NEYT Alumni

Road to Edinborough, by Jon Potter, Brattleboro Reformer 8/12/10

2010-08-19T15:11:00.001-04:00

RosaPalmeri and Allie Bliss will travel to Scotland to perform their show,Twelfth Night, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (Zachary P.Stephens/Reformer)

Apparently, the road from Brattleboro to Edinburgh passes through the messiest room you ever saw. Strewn about the aptly named Luna Room are hats, vests, jackets, sweaters, socks, papers, books, pens, clothes hangers, coffee cups, pillows, a boom box, a dented lampshade, a feather boa or two and heaven knows what else.
Also in the room were two young women vying very hard for the title of Hardest Working People in Show Business.
Rosa Palmeri and Aleda Bliss, both home after their freshman years in college, have holed themselves up in the Luna Room with the singular aim of defying nature's immutable laws of time and space. They are trying to cram the world of Shakespeare into a suitcase and then perform one of his plays in less than half the time it usually takes.
"We've entered into this realm of the absurd," said Palmeri.
More to the point, Palmeri and Bliss are about to embark on a great adventure. They have been asked to perform their two-woman version of "Twelfth Night" at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. The festival began on Aug. 6 and runs through Aug. 30, and features more than 40,000 performances of 2,453 different shows in a great variety of styles and genres. In all, more than 21,000 performers from all over the world take part -- including Bliss and Palmeri, who were recommended to the festival by local actor Jerry Levy, who was slated to go but had to back out.
Palmeri and Bliss will pack their show in a suitcase, fly out on Aug. 20, land in London's Heathrow Airport, fly on to Edinburgh, have one day to prep for the show and then perform the play once each day from Aug. 24-29. They admit to being both "incredibly, incredibly excited" and "incredibly nervous" about the trip.
"It hasn't really hit us. We're sort of focused on the work right now," said Bliss.
The two-women "Twelfth Night" was something Bliss and Palmeri developed in late 2007 as a special project directed by Peter Gould. The first performances were in January 2008, and the show was hailed as a triumph. In it, Bliss and Palmeri, through quick changes of prop and costume, presented the entire play, filling all the roles themselves. It was a monumental undertaking -- each had to learn nearly 1,000 lines and the logistics of constantly switching characters, props and costumes, were challenging, to say the least.
"We always say it's like running a marathon. It's such a test of endurance," said Palmeri.
"It was really exhilarating to do it. We felt like we'd done this giant thing," added Bliss. "It takes over our lives."
So much so, that as the first performances loomed in 2008, the two actually took to spending the night on the NEYT stage.
After a few performances in 2008, the two were happy to put it aside. But they always thought they might come back to it. They had planned this summer to revive the show and perhaps take it on tour. Then word came in late-June about the opportunity to take the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
They jumped at the chance ... and then gulped.
"The one fly in the ointment is that only have an hour (to perform it). When we originally did this show, it ran two hours and 10 minutes," Bliss said.
So they set out to slice and dice "Twelfth Night" down to an hour, finding out just how hard it was to cut throught Shakespeare's sinewy plot lines.
"We realized how well Shakespeare wrote this ... everything is connected," Palmeri said.
With Gould's help, they made enough cuts to get it close. They were still trying to shave another five minutes or so as they rehearsed last Tuesday.
For most of the summer, they have lived at NEYT, teaching camp during the day and running the show in their spare time.
Surprisingly, after briefly reconnecting with the script, the lines they had worked so hard to memorize two years ago came back quickly. The hard part has been relearning them with the cuts.
Through it all, the two not only have made amazing theater, they've remained the best of friends. They're roommates this summer in Brattleboro and have plans someday to turn other masterpieces into two-woman tours de force -- "As You Like It" and "James and the Giant Peach" are two they mention.
"We're kind of like an old married couple," kids Palmeri.
"We always hope we end up sticking together," said Bliss. "We have a lot of trust because when we're on stage, we rely so much on each other."
There they were during last Tuesday's run-through, reminding each other of what they need to do, helping each other with flubbed lines all-business and all-kindness and only occasionally overwhelmed by the mad, manic adventure of it all.
"Sometimes we look at each other I've got a lampshade on my head and we say ‘What are we doing? Who are we?'" Bliss said.
Who they are are two of the many alumni NEYT can point to with pride. Palmeri just completed her freshman year at the ultra-selective acting conservatory at the University of Evansville.
"I definitely don't think I would have been able to handle the work if I hadn't been at NEYT every night in high school," said Palmeri, who will be continuing her acting studies in England this fall, before returning to Evansville.
Bliss finished a year at Bennington College, where she balanced her work in theater with other liberal arts courses. She has found herself drawn more closely to theater and will continue her studies this fall in France with the Roy Hart Theater, which specializes in voice work and speech.
In the meantime, you can see them live at NEYT as they prepare for their trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. They will perform "Twelfth Night" in Brattleboro on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 18, and 19, at 7 p.m. For information, visit www.neyt.org.
Their performances lead into the NEYT's first foray into its own fringe festival. On Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20 and 21, NEYT alumni will present original plays at 7 p.m. in what is being billed as a fringe festival. Pre-performance activities begin at 6 p.m. Visit the website for details.
Jon Potter can be reached at jpotter@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 149.

Original Works Festival! 8/20-21

2010-08-19T14:57:00.003-04:00

The NEYT Alumni present Original Works, August 20 & 21. Three plays will be presented at the New England Youth Theatre, written and directed by students who graduated recently from NEYT’s programs. The plays are "Figments," written and directed by GennaRose Nethercott; "China Denial," written by Harry Poster and directed by Louisa Sullivan; and "Paul and Ted and the Mysterious Case of Dead Fat Guy," written and directed by James Gelter. Raw, funny, dramatic, cathartic, and originating from great insights about the heart, these three short plays will have you laughing, crying and re-living the awkwardness of adolescence. As a warm-up, free pre-show music and performances will be held on the theatre’s lawn and in the lobby beginning one hour before the show.

The young adult characters in the featured plays face mysteries and challenges that we all may deal with at some point. In GennaRose Nethercott’s play, friendships are strained by new relationships. In James Gelter’s play, partying leads to questions about what REALLY happened last night? And, in Harry Poster’s play, the impending death of a young man changes many realities for his close circle of friends.

Pre-show performances begin at 6 PM, and will be held under the tent on the front lawn of NEYT. Bring a picnic! Friday night, alumni Lynn and Will Rowan will play original music with folk and Georgian influences. Saturday night a bluegrass/folk band featuring Riley Goodemote and friends, will play some original tunes. In the theatre as a warm-up performance Rosie Schulick presents her original short play Turtle, and Sean Fitzharris and Riley Goodemote present their latest short film. These performances are by donation – performers will be passing a hat after their acts.

GennaRose Nethercott, Jess Callahan, and Colin Hinckley perform James Gelter's play Paul and Ted and the Mysterious Case of the Fat Dead Guy.

Intermission entertainment will be provided by various NEYT alumni and some current students, as audience members relax between the one act plays and enjoy refreshments in the lobby.
Tickets are $8, general admission, and will be sold only at the door beginning at 6 pm. Pre-show performances are by donation. Shows will be at 7 pm on Friday August 20 and Saturday August 21, with pre-shows beginning at 6 pm on the lawn.

Thanks to our Sponsor Amy's Bakery Arts Cafe!

Kario hits the ground running!

2010-08-19T14:45:00.000-04:00

Kario recently graduated from Circle in the Square Acting Conservatory in New York City. You might remember him from his NEYT appearances in Scappin, Wait Until Dark, and Taming of the Shrew. He is now working on a pre-Broadway production of the Kite Runner with Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Louisville, KY – Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are pleased to present The Kite Runner, directed by Marc Masterson, playing the Pamela Brown Auditorium at Actors Theatre of Louisville as part of the Brown-Forman Series, August 31 through September 25. Adapted for stage by Matthew Spangler from the best-selling novel and hit movie by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner is a faithful adaptation of Hosseini’s sweeping tale exploring friendship and family, loyalty and betrayal, and the possibility of redemption.

KARA MANSON performs in Boston, again!

2010-08-19T14:41:00.000-04:00

Kara Manson, NEYT '04, has had a long history with NEYT: Her first role with NEYT was the Parrot in Treasure Island and from there went on to star in many shows such as As You Like It (Rosalind), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena), The Crucible (Elizabeth Proctor), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Suzanne), King Lear (Goneril), and MacBeth (Lady MacBeth). She traveled with Stephen and the cast of King Lear to England, where NEYT set the foundations for an exchange with David Vann's theater in Birmingham. She took master classes with Jon Epstein and Keeley Eastley, and was guided towards the Brandeis University theater program by Peter Gould. After recieving her Bachelor's Degree from Brandeis, she remained in the Boston area to pursue her acting career, appearing in several productions with various companies, including Shakespeare Now!, Zeitgeist Stage, and many others (as well as making a cameo in the 2008 NEYT alumni production). Coming this fall she will be in a production of Proof!

The Independent Drama Society depends on powerful emotions for its season called “love and loathing,’’ an exploration of how these feelings “can inspire ordinary human beings to do the impossible — or cause their ultimate downfall,’’ according to the press material. First up is David Auburn’s “Proof’’ about genius, family, and frailty. September brings Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet’’ followed by David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross’’ in January, and a spring production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice.’’ Pictured: Kate Daly (left), Kara Manson, Chris Larson in “Proof.’’ Tonight at 7 p.m. (through Aug. 28). $15, $17 at the door; $13 students and seniors. The Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont St., Boston. 617-286-2437. www.brownpapertickets.com

NEYT Alumni Present - MURDERED TO DEATH!

2010-05-21T12:33:00.002-04:00

by Peter Gordon,
Directed by Sean Fitzharris-Onyon, June 17-27

A great comic spoof on Agatha Christie style murder mysteries, Murdered to Death will have you rolling in the aisles. Come enjoy the melodramatic antics of NEYT alumni as they investigate a murder of an old spinster at her 1930's manor house. You'll encounter some bumbling officers of the law, a mysterious french art dealer, an unconventional butler, a nosy neighbor, and many others. Catch your favorite NEYT faculty on stage - see Nick Bombicino, Dory Hamm, Harry Poster, Louisa Sullivan, Andrew Marchev, and more! Don't miss this fun-for-all-ages farce.

June 17-27, Thursdays-Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Thanks to our Sponsor - New Chapter

Noah Smith as Malvolio in 12th Night: NYC

2010-01-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

Noah Smith Plays Malvolio in Twelfth Night directed by Tom Waites

The talented Thomas G Waites presents Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. The production is set to open on January 14th, 2010 and will run through February 7th, 2010 at the Bernie West Theater in Baruch College (23rd & Lexington). Shows every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night at 8pm and Sunday afternoons at 3pm.

Tickets are available now at www.theatermania.com

Watch TV, you'll see Penn!!!

2009-12-15T09:45:00.004-05:00

Alumnus Penn Rosen and the Beelzebubs are on The Sing-Off !!! The Tufts
group will be on NBC this week at 8pm. It's gonna be wild - a cappella
style. It premiered tonight and it was magical.

Watch the boys from Boston save the network with their tight harmonies
and killer choreography . There will be sweater vests, bow ties, and
beatboxing. Just sayin'.

Forward the message to any family and friends! Get out the word!

Read more/see pictures/watch videos here:
Meet the Contestants of NBC's Sing Off!

Kara on the Wheel

2009-11-03T09:56:00.002-05:00

Kara Manson ('04) will be on Wheel of Fortune tonight!

"On August 4th, I received an invitation to audition for Wheel of Fortune. On August 12th, I tried out to be a contestant. On September 3rd, I was spinning the wheel with Pat and Vanna at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. On November 3rd, you can watch me on television!"

Click here to see the Preview!!!

Letter to Alumni

2009-11-03T09:55:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone
I hope you are all well and doing what makes you happy! I am loving
seeing the VT leaves change this spectacular fall weekend.
NEYT hired me this month to begin doing publicity and marketing for
them, which is really fun and wonderful and creative and such a
blessing, but it also gets me into the office to advocate for Alumni
events etc.

ORGANIZING
I have heard there were whispers this summer of officially organizing
the NEYT alumni association and I am so down with that and will do
whatever I can to help facilitate it. I would love for us to all get
together this winter between x-mas and when people go away again, so
we can chat about actually organizing our group, what might come over
the summer, and if there are other things we'd like to do as alumni -
like offer a college chat for current NEYTers (formal or informal) or
maybe offer a weekend of workshops to share the new skills we've
picked up in the big wide world.

DIRECTING
I want to say something about the alumni show this coming summer too -
we have 3 weekends if we want them - all in June and 2 during the
camps! but, I really want to encourage all of you fresh new alumni to
seriously think about directing. Alex, Nick, Kara, Sam, Ben, Me and
probably others that I've forgotten to mention, got our start
directing over the summers at NEYT - either our peers or NEYT students
when there weren't enough peers to be cast! Dont be shy, if you have
an idea but you've never directed before, don't worry! There are
plenty of people who are more than willing to mentor and guide you
along through the process.

GET-TOGEHTER
So, if any of you would like to organize a winter gathering - at NEYT
or at your house - let me know!

BLOGGING
Also, if you have new news about what you're doing, I'd love to post
it on the NEYT Alumni Blog, so send links to things like news articles
of what you've been in and I will post it to the blog!

MISSING
If I have not sent this to someone who needs it, please forward it
along and CC me so I can have their address or their NEW address.

Ok, I suppose that's all.
Take care!
Jess

Your Thoughts

2009-07-24T13:40:00.002-04:00

I would like to invite anyone who sees the show to post their comments here -

did you love it or hate it?
did it make you think?
did it make you laugh?
did it make you cry?
are you glad you saw it?
what do you want to see next year from the alumni?

Please share your thoughts!

Opening

2009-07-24T10:17:00.004-04:00

We had a generous audience last night - they gave a lot to the actors, who in turn gave them a great first show. I'd love to share a few things that were said last night:
"It's such a challenging piece - we've never had anything like it at the Youth Theatre before."
"I get it! its about censorship!"
"I get it... it isn't really sad, it's about joy!"
"What a great story!"
I want to address the fact that this is "a challenging piece." Challenging, it is - for actors hungry for roles full of flavor and variation, and for audiences ready to think and feel. The title betrays the darkness of the play - you may come to see "Red Noses" expecting jollies, but what really is striking about this play is its emotional roller coaster - there is joy and clowning, but also quite a bit of tragedy. Admittedly at times we portray the tragedy lightly, creating laughter that makes you think, wait why am I laughing... There are also deep dark moments that we dive wholly into - they are shocking, and will keep you on your toes, or even just slightly off balance, not knowing what to expect.
Have no fear, though. The Spirit Overcomes!

Big Week: Tonight We Open!

2009-07-23T09:31:00.003-04:00

My eyes are itchy and struggling to stay open. I only got 6 hours of very interrupted sleep last night. We ended rehearsal at 11 (or so) last night. When there are still things to do it is so hard to let go and say, Ok, let's go home. I believe it is the plight of the artist never to be completely satisfied. I think that is what makes being an artist so consuming - there is always something more. 10 hours to go and so many little details to touch. I am confident though, that with the life an audience brings to a show, this one will be stellar.

Be sure you DO NOT miss this show! It plays for one weekend only.

(Tonight) Thursday 7:30
Friday 7:30
Saturday 7:30
Sunday 3:00

On the New England Youth Theatre stage, 100 Flat St., Brattleboro, VT.

Get your tickets ($12/$9) online at www.neyt.org or at the door.

For Free Tickets sign up as an usher/concession sales person, we are still seeking a few! E-mail me at jcallahan.84@gmail.com.

Big Week: Day 3

2009-07-22T16:19:00.001-04:00

The show is beautiful. You must come see it. That is all I have to say after 2 nights of tech slogging

Big Week: Day 2

2009-07-21T23:42:00.008-04:00

Last night I had a wonderful conversation with Jon Potter from the Brattleboro Reformer, the local newspaper. The questions he asked really got me to verbalize some of the thoughts that I had about the play, but not yet expressed, particularly about the religious themes that imbue the text and my personal connection to them.

The story of Red Noses has parallels to the story of Christ. Those that I am hi-lighting are the theme of revolution and change to established religious and societal practices, the importance of love and joy, and the necessity of brotherhood and companionship in strengthening the meaning in an individual's life.

It is said that Jesus was a revolutionary. The preachings and teachings he expounded were unique in the Jewish faith - primarily Jesus had no interest in the multitudes of societal laws set forth in Jewish holy texts. and held quite dear by the Jewish community at the time. The first form of Christianity was not bounden to any laws proscribed by God for eating, socializing, dressing, bathing, etc. In "Red Noses," God speaks to Father Flote and reveals that the things that are truly important to him are laughter, beauty and joy. In a climate of famine, pestilential despair, with flagellating penitents, and forgiveness-selling clergy this idea of bringing joy and laughter is quite revolutionary.
In essence, Jesus's prechings were based on love and forgiveness. In my favorite new testament passage, part of John's letter to the Corinthians, a text quoted often at wedding ceremonies, he repeats again and again the singular importance of love, If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Father Flote is constantly reminding his companions and preaching to non-believers that the relationship to god must be something more than fear, more than obedience and more than suffering for each others' sakes. If that is life, I want no part of it. But God is more, and man is more, he says.
Jesus gathered his apostles around him, revealing his theories on theology to them, creating a bond between the men (and possibly Mary Magdelene). They were the first Christian Brotherhood. Jesus charged his apostles - once fishermen, tax collectors, and the like - went all over the world preaching, converting, spreading the "word of love" with no belongings carried with them, and no shoes on their feet. Their strong and passionate dedication to their beliefs, and their lifetime relationships with each other, enabled them to do incredible things and face such adversity. The "Floties" from Red Noses sing a finale to their first performance, and immediately, in costume "Ripple and Spread" in all directions dissemminating the message of joy. They had begun as an even more rag-tag group - mercenaries, men and women pledged to solemn service to God, a blind juggler, a stuttering stand-up, (well you get the picture). It is the moments that these characters come together, that really shows how they pull their strength from each others friendship and passion for their cause. A few characters in particular change dramatically throughout the course of the play due to the love within this brotherhood of clowns. From just worrying about food and money to really dedicating themselves to their cause, the Floties gain the spirit, desire, and confidence to ripple and spread their joyful message.

The Big Week: Day 1

2009-07-20T10:37:00.005-04:00

I walked in to the theatre last night, and was struck by the utter transformation of the space.

Up to this point we have had to rehearse on a stage set and ready for other shows - old time melodramas, Shakespeare's As You Like It, and a children's Circus. Now the stage is ours.

Elements of the world have come in from the storage stables, from the craftiness of our designers, from our builders, from our painters, and from the world of our play. Represented on stage in one gloomy mess we have filth, disease, darkness, the church, god, and the theatre all there, all present, all working together to create this world of Red Noses. Under the eerie glow of the stage lights, this set beckons me into the world the actors have been inhabiting for the past month in their minds,. It is now an outward physical reality. I cannot wait to see action on this stage.

The Passion of the Actor

2009-07-16T09:08:00.006-04:00

It has been two weeks since I last wrote. In these two weeks it has just been incredible to see the show progress from actors buried in scripts mumbling around the stage with their bodies to a hilarious, moving, (relatively) smooth-flowing story on stage. It all has come out of these alum's hard work, dedication, and talent - and I guess the theater process too. We have the acting almost ready to show to the public, and that is amazing one whole week before opening!
It is always so refreshing to see how it is possible to coax a story and such humanity from a group of actors in an unadorned rehearsal room. They come in with their cell phones, flip-flops, and jeans chatting, joking, eating food from the Co-Op. As rehearsal begins they all transform into pitiful plague victims, arrogant aristocrats, conniving clergy and riotous Red Noses! As we work through scenes I look around and notice Kario Periera Bailey practicing his recorder (a skillhe is learning for the show), Nick Bombicino juggling against the backstage wall (one of three new skills he has had to acquire for this show), and Noah Smith listening to the music in his head and jotting notes furiously on his compositions. Moments like this I get all warm and fuzzy feeling inside. The passion that each NEYT actor has for each production they are in is so evidently strong in these rehearsals.
It's that passion that connects us to the material of this particular play. Red Noses is about revolutionaries, extraordiarily passionate about their missions. They are passionately fighting to overcome the misery of life during the black plague, the preceeding famine, the corruption in the center of their spiritual world, and the inhumanity of an unreasonable class system.

The Spirit Overcomes!

2009-07-04T13:41:00.005-04:00

I chose to direct Red Noses this year because I liked the premise - a monk, with inspiration from God, cheers the hearts of a plague ridden downcast society with clowning, dancing and music, gathering a close-knit group of followers to put on red noses and join him. There is truly something beautiful about curing societies ills with laughter.
In putting this play together, however, I am realizing that there is quite a bit of darkness in the plot, and in the world that they inhabit. It is not all frivolity and joy. The play is set during the Black Death - plague of 1348 - when almost 50% of Europe's population was obliterated by this intensely horrible pandemic. Not only was the plague the cause of many deaths, but the anarchy and demolition of society that ensued during the pandemic caused chaos and death as well. And as it follows, not all 36 characters that appear on stage survive to the final curtain. As a director I am constantly balancing the light and frivolous with the dark and somber.

And these two forces - light and dark - pull at the characters as well. The divinely inspired monk, Marcel Flote, raises spirits and impassions his followers to spread that beautiful lightness of joy and love, although everyone has been touched by the darkness of the black death, poverty, opression, and corruption. Even Flote, who lost his family to the plague, occasionally feels himself sinking down into darkness, burdened with the heaviness of greif or helplessness - but he remembers his passion, his mission - then he picks himself up even from the darkest depths with a light-footed dance across the stage.

The integrity of these characters is awe inspiring as they stand by their passions and beliefs even at the last. More than a play about how laughter helps us overcome things, Red Noses shows us the power of personal integrity and passion and the beauty and courage that it takes to remain loyal to your dreams.

"We lived the vision, rolled back the stony heart a little and the glory is measureless. Nothing to lament, lets pierce the circumference of Hell and dance!" - Red Noses, Peter Barnes

Viewpoints

2009-06-29T11:25:00.000-04:00

This weekend was a full onslaught of blocking this mammoth show. In 10 hours we almost made it all the way through (short 20 pages), with some Viewpoints work to start each rehearsal.
Each time I return to Viewpoints work I am astounded by the power of bodies moving in space and the stories that are created not through conscious effort, but through physical relationships.

Viewpoints as defined by Anne Bogart include:

Tempo - the speed at which one moves. I like to take it as a scale from 1 - 10
Duration - how long something lasts - a gesture, shape, etc.
Kinesthetic Response - the body's response to any kind of stimulus, external or internal.
Shape - shapes are made of lines and curves and are either stationary or move through space.
Gesture - there are behavioral (learned/indicative) gestures and expressive (metaphorical/impulsive) gestures
Repetition
Spatial Relationship - the distance between things. We like to say no "Polite" distances, lets go to the extreme.
Architecture - the set, stage, audience, or otherwise space in which we are working
and Topography - levels, and the shapes our feet follow on the floor

And I've added the following to think about to this lovely list:

Direction
Starts and Stops
Direct and Indirect

We took these a few at a time over the course of three rehearsals and incorporated them into our "milling and seething" - where we walk filling the empty spaces with our bodies. As we finished this part of our rehearsal on Sunday, we sat down to reflect on what had just happened in the room. Many of the comments addressed how at first it was overwhelming, everyone settled into a sort of groove. This came about because the actors began listening and reacting with their bodies instead of planning and calculating and deciding with their brains. My favorite comment came from Noah, whom I can only paraphrase: "It was incredible to see how I affected other people. I haven't really experienced that as an actor - I'm generally focused on what is happening to me and reacting to that, but seeing how I could start things, or how we could start things as a group, was really amazing." Or something Shoshi said: "I did things with my body that you can't just plan. I had no intention of lying in the middle of the stage in a straight line, but I did it... because that's just what my body had to do."
This process is really informing how the actors move on stage, and I am so glad that I decided to incorporate it. When I say "make a shape in the architecture!" they know what I mean! This really has given us the opportunity to create some beautiful stage pictures and moments.

First Rehearsal!

2009-06-25T11:05:00.000-04:00

Red Noses begins!

We had a beautiful, and lengthy read through of the play last night (there are still so many cuts to be made). But still, it was wonderful to have everyone together - in the same room, almost magical! And delicious. We had a potluck dinner with curry, cake, caprese salad, hummus, bean salad, chips, and brownies! Yum.

Shoshi Bass led us in a spectacular warm up where we got to move all together as a group - milling and seething, stretching, and all of that wonderful stuff. The climax of the warm-up was "Me!" - an activity where while everyone is moving around the room, one person shouts "Me!" and forms an angular shape. The rest of the group rushes to them, finds a point on their body to lift, and raises the "Me!-er" into the air. It was beautiful!

Congrats to the Grads!

2009-06-22T10:32:00.000-04:00

I would like to welcome a few new folks into the growing group of NEYT Alumni - Rosa Palmeri, Allie Bliss, Riley Goodemote, and Shannon Ward. These four have really taken on great challenges at the NEYT and have brought a lot to the theatre with their work as mentors and leaders in the community. Two of them, Rosa and Shannon, will be joining other alums in a production of "Red Noses" this summer.

Follow this link to see photos of Rosa as Laura in the "Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams

Click here to see photos of Allie and Riley in "Its a Wonderful Life"

Here are photos of Shannon performing her one woman tour de force about Emily Dickenson

And here are photos of the much celebrated 2-woman "Twelfth Night"

There is quite a bit of talent coming out of this little corner of Vermont! I just want to celebrate the beautiful people graduating this month in this post! Congratulations Rosa, Riley, Allie and Shannon!

Gearing Up

2009-06-21T18:05:00.000-04:00

I think I have written at least 10 e-mails today just about Red Noses (the play, not the foamy clown accessories). I am spending all my free time reading reading reading about Anne Bogart's Viewpoints as a refresher, and "The Great Mortality" - a book about the Black Death in Europe (an incredibly easy read and full to bursting with all the gory details). Our first read through is on Wednesday night, and I can't wait!
I feel absolutely blessed that the magnificent Kristen Loughry is a part of the NEYT team this summer. She is a student at Ithica College, originally from MA, and she is taking on the thankless task of Stage Manager for our production. (I just wanted to make sure she was acknowledged at least once during this process.) I am excited that she is approaching this task so professionally using equity rules as a guide, and really being on top of all the minutia that a Stage Manager has to deal with.
As I sit at my desk I am surrounded with piiles of research, images, and copies of this script. Can I dig my way out by opening? Yes! I am optimistic and excited and not drowning yet. This play is full of complex issues and challenges for a relatively green director (6 years of off and on experience), but I feel over prepared and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Jump and I will catch you!

2009-06-20T22:56:00.000-04:00

The New England Youth Theatre of Brattleboro, VT is 10 years old! About the same age as many of NEYT's "green" participants. It seems like, just like a child, NEYT has grown exponentially in the last 10 years. A ten year old child is at least 10 times as heavy and at least two times longer than he or she was when he or she came into this world. NEYT at 10 years has 10 times more students and faculty, and way more space and stuff than it did at "birth" - sans theatre, sans office, sans anything beyond Uncle Stevie's dream.
Founded on the idea that kids could run their own show - take charge and delve into all the arts involved in putting on a play - NEYT began to gather a following. Stephen Stearns has often been compared to the Pied Piper, singing his songs about angels while entranced young people follow dreamily. But he has been more, much more! The motto of the Youth Theatre has always been "Leap and the Net will Appear!" Alumni have taken that challenge constantly in their lives by following dreams and taking positive risks.
For the 10 year anniversary celebration last weekend this "motto" was playfully spoofed by Nick Bombicino and Carolyn Wesley in their original musical in celebration of the 10 year anniversary:

"Jump and I will catch you,
Leap you will not fall,
I am here to catch you,
Clowning through it all.

"And there will always be a net,
And there will always be a red nose
No matter whatever we'll love you for you..."

(Stay tuned for this on You Tube, it will rock your socks if you haven't seen it.)

While NEYT began as an intimite group of youngsters, it has grown and grown, but we are still connected as alumni - we still have a home there, and are welcomed back every time. It is too true that NEYT loves us for who we were, are, and who we have yet to become. I hope that through providing opportuinites for alums to return to perform, direct and teach NEYT will continue to be a supportive artistic outlet for youth, those young in body and those in heart.

Please stay tuned for what is next: Red Noses - howzit going?