Date: Fri 23-Jul-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

Oz-BTD-Post-Vollano-Barlow

Full Text:

Spending Part Of Summer Break In The Theatre

(with cuts)

BY SHANNON HICKS

For students at most levels of their education, summer break is a time for

just that: a break from everything school-related. Maybe a part-time job or a

relaxed social schedule will fill the days of late June, then July and August.

But the key for many students is to take a break from the rigors of a tough

schedule whenever possible.

A number of young actors in Newtown are not shying away from a busy summer

this year, however. Nearly a dozen students of all ages have signed on to take

part in local theatre productions, in particular those at the Brookfield

Theatre & Dance Co. and Barlow Summer Theatre.

Directors from both shows say Newtown thespians make up an important part of

each company's upcoming production. Ironically, the Brookfield theatre

production and the Redding-based production will both be The Wizard of Oz .

With performance dates staggered over the next two weekends, however, local

fans of L. Frank Baum's legendary story have two opportunities to catch and

compare the latest interpretations of this work on stage.

Sabrina Post is working with Barlow Summer Theatre Workshop this year as

producer and director. Mrs Post, who lives in Newtown, is familiar to many

Joel Barlow students already, as she is the school's regular music director.

While this is the fourth summer the school has hosted a Barlow Summer Players

summer theatre production, this year is the first time the theatre company is

being run as a full workshop. The last three years, the company met strictly

at night for rehearsals, with the adults taking care of scenery and costumes.

This year the participants are learning all aspects of a production in a

3«-week span. Of the 42 participants who have been spending the past few weeks

in the workshop, four are from Newtown. Participants range in age from 8 to

14.

"They're learning vocal techniques, acting techniques, scenic design and

painting, costumes... they have their hands in the whole production," Mrs Post

said from her home recently. "They are all learning all aspects of putting on

a show."

Included in the cast are Newtown residents Briana Eckhardt, who will be

playing the Cowardly Lion; Danielle Mason, a Jitterbug, an Oz Lady and an Oz

Soldier; and Nikia McFadden, a Munchkin and Jitterbug.

While the workshop's time schedule has been expanded this year, there is still

a crunch -- experienced by most theatre productions at every level -- to make

sure everything on stage and behind the scenes is ready to go by opening

night.

"We have to cover a lot of different bases, really go in depth with a lot more

information, rather than just hold rehearsals this year," Mrs Post explained.

"We don't have professionals painting scenery, for instance; we have the kids

up there learning and doing the work themselves."

In addition to the area students who are performing on stage, Mrs Post is

getting help from Joel Barlow students and alumni, as well as from parent and

other adult volunteers.

Anya Watson, who will be a junior at the Redding high school this fall, is

among the current Joel Barlow students working closely with Mrs Post in

keeping the workshop on schedule. Joel Barlow graduate Peter Arcuni, who

begins college at Brown University in about five weeks, is also working as a

student counselor. Anya and Peter have both been involved with Barlow Players,

the school's theatre group also led by Mrs Post, during their high school

tenure.

Participants are also making their own costumes this year. While the outfits

at least have been arriving at the high school in kits, it is still up to the

student crew members to make sure everything is pieced, and then sewn,

together properly.

"It's been a lot of planning, but it's also been wonderful," Mrs Post feels.

"The kids seem to be having a good time. We're pushing, yes -- we're putting

on this workshop and then the show basically in three and a half weeks -- but

they'll make it.

"These kids are all very well-rounded in their training, and [most] are

pursuing it just for their love of being up on the stage."

Brianna Eckhardt, the Newtown girl playing the Cowardly Lion, is one such

"extremely involved and very motivated" participant, Mrs Post said last week.

She has a wonderful voice, and she's a dancer."

The 10-year-old Brianna has been involved in two productions with Missoula

Children's Theatre, was in a revue production at Sacred Heart University two

years ago and was in the 1996 Barlow Summer Theatre production of Fiddler on

the Roof . She is a vocal student of Mrs Post.

"It's very fun to be on stage and having lots of people look at you and

appreciate what you're doing," Sabrina said this week between rehearsals.

"This is what I love to do. I love it more than anything else in the world.

I've always wanted to do this, since I was a really little girl."

Nikia, who is also 10, says she enjoys being involved in plays. She is a

member of the Middle Gate School chorus, and enjoys both singing and acting.

Jitterbugs, one of the characters Nikia will be portraying in Redding next

weekend, are creatures that curse people with non-stop dancing.

"They cut that part out of the movie, but Jitterbugs make people dance until

they die," she explained. "They're not very nice."

"I think I would want to develop a career in this," Nikia said Tuesday

afternoon. "It's fun and I like doing it. We're learning how to act, dance and

sing. It's a lot of new experiences with new people, but we don't feel

pressured. I know that our director is going to help us a lot."

Danielle Mason, who will be in the sixth grade at Newtown Middle School this

year, is another regular student of Sabrina Post's, but she is one of the

workshop participants who enjoys dancing more than the acting aspect of being

on stage. The Jitterbug role is her favorite of the four roles she will be

portraying next weekend.

"I really enjoy dancing, and that role is the only time I get to really dance

on the stage," she said.

Preparations In Brookfield

Brookfield Theatre & Dance (BTD) Co. was in the final stages this week of

preparations for its summer production, The Wizard of Oz . The work is BTD's

second summer production. It is under the direction of executive producer Matt

Grimes, director Erik Tonner and associate producer Mary Jo Ervino.

When BTD presented its first summer production, Grease , in 1998, the cast was

limited to students from Brookfield and Danbury. This year the company

expanded its talent search and is now using young talent from Brookfield and

Danbury, along with Bethel, New Milford and Newtown, and a sprinkling of

talent from the 18 other towns in Fairfield County.

There are 61 cast members this summer, with another 25 or so people involved

in crew; including theatre staff and band members, just under 90 people total

are involved in the production from Brookfield, Newtown, Danbury and other

area towns.

"This is a true community effort," executive producer Matt Grimes said this

week. "We always had the vision to keep expanding through more of Fairfield

County, and I knew Newtown was a place that was going to provide a lot of

talent.

"The stars from Newtown have already been in a number of previous shows. There

has always been kind of a rivalry between Brookfield and Newtown high schools,

but this is something that brings these kids together. Newtown and Brookfield,

they make up the lion's share of the cast this year."

"I think this makes it so much more exciting," cast member Michele DeLuca said

this week. A Newtown High School graduate, Michele will be playing the Wicked

Witch. "This cast that we have right now, we are so close. I've never been

this close with any cast that I've been in.

"What's really great, though, is that by getting people from so many different

places, you get to see other people. You get out of the Newtown `bubble,' so

to speak, a little bit, and when you do that you realize that there are so

many people out there, so many friends that can be made. It's really been

great."

Pat Curran, who will be a junior at Newtown High School this fall, won the

role of the Scarecrow. Auditions went through two complete rounds before BTD's

producers made their announcements, but the money is good with Pat Curran as

the smarter-than-he-realizes scarecrow.

"He came in, and he has a great deep voice," Mr Grimes said. "He plays the

part perfectly. He really tries to play the role the way Ray Bolger did it,

both on the silver screen and on Broadway.

Until earlier this year, Pat was actually more interested in athletics than

theatre. He has played on basketball, lacrosse and football teams, but decided

to forego being on the high school's football team this fall in order to

concentrate on theatre.

"It was only just recently that I got bit with the bug, as they say," Pat said

Tuesday afternoon. "I'd definitely like to follow this now, and I think this

is certainly going to be one of the first things I'll be looking at when I

start looking closely at schools this year.

"Music comes very easily to me," continued Pat, who landed a role in Newtown

High School's spring production of Guys and Dolls earlier this year. "The

singing comes most fluently. It's memorizing the dialogue word for word that

takes time. But I've got a lot of confidence in what we've been working on.

We're all very prepared for this."

Michele DeLuca was also another perfect choice, said Mr Grimes.

"Michele, she came out the first time in her costume and she scared those

kids, the ones playing the Munchkins, right into the ground with her laugh and

her scream," Mr Grimes said this week. Rehearsals were to continue right up to

July 21, the day before the opening curtain.

"Being on stage give me a rush," Michele said this week, not sounding at all

like the frightening personality she will be transforming into for seven

performances over this weekend and next. "Singing and dancing and all that --

that is all that I am. All the music... if you ever saw my house, all the

music I own is soundtracks to movies and shows. I was brought up watching

things like Funny Girl , movies like that.

"I love being on stage, singing or acting, enjoying myself and making people

enjoy a show." Michele graduated from Newtown High School last month and will

begin attending Providence College this fall. Her plans are to major in

theatre and minor in music.

"This is really so much fun," she continued this week. "The only other real

role I've had in the past was in Guys and Dolls , as a mission leader. So

going from that to being a mean, green lady is so cool."

Not everyone on the stage is a teenager. Mr Grimes is playing the Wizard so

that the cast, he says, has its producer within close contact if they need a

sounding board during a performance. There is also Stan Watkins, who is a

guidance counselor at Danbury High School but will be donning some whiskers

and gaining courage while portraying the part of the Cowardly Lion.

"You have such a range," Mr Grimes said. "It's an interesting blend to watch

the way these characters, which such a variety of ages are playing off each

other. But I do think everybody stands out in their own way."

"I'm a little bit nervous," admitted the Wicked Witch's portrayer Tuesday

morning, two days before opening curtain. "There's a lot of work that needs to

be done still, but we'll pull it together.

"At the same time this is exciting. Working so hard on something for so long,

you just want to be able to show off your hard work."

Barlow Summer Players will present The Wizard of Oz at Joel Barlow High School

in Redding on Friday, July 30, at 2:30 pm, and Saturday, July 31, at 7:30 pm.

Performances of BTD's The Wizard of Oz will be at Brookfield High School, on

Long Meadow Hill Road. There are performances Thursday through Saturday

evenings, July 22-24 and July 29-31, at 8 pm, and one matinee, on Saturday,

July 24, at 2 pm.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 students and seniors, and will be available at

the door. For additional information, contact Brookfield Theatre & Dance Co.'s

box office at 775-4835.