FALL 2010 FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE NEWS Volume 55 Issue 2 Volume 57 Issue 1 Fall 2010 Winter 2012 Inside this issue: THEATRE FOR YOUTH AT Secondary Schools One Acts .... 2,3 FTC Idol .......................................3 Ten-Minute Playwriting FESTIVAL 2011 Competition.................................. 5 FTC Scholarship Winners ............5 Festival ’11 Photo Call .................6 Distinguished Career Awards ....7-9 FTC Membership Form ............ 10 FTC Board of Directors ............ 11 Schedule of Florida Theatres .... 12 FLORIDATheatre is the offi cial newsletter of the Florida Theatre Confer- ence for theatres through- out the state of Florida. FLORIDATheatre is published three times a year and is free of charge. Bay Street Players Young People’s’Theatre cast of Lockers by Jeremy To be added to the mail- Kruse and directed by Amanda Warren ing list, contact Robert Ankrom at rankrom76@ BY GARY CADWALLADER– Holt. Directed by Darla Briganti, aol.com. The FTC move to Gainesville’s the show was a rousing success Santa Fe College was a huge suc- featuring audience interaction and www.fl atheatre.org cess, and the Theatre for Youth’s slapstick comedy. Saturday Festival in the beautiful The Arts Center of Citrus Coun- President Fine Arts Hall was abundantly rich ty from Hernando next presented a Rick Kerby with talent. Five groups presenting wonderful, visual production of Executive Director six productions featured young per- Kathryn Schultz Miller’s dramatic Robert E. Ankrom formers from companies and schools Poe Poe Poe. The talented cast of Editor from around the Sunshine State. Susan M. Smith fi ve brought a wonderful, dark pres- The morning kicked off with ence to the stage, tackling the text a production of Lane Riosley’s with precision and clarity. Cinderella with the Commedia Costumed and bedecked beau- Players performed by A Class Act tifully in black with interesting Studio from the Panhandle city of continued on Page 4 WINTER 2012 FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE NEWS Secondary School One-Act Play Festival TThehe SSecondaryecondary SSchoolchool oone-actne-act pplayslays tthathat wwillill rrepresentepresent FFloridalorida aatt tthehe SSoutheasternoutheastern TTheatreheatre CConferenceonference aarere PPalmalm HHarborarbor HHighigh SSchoochool aandnd WWestest OOrangerange HHighigh SSchool.chool. TThehe SSuperioruperior PPlayslays wwere:ere: SSouthouth BBroward,roward, WWestest Or-Or- aange,nge, GGulfulf BBreeze,reeze, PPCCCC CCenterenter fforor tthehe AArts,rts, PPalmalm HHarbor,arbor, UUniversity,niversity, aandnd CClearwaterlearwater hhighigh sschools.chools. IIndividualndividual wwinners:inners: Best Actress Amanda Springer - Palm Harbor Best Actor – Jacob Waldron Best Actor Jacob Waldron-West Orange Best Supporting Actress Alexa McKnight-Gulf Breeze Best Supporting Actor KiDane Kelati-South Broward Best Technical Award Best Supporting Actor and Actress Gulf Breeze Ki Dane Kelati and Alexa McNight Cast of West Orange High School 2 WINTER 2012 FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE NEWS Secondary School One-Act Play Festival ALL STAR CAST South Broward - Ben McLaren, KiDane Kelati Episcopal - Justin Koppenberger Academy of Arts and Minds - Juan Orazoo, Bayshore - Claressa Martin Luke Sims Bartram Trail - Allison Lewis, Lainey Edens, Northeast - Tommy Hansana Rachele Rees Miami Northwestern - Brianna Woods Gulf Breeze - Marc Wakim, Josh Lawson, West Florida - Anthony Dickup Alexa McKnight Tate - Jordyn Shafer PK Yonge - Gregorio Suarez Oscelo Fundamental - Cory Phelps St. Petersburg - Alex Windisch West Orange - Jacob Waldron, Salvatore Viera, Palm Harbor - Ensemble Sara Bond New World - Brandon Flynn Booker - Hannah Battersby University - Jacob Tourjeman, Alex Mendez, Ft. Walton - Kaitlyn Kerwood Casi Munger West Nassau - Emily Crosby Clearwater - Ensemble Pinellas Co. Center for the Arts - Ensemble Buchholz - Brandon Friend Archbishop McCarthy - Ryan Avalos Tech Olympics winners 1st. Place Technical Gulf Breeze High School West Orange High School 2nd Place – Best Technical – West Orange High School 3 WINTER 2012 FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE NEWS THEATRE FOR YOUTH FESTIVAL actors relied simply on continued from Page 1 a stage trunk, beautiful- ly designed, traditional Commedia masks, and a pedal-to-the-metal en- ergy. Rich with lazzi, this well-rehearsed and confident piece was a winner. The festival conclud- ed with a local favorite. Star Center Youth Theatre Walker Ford, Best Supporting of Gainesville presented Actor the only musical this year, Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell, Jr. Lovingly directed by Rhonda Wilson, this wonderfully diverse cast sang their hearts out, performing the classic score with joy and enthusiasm. The Festival Respondents this year were Teaching Artist Lucy Lynn Bryson and playwright and Theatrefolk Malik Moore, Best Actor, and Claresa Martin, founder Lindsay Price. Both gave positive, encouraging Best Actress feedback to the Festival participants, sharing their love streaks of red, the overall production was simple for theatre, education, and young talent. Lindsay and yet affecting. The direction by Jessica Watson was Lucy were also given the diffi cult task of choosing the sublime. Festival’s performance awards, which were announced Next on stage was Mt. Dora’s Bay Street Play- at that evening’s closing ceremonies. Here are this ers Young People’s Theatre’s production of Jeremy year’s Theatre For Youth Award recipients: Kruse’s Lockers. Featuring vignettes of life in middle Malik Moore as Best Actor for his role as Jesus in school, the company’s young actors, directed by Godspell, Jr.; Claresa Martin as Best Actress for her Amanda Warren, brought raucous laughter and a nod turn as Rosetta (and Puss) in Commedia Puss in Boots; of recognition to an audience of appreciative fans. Dharbi Jens as Best Supporting Actress for her hilari- The production was followed by a second cast of ous Fairy Godmother in Cinderella with the Commedia A Class Act Studio’s Cinderella with the Commedia Players; and Walker Ford as Best Supporting Actor Players. The props, costumes and settings were the for his desperate attempt to win election as 6th grade same as the earlier production, but the new cast spun class president in Lockers. Congratulations and bravo a thoroughly fresh, original story. Ms. Briganti’s to all the award recipients and to all the young talent excellent young performers made the roles their own, gracing the Festival stage this year. delighting the audience with their comic skill, clever The Theatre for Youth Festival was a great success ad-libs, and wonderful command of the stage. Two due in part to the amazing production team at Santa Fe unique performances from the same troupe was a College. Special thanks go to Owen Reynolds, Austin revelation. Gresham, Bob Fetterman, and their team of staff and Commedia was a popular performance style students for supporting Theatre For Youth, and the this year, as the next production was yet another Conference overall with amazing organization and Riosely play, Commedia Puss in Boots. Performed creativity. by Bradenton’s Bayshore High School and directed Thank you for everything. I look forward to return- by Brendan Murphy, the cast of five high school ing to Gainesville next year. 4 WINTER 2012 FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE NEWS Scholarship FTC Idol Winners For the third year, the FTC Idol competition was held Megan Mulgrew from Fort Walton Beach High during the Festival. School received the Fran Walker Scholarship. Megan is an offi cer in her Thespian Troupe, a member of the Winners this year were: National Honor Society, as well as a member of her First Place: Ryan Monroe high school chorus. Kristin Charbonier received Runner-Up: Malik Moore the Vern Bryant Scholarship. Kristin will graduate . from Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School where she is on the honor roll. She is a member of the Thespian troupe in her school as well as the Linkedin Crew Leader. Megan Mulgrew Malik Moore 10-Minute Playwriting Contest At the 55th annual conference, once again the ten The winning group’s play “A Debate about Botany!” minute “On the Spot” playwriting competition was was a fun comedic piece in the tradition of sketch com- held to great success. edy and included coauthors: Caroline Crook, Savannah Three groups of four students competed this year Fritz, John Michael Currie, and Hannah Marshal. and all were from Episcopal School of Jacksonville. All groups completed well-thought pieces. The These groups met for an evening playwriting work- group’s advisor/instructor, Katie Black stated that “This shop conducted by Santa Fe theatre professor and was a highlight of the Festival for all the participants.” FTC host, Terry A. Klenk. They were given writing And she hoped that “more schools would participate in criteria and eighteen hours to collaborate on writing this really fun activity in the future”. their pieces. We hope to do just that as we at FTC tweak and Each piece was presented “reader’s theatre” solicit more participation next year. So keep an eye out style at the Saturday presentation in the Santa Fe for this fun activity and how we might approach it next “black box” and judged by a panel of three, FTC year! president Rick Kerby, S.F.C. instructor Chris Kozak and Klenk. 5 WINTER 2012 FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE NEWS Festival 2011 Photo Call 6 WINTER 2012 FLORIDA THEATRE CONFERENCE NEWS Distinguished Career Awards Lifetime Achievement Artistic Director of a theatre in Wisconsin and a high school drama teacher in New York City, on Long Don E. Jones, Jr. Island and in St.