsal, Rock Island, IL
Augustana's
annual children's show, "Amelia
Earhart," offers young theatre-goers an exciting story and
a lot of history Sept. 23-24.
The
play tells the story of the first female aviator to fly solo across
the Atlantic Ocean, who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
It uses headlines, remembrances, flashbacks and introspective
monologues by Earhart against the backdrop of music, styles and
politics of the 1930s and 40s.
"An
exciting story and a lot of history."
Rehearsal
Picture. "Amelia Earhart" cast members: from left, Peter
Alfano, a sophomore from Knoxville, Ill.; Rami Halabi, a senior from
Crystal Lake, Ill.;
and
Aubrey Lyon, a junior from Mount Vernon, Iowa. (Augustana Photo
Bureau/Amanda Moore)
Performances
will be at 1:30 p.m. in the Brunner Theatre Center.
"Amelia
Earhart" features Augustana students Aubrey Lyon, a junior
from Mount Vernon, Iowa; Rami Halabi, a senior from Crystal Lake,
Ill.; and Peter Alfano, a sophomore from Knoxville, Ill.
Isabel
Dawson, a sophomore from Bloomington, Ill., serves as stage manager.
Emma Brutman, a senior from Vernon Hills, Ill., is the designer for
set and props.
The
children's show once again is directed by Augustana alumna Jackie
Wynes McCall '98. McCall earned an MFA in acting from Western
Illinois University. After touring and performing all over the
Midwest, her travels eventually brought her to The Old Creamery
Theatre in the Amana Colonies where she serves as the director of education.
Tickets
are $11 for the public, $9 for senior citizens, students, and
Augustana faculty/staff, $5 for children ages 12 and under, and free
for Augustana students with ID. Tickets can be purchased online, at
the door or through the Augustana Ticket Office at 309-794-7306.
A
special showing of the play by Kathryn Schultz Miller will be
offered at 10 a.m. on Sept. 22 for students in grades 4-8. Schools
that make reservations for the show will receive a pre-visit activity
packet, enjoy the show and post-show discussion, and leave with
follow up activities that can be done in their classroom. For more
information about this special performance, email or call Christina
Myatt, 309-794-7611.
