A Quarterly Publication of the New England Theater NETCNews Conference, Inc. volume 12 number 1 winter 2002 2002: Another Year, NETC Goes for the inside Another Great Convention Gold and Wins! this issue From beginning to end, the NETC Convention this The newest event at the NETC Convention is the year was a rousing success. The Wayfarer Inn in Bedford, Olympiad and it seemed to be a resounding success. New Hampshire, provided a picturesque and comfort- High school students from all over the New England Special Features: able backdrop for the events of the weekend. The area competed in various competitions, such as Power Thursday evening pizza party, followed by the perform- Lighting and the 5 Minute Play Dash. Panels of judges Responses to ance of the University of New Hampshire Theatre watched the participants and filled out evaluation forms Sports group, was well attended and a fun and energetic which were then given to each student at the end of the The Forum beginning to the conference. day. The enthusiasm and excitement were contagious. page 10 Some events, such as the Dance Decathlon, were so On Friday, registration was jam-packed with high popular that observers crowded around the doors to schools arriving in preparation for the workshops and catch a peek at the proceedings. Gold, silver and bronze fun of the Olympiad. Kudos to Tara McCarthy and medalists in each event were awarded plaques at the Ovations Ramona Zappala for organizing the desk and running it Closing Ceremonies. Though not everyone took home page 4 so smoothly. By 9 a.m., the lobby was pulsing with the a plaque, the judges all agreed that everyone who par- music of the Warm-ups workshop led by Lisa ticipated was definitely a winner. Below is a list of the Antonecchia. Elsewhere, the Freestyle Scene Design events and the awards: competition was underway. This set the format for the Opportunities day: between sessions, the hallways and lobbies would continues on page 2 page 6 continues on page 7 Young Playwrights in 2003 CONVENTION Area News Six Hours page 8 Theater:The Essential Art In less than six hours, seven high school playwrights from four New England states created stage worthy ten- The centrality of theatre to our quality of life will be minute plays and monologues thanks to the guidance of celebrated in the 52nd annual NETC Convention Dana Yeaton, director of the Vermont Young Upcoming November 7,8,9, 2003, at the Biltmore Hotel in Playwrights Project. Also on hand were Kate Snodgrass Events Providence, Rhode Island. The three-day of Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Jack Welch of Convention will expand the focus of theatre from not SelectPlays.com, plus six professional actors. At the day page 13 only events on stage, but also in the various arenas of end showcase of selections, one of the young authors education, politics, community building, therapy, viewing the presentation of his monologue reflected rehabilitation, and many more venues and profes- that the actor did a great job. Dana turned to him and sions. Each division of the organization—Children said, “No YOU did a great job. Those are your words.” and Youth, Secondary School, College/University, The author—tears in his eyes—when asked if he’d Professional, and Community Theatre—is invited to sleep tonight, merely replied that he’d have difficulty provide a great diversity of workshops, performances, sleeping for weeks to come. Working with young play- lectures, and special events through which theater wrights is Dana Yeaton’s special talent. He, Snodgrass practitioners, students, and educators can share and and Welch are interested in expanding his innovative expand their knowledge and expertise. and well-respected process. For more information con- tact Kate Snodgrass at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Building on the great success of the Theatre 949 Commonwealth Av., Boston MA 02215. E-mail Olympiad, which debuted at the 2002 Convention, address: [email protected]. continues on page 2 2 NETC News 2003 Convention Inquiries concerning proposals for workshops, per- continued from page 1 formances, presentations, and papers should be sent to: Cover Ann Marie Shea, Ph.D. secondary members will again have the opportunity Professor of Theatre to develop and test their theatrical skills in a chal- Department of Visual and Performing Arts Stories lenging and supportive atmosphere under the guid- Worcester State College ance of master teachers. 486 Chandler Street Worcester, MA 01602 Among other initiatives, the convention planners are investigating the possibility of master classes for NETC 2003 Convention Co-Chairs: adults, as well as professional development units for Suzanne Ramczyk K-12 teachers. Professor of Theatre, Bridgewater State College [email protected] Furthermore, publishers and design and technical Ann Marie Shea vendors will feature products and demonstrations Professor of Theatre, Worcester State College applicable to a variety of theatrical situations. Please [email protected] contact Lisa Antonecchia, Huntington Theater Luke Sutherland Company, for inquiries: [email protected] Technical Director, Community College of Rhode Island [email protected] The city of Providence, which recently underwent an Frans Rijnbout architectural and cultural renaissance, and the pres- Assistant Professor of Theatre, Regis College ence of a number of theatre schools and companies [email protected] (including the Trinity Repertory Company) will offer Convention participants an enriching and artistic For more information please visit NETC on the web experience. at: www.NETConline.org NETC Goes for the Gold 5 Minute Play Dash Gold: Fryberg Academy, Team #10 continued from page 1 Ryan Killen, Amy Wright-Mead, DJ Garcia, Shannon Palmo, Emily Turley, Kate Dagen Dance Decathlon Silver: Fryberg Academy, Team #13 Gold: Rick Cekovsky, Southington High School Jon Anderson, Meghan Harrington, Brad Silver: Kimberly Wakefield, North Haven High Hamlin, Erica Martineau, Jake Straw School Bronze: North Haven High School, Team #5 Bronze: Caitlin Farrell, Pomperaug High School Nicole Scasino, Michelle DelGuidice, Rob Hermann, Maria Bontempo Free Style Set Design Gold: North Haven High School Improv Comedy High Jump Silver: Bucksport High School Gold: Maine Central Institute Bronze: Pomperaug High School Forrest Peterson, Steve Parkhurst, Matt Nichols Silver: Bourne High School Power Lighting Stephen Cox, Sam Hartson, Josh Midgett, Gold: Jim Shumway, North Haven High School, Alyssa Norton 38 seconds Bronze: Fryburg Academy Silver: Emily Cosby, Randolph Union High School, D.J. Sarcia, Shannon Palme, Meghan 1:02 Harrington, Amy Wright-Mead Bronze: Rob Herman, North Haven High School, 1:19 Musical Theatre Marathon Gold: Tyler Richardson, Maine Central Institute Costume Design Silver: Cole R. Lundquist, Bucksport High School Gold: Kim Wakefield, North Haven High School Bronze: Kate Zarolinksi, Maine Central Institute Silver: Kelly O’Connell, Brittany Sidway, Pomperaug High School Congratulations to all the participants! NETC encour- Bronze: Jeanana Sandella, North Haven High School ages high school’s to compete in next year’s events! volume 12, number 1 3 CONVENTION 2002: Another Year, Another Great Event Cover Stories Gassner Chair Steve Capra introduces Special Award Winner and Keynote Speaker Jean-Claude van Itallie. Special Guest Dawn Wells hugs a lucky winner of her Film Actors’Boot Camp scholarship. Convention Chair and longtime friend of Arthur Lessac presents the Leonidas A.Nickole Award for Excellence in Education to Mr. Lessac,who was forced at the last moment to allay his plans to accept in person—fortunately, Leo himself was able to accept on behalf of Mr. Lessac, in what many thought was the most Kearsarge Arts accepts their Moss Hart Trophy (a nice paperweight on anyone’s desk). moving,inspirational moment of the evening. College of Fellows Dean Sig Jensen and College of Fellows member Suzanne Moss Hart Chair Dick Rousseau presents Staples High School their Secondary Division Ramczyk welcome longtime member and Executive Secretary Tom Moss Hart Award. Mikotowicz,PhD into the College of Fellows. 4 NETC News The concept for this production began two years ago Moss Hart Trophy Winner when KAT artistic director, Trish Lindberg participat- Ovations to South Africa ed in the Salzburg Seminar in Austria with people from all over the world. It was during a keynote speech that This year’s winner of the Moss Hart trophy was the she was inspired by the thought that one day all people Kearsarge Arts Theatre for Children which performs at would be able to live together in peace. The relevancy the North Sutton, New Hampshire High School. The of this project appeared to have taken on more impor- KAT Youtheatre in collaboration with the M. Ed in tance since the events of September 11. Integrated Arts at Plymouth State College produced an original musical, A YOU AND ME WORLD, in Trish Lindberg along with five support staff gratefully late July. accepted the Moss Hart trophy at the NETC banquet in Bedford, NH. Ms. Lindberg extended her thanks to Over eighty five children, including sixteen students the New England Theater Conference for recognizing from foreign lands, appeared on stage in this musical unique and outstanding productions throughout the collage of the words of children from over thirty six dif- six state region. She also announced that portions of A ferent countries. YOU AND ME WORLD will be touring in South Africa next summer. The Kersarge Arts Theatre (KAT) is a non profit organization dedicated to children and to the develop- Dr. Donald Wharton, president of Plymouth State ment of the highest caliber performing and visual arts. College, presented the Moss Hart trophy to Ms. During a four week intensive summer workshop, Lindberg at a faculty meeting recently. The award will youths age 4–18 develop their talents in theater, dance, be on display at the Silver Cultural Center at the col- music and the visual arts. lege for the remainder of the year.