Teens Connect with Shakespeare's Cymbeline

There is a moment that you reach when you’re a parent when you say, No you can’t, and your son or daughter replies, Yes I can – and I will. Director, and mother, Keely Eastley says, “You realize that they are actually breaking away.  There is this moment that you know that you will never be a parent in the same way as you used to.”

All of the actors putting together this show are apt at connecting to this seemingly complex language and plot.  They are just on the cusp of that change, and all the parents, who help these kids learn lines at home – and who will be sitting in the audience - they are going to know exactly what this feeling is, having lived through it themselves as kids, and now coming upon it as parents.  It helps that most of the roles in Cymbeline, excepting the parents and political figures, are young people.

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, a modern and dark fairytale, is about young adults learning how to love, deal with the trials of love, and live with the choices they make in spite of their parents guidance.  Mothers push daughters, fathers push sons, but the young people all have the drive to prove themselves by acting independently and following their own ambitions.  “So, the main characters go on these journeys that bring them through enormous hardships of life.  They start from a place of idealized love.  Then they go through the hardships of life, which make them grow and come to a place of forgiveness.  Finally, they come to a deeper and more real love at the end of the play, and it’s just beautiful,” says Eastley.

I peer into the large red rehearsal room in the back halls of New England Youth Theatre.  Students stand in a circle making strange noises, shaking their bodies, and laughing with each other.  Their warm-up seems to bring a sense of not only focus towards a common purpose, but a great camaraderie.  Soon rehearsal begins, and each student is busy doing something – working with one of the three directors, learning lines, practicing scenes, and talking about the meaning of what they are saying.

Keely Eastley - who has taught actors at Yale, MIT, Boston Conservatory, and Shakespeare & Co. - is embarking on her first sojourn into directing.  With experience as an actor and voice teacher, having worked intimately with Shakespeare’s text, and served as vocal and text coach for two previous summer Shakespeare Programs with NEYT, Ms. Eastley is ready to jump in with directing and take on one of Shakespeare’s more complicated Romance plays.

“I took what I knew, and we just started with the material, the text, and the relationships.”  At rehearsal students stand in a big circle in the room diving into the text, really investing in the meaning of the words.  “It is really allowing the actors to have the permission to do whatever kind of movement or physical relationship building that they feel is right in the moment, without constraints of the stage or a set.  The kids have really found some things on their own, and I think its because they don’t have to focus on remembering their blocking.”

As a “green” director, Eastley was nervous about one thing – the epic Shakespearean war smack dab in the middle of this beautiful, raw, emotional, modern fairytale.  She said she was looking for an outlet that was different – some way that the actors could express the true ferocity of a brutal war.  Then with a stroke of brilliance, she found her answer – a dvd of STOMP. “I rented three different versions of it, and was looking at the ferocity of the rhythms and how they were using their bodies – that could be war.” 

The tech department at NEYT created quarterstaffs and Todd Roach is guiding the actors in creating a rhythmic and dynamic battle scene.  “Most of them are not musicians or drummers, but Todd - it is amazing what he can get them to do. The fight is just gonna be thrilling, its gonna rock,” Eastley says.

As we wind up our interview, the director confides, “I’m tired, but I’m a good kind of tired. I’ve never in all my years seen a group of more focused actors - they actually go away and work and hang out some but they work hard.”  Hard work pays off.  Cymbeline will be a “can’t miss” performance.

Catch the shows July 9^th and 10^th at 7 pm or 10^th and 11^th at 2pm in the air-conditioned New England Youth Theatre on 100 Flat St. in downtown Brattleboro.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.neyt.org or in the NEYT box office on Wednesdays from 12-5 pm.  Prices are $7.50 for students and seniors and $9.50 for adults.  This show is sponsored by The Bear Bookshop.

SALMAGUNDI is almost here!

NEYT is delighted to announce the return of our Salmagundi Festival, once again offering workshops, master classes, and performances by acclaimed professionals. Salmagundi artists come from outside our region to teach a wide array of performance disciplines for one week only, right here at NEYT.  This year, there will be over 13 teachers, 15 performers and 20 exciting opportunities available to kids and adults.

There are returning artists such as Rob Mermin, founder of Circus Smirkus, who will teach magic and present an illustrated lecture about circus in film. Beloved clown Roger Reed will be here to share his exceptional juggling instruction, as well as a feisty clown performance. Robin Fawcett will repeat her popular monologue study class. Our revered David Vann will share secrets about Shakespeare with a lunch-time class for adults and a scathing lecture in the evening.  He will also be teaching a scene study class for teens and adults.

Newcomers to the 2010 line-up include legendary composer and musician Doug Katsaros, inspiring street performer Brent McCoy, world-renowned clown Avner the Eccentric, professional costumer Ginny Clow, brilliant physical comedienne Julie Goell, TV/Film acting coach Anastasia Barnes,  Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater and their master teacher Jamie Guite, and award-winning dance company Adele Myers and Co.

Whether you’re 8 or 80, join us for laughter and learning. Come once or attend every day; there is something for everyone during Salmagundi. Performances are appropriate for the whole family and many are completely free! Full descriptions of offerings, artists’ biographies and daily schedules can be found on our website www.neyt.org.  To register for classes call the Theatre at 802-246-6398 x 101 or e-mail michelle@neyt.org.  Classes will be held at the theatre at 100 Flat St. Brattleboro, VT.

Imagination Celebrated at NEYT' s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

New England Youth Theatre presents The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe April 23-May 2, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.

In a world of trauma, war, and family separation, four siblings, exiled from their home, find an escape via their imaginations to a place where they are empowered to change the lives of hundreds for the better. C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an epic tale of youth creating an imaginative land where they have the power to determine not only their own futures, but the future of this magical place called Narnia.

Director John Hadden, one of the founding members of Shakespeare and Company in Lennox, Massachusetts, describes what pulls him into the play, “It’s really interesting, what happens to kids in a world that is made chaos by the adults. Getting involved in another world is a natural reaction to real crisis. Is this their way of playing out the crisis in order to deal with it?  Or is the imagined world real?”

Hadden and the talented technical crew at New England Youth Theatre create an undeniable mirror – Narnia reflects the real world that the children experience. If you recall the characters from the story, you’ll remember all sorts of animals, beavers, badgers, foxes, lions.  Hadden explains that “instead of becoming real animals, the animals are played as humans with those characteristics from the children’s real lives.  A woman in an elaborate fur coat becomes the Queen.” 

The excellently coordinated costumes that make these correlations happen are definitely something to celebrate.  Not only are the costumes beautiful and appropriate to the fantasy, but Costumer Sandy Klein has pulled out all of her furs to make a chilly English winter and an epic Narnia winter come to life.  Also, local folk music and dance expert Tony Barrand has collaborated with Hadden on this project to bring some classic folk tunes and movement into Narnia.

Hadden says, “I believe that imagination is important to a healthy existence on this planet.” Let the magic of the stage inspire your imagination – the more you use it the stronger it will be.  Let this tale you read in school bring you back to those memories, and create new ones with your children!

Tickets are $7.50 for students, $9.50 for seniors, and $11.50 for adults, and performances are from April 23-May 2 at 7 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.  To purchase tickets in advance go online to www.neyt.org, call the NEYT box office at 802-246-6398, or visit the theatre at 100 Flat St. on Wednesdays from 12 pm – 5 pm. Thanks to our sponsors – 1^st Advantage Dental with Brattleboro Orthodontic Specialists.

Salmagundi Theatre Festival Approaches

New England Youth Theatre would like to invite you to sample the "feast" of Theatre Arts at this year's Salmagundi Theatre Festival. There will be a smorgasbord of options - Workshops, Performances, and Lectures!  Will you choose from the menu - Professional acting, Music & Dance, Clowning, Juggling, or something completely different?  Check out the menu below or at our website to find something suitable to your palate.

We are offering special discounts to folks who register for three or more classes!

To register contact Michelle at michelle@neyt.org or 802-246-6398 x 101.

Workshops in:
Scene Study
Singing
Dance
Street Theatre
Clowning
Juggling
Costume Painting
Improvisation
Magic
Physical Theatre
Shakespeare
Film and TV

Artists:
Avner the Eccentric
Julie Goell
Doug Katsaros
Roger the Jester
Rob Mermin
Brent McCoy
David Vann
Anastasia Barnes
Virginia Clow
Adele Myers & Dancers
Jamie Guite
Thomas G. Waites
Robin Fawcett
Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theatre

Brattleboro Reformer Article on Raising Our Voices by Jon Potter

You don't need a spotlight to see inner light, but there, on the New England Youth Theatre stage, both sources of illumination were in ample supply, as a group of actors prepared last Monday afternoon for the most important show of their lives. After six years of letting their talents shine through the words and music of others, members of the Adult Troupe of the Theatre Adventure Program were working hard to polish "Raising Our Voices," a multimedia show the 14 actors ages 19-49 have written about their lives.
A program of NEYT, TAP is an inclusive theater arts program for people with disabilities, as well as a few of their typically developing peers. "Raising Our Voices" marks a considerable milestone for both the program and the people it serves. Not only is it the first show they've written. It is also the first show they will present more than once and the first one that will be given a gala evening performance.
That gala performance is Saturday, April 3, at 7 p.m., and is a crucial fundraiser for the TAP program. An earlier performance will be held on Thursday, April 1, at 10:30 a.m. Both are held at NEYT, 100 Flat St.
Though it's still a few days away, members of the TAP troupe can't wait to have you come and see it.
"We want to tell other people that we have a voice and to let them see the special gifts we have," said troupe member Katharine Breunig after rehearsal last Monday. "We are so proud of ourselves."
"It feels great amazing. We've been working so hard," added troupe member Kyle Riopel, who wrote the opening song for the show. "I'm hoping people will get inspired by this and use their voices, too."
That is the essence of the show -- and why it's important not just for TAP but for all of us. They're not just telling their story, they're telling our story. And they fit into a theater tradition of shows that offer glimpses into the everyday world of one community to reflect the everyday lives of all of us -- think "Our Town" or "Rent."
In "Raising Our Voices," troupe members introduce themselves to us in a series of songs, stories and vignettes. There are moments of great poignancy and poetry, lighter moments casting the warmest possible glow; there are people standing proudly on their own and people helping each other with unparalleled kindness.
"What's fun about this play we're doing is being with all our friends here at TAP. It's nice to be with them," said Breunig.
As we get to know them through the show, we see our own lives reflected in simple pleasures -- going out for Chinese food, playing basketball, attending church, riding a bike, working out at Curves, listening to Miley Cyrus, chilling out with friends and watching TV. Their larger concerns are ours, too -- finding meaningful work, a good home, friendships and relationships, fitting in, giving back to our community.
"The big vision is ‘Here we are!' Not just a tentative putting your toe in the water, but ‘Here we are! We have something to say. We're proud of who we are," said Laura Lawson Tucker, TAP co-director with Darlene Jenson.
They should be. It's been a year of speaking out with a more confident voice. In February, many of the TAP members journeyed to the Statehouse in Montpelier to join advocates and service providers in lobbying against cuts to services.
"Now's the time for us to speak out Show them where we stand," raps Riopel in the opening song he wrote.
The idea for "Raising Our Voices" began germinating nearly 10 months ago, when Lawson Tucker realized her veteran troupe was ready for the extra load of two performances, including an evening show.
"We also had been entertaining the idea of having them write their own show," she said.
The troupe spent six weeks this fall gathering material and tried some of it out in shows in the community -- including a paying gig -- and at a Sept. 12 symposium on how all people can be better integrated into the community.
What emerged is "Raising Our Voices," a show in three parts. The first part, titled "Here I Am," features the opening song and a group poem where the cast members introduce themselves and shed a little light on who they are.
The second part is a series of vignettes titled "Friends," created by the cast, dealing with the issues they face, the things on their minds, the times they share together and the things they do for fun.
The third part, titled "Community," talks about the jobs they have and the ways they are active and helpful in the community. The show features many songs troupers sing, slides projected in the background, recorded voices, pantomimed scenes, the piano playing of Kachina Lee-Autenrieth, colorful costumes and dancing. The show ends with the ensemble singing Sweet Honey in the Rock's "All I Have to Do." The show will be interpreted in American Sign Language.
"The first goal, I have for each troupe member is that their self-esteem and their self-confidence are boosted. That when the show is over, they're just bursting with pride," Lawson Tucker said. "For the audience, I would hope that they would just feel a sense of celebration for this troupe and these troupe members. We just want to help break down barriers and connect us. The arts do connect us.
"They are making important contributions to the community, and I don't think that's often recognized," she said of her troupers.
The "Raising Our Voices" TAP troupers include: Erin Ansart, Katharine Breunig, Adam Crocker, Evan Cross, Liz Cutts, Nathan Hirth, Julianne Kaplan, Kachina Lee-Autenrieth, Susan Mandell, Brittany Pusey, Kyle Riopel, Zach Teller, Heather Wilson and Teresa Woodlock.
Tickets for the April 3 gala fundraising show are $25 for adults, $10 for students. The show starts at 7 p.m., and there will be hors d'oeuvres, desserts and beverages, as well as entertainment in the lobby starting at 6 p.m. Purchase tickets for the gala at www.neyt.org, 802-246-6398 or at the NEYT box office on Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets for the April 1 show at 10:30 a.m. are $5.