Fall Academy Updates

InFOCUS
NEWS FROM THE ACADEMY • Volume 5 Issue 5 • Fall Academy Updates
FYI...
A Note from the Academy DIrectors
We have had such a wonderful fall session and we are so excited to share our presentations this week! The students have been diving deep into character development and storytelling through scenes, stories, songs, writing, and improvisation. The
teachers are overjoyed with the growth they’ve seen both artistically and personally.
Our students make us so proud at everything they accomplish and in the way they
carry themselves inside and outside of these walls. Theater is a lifelong learning
process. Take a look at our classes for winter, spring, and spring break sessions to
continue growing and keeping the bonds of new and old friendships strong. Please
be on the lookout for a parent survey in your inbox. Your feedback is vital to providing the best we can offer across all of our programming.
Have a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in January!
— Jennifer Adams and Katie Cummings
Donations needed to support the
First Stage/Kluge Elementary
Community Learning Center
We are seeking new or gently used:
• Coats, hats, scarves, gloves, boots, or other warm clothing (adult and child sizes)
• Puzzles, books, coloring books, or other educational toys (K-5th grade)
• School supplies such as pencils, notebooks, paper, glue sticks, markers, crayons
and tissues.
Donations will be accepted through December 14th in the Academy Office.
Coming soon...
A CHARLIE BROWN
CHRISTMAS
This classic story runs
November 27 through
January 3! Call (414)
267-2961 or visit www.
FirstStage.org.
Young Company
presents ALL’S WELL
THAT ENDS WELL
Join us for a wild journey of risks, magic,
war, traps, betrayal and
true love. Buy tickets at
www.FirstStage.org.
Want to get more
involved at First Stage?
Join the Green Room
Society, our Volunteer
Group! Contact Heather
at (812) 201-4285 or
[email protected]
for info!
IN FOCUS
is the newsletter of the
First Stage Theater Academy,
published each session to
highlight the work of our staff
and students.
Contact Jennifer Adams at (414) 267-2975 or [email protected] with questions.
Jennifer Adams
Editor
Patrick G.H. Schley
Graphic Design
Top photo by Paul Ruffolo
FIRST STAGE
THEATER ACADEMY
Life Skills Through Stage Skills
proud Cornerstone
member of
In Focus
Volume 5 Issue 5
Young Company does First Stage proud!
by Erica Davis & Patrick G.H. Schley
The nationally-acclaimed First Stage
Young Company celebrated its second consecutive win in its division
of the Utah Shakespeare Festival/
Southern Utah University Shakespeare Competition, held October
2-3 in Cedar City, Utah. This is the
Young Company’s fifth first place
finish in nine years. Students spent the past month
preparing and rehearsing for the event with Young
Company teachers Matt Daniels and John Maclay.
The Academy students participated alongside more
than 3,000 young people from over 100 schools from
multiple Western states. Their division encompassed
all private schools, performing arts schools, nontraditional schools and groups associated with professional theaters.
“I’m so incredibly proud to have been a part of such an
amazing team,” Madison Penzkover said. “We won trophies, which was pretty cool. But more importantly we
did what we love and got to share that with hundreds
of people from across the U.S. I couldn’t have picked a
better team to celebrate the Bard with.”
compilation of ‘Dream’ moments from a half dozen
Shakespeare plays. The ensemble was selected to be
performed at the competition’s culminating showcase.
Individual students Alison Pogorelc won the Larry Lott
award for outstanding performance in an ensemble
and first place in monologues, and Taylor Kass and
Henry Lynch won first place duo/trio with their performance of a scene from RICHARD III.
“My favorite moment from the trip was sitting with
the team at the Globe stage waiting to perform at
the showcase,” said Rose Bliesner. “We were all just
happy to be there as a team, and we were excited
to share our scene with everyone because we had
worked so hard on it.”
When they weren’t performing for adjudicators, the
student spent time during their week in Utah taking
acting workshops led by professional Shakespearean
actors and attending professional performances of
“One of the best parts of the trip was going to see the
professional shows performed on campus and meeting with Allie Babich,” said Zoey Knox. “It is inspiring
to see that someone who was in our shoes just a few
years ago is now a professional at Utah Shakes!”
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“Attending the Utah Shakespeare Festival opened my
eyes to the fact that there are thousands of students
who love Shakespeare as much as we do at First
Stage,” said Madisyn Fairchild. “Watching the performances, whether they were other schools or professional shows, showed me how far I have come and
how much work I still have yet to do.”
Photo by John Maclay
“Why I teach”
a reflection by Samantha Montgomery
I teach because I want to make a difference in the lives of the
children living in our society. I teach theater because it provides me with the opportunity to teach my students how to
handle and deal with their emotions in a positive way. Children
have issues that are important to them and as they deal with
their various issues emotions follow. Through the exploration of
scene study, students learn how to deal with emotions by dealing with their character’s emotions. Investigating the highs and
lows of their character’s emotions provide them with various
strategies and techniques for dealing with their own emotions.
ey
ds
n
i
L
by
Photo
Left to right: Madison Penzkover, Rose Bliesner, Josie Trettin, Amber Soik, Mary Elsa Henrichs, Zoey Knox, Natalie Alteri, Alison Pogorelc,
Madisyn Fairchild, Kyra Swanson, Henry Lynch, Taylor Kass, Mackenzie Swart, Isabelle Abbott, John Maclay. Photo by Katie Cummings.
At the end of the trip the students and their intrepid
chaperones were treated to a hero’s welcome at General Mitchell Airport. Everyone was excited to be bringing home trophies, but more importantly the students
reflected on how much the trip helped them grow as
artists and as people.
“This is a special group of young artists,” said First
Stage Associate Artistic Director and Director of the
Young Company John Maclay. “We don’t do this work
for trophies. But I won’t deny that it feels real nice
when a legion of professional artists is as enamored
with their work as I am. I am incredibly proud to be
counted among their teachers.”
Ab
en
ds
ch
ein
In addition to winning the Essex division overall
sweepstakes award for highest total team score, the
team also won first place for its ensemble scene, a
Photo by John Maclay
Shakespeare’s work. One of the performances they
attended was CHARLEY’S AUNT, which featured
Young Company alumna Allie Babich in the role of Ela
Delahay, which held a special significance with many
of the travelers.
My goal is for my students to be successful, independent,
confident, and healthy risk takers. I want my students to leave
my class knowing that failure provides information that can be
used to facilitate growth, and that we can manage our emotions. My students teach me more than I teach them. Each day
they challenge me by working to meet the expectations that I
have for them. As they continue to grow, I continue to grow with
them.
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In Focus
Writer
At our first National Novel Writing Month meeting the
writers were asked to do a short free-write on the
question “What does it mean to be creative?” Here are
a couple samples of their work!
Creativity
What does it mean to be creative?
Creativity means to be
an inventor testing concoctions.
Creativity is adventure.
What does it mean to be creative?
Creativity means to be a magician.
Words from the brain appear on the paper.
Creativity is magic.
What does it mean to be creative?
Creativity is meant for one and all
to be original
but united
by the ties of creativity.
Creativity
is
the tie that unites us
pulls us into the adventure
the magic that motivates us.
Creativity.
— Neala R Bayley age 9
I stared at the blank white canvas, waiting for an
epiphany. I was supposed to draw something creative.
I got it! I drew a line there. A dot here. Soon I made
my own masterpiece. The teacher came over, “What’s
that?” she asked frowning. “Creativity.”
— Kate Ketelhohn, age 12
Our Word Play Ensemble students are also hard at
work writing each week. Here are some short samples of their work!
The Homeless Man and the Pigeon
I fluttered atop the rail not noticing the honking of cars
of the overwhelming smell of smog. It was like I was
king and the street was the land I ruled. I zeroed in on
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Volume 5 Issue 5
Meet the Student Advisory Board
spotlight
The Student Advisory Board is hard at work representing the young people of First Stage at a variety of events
around Milwaukee. Get to know them and let them know what they can do for you and how First Stage can be
even better! Interested in joining the SAB? Contact Jenn at [email protected].
a man holding a sign and the cars that couldn’t stop,
racing towards towards a moving light that changed
from red to green to yellow. When it turned red I saw a
featherless wing reach out.
— Soph Franecki
I threw the bread crumbs at the grey bird. It turned
to me abruptly and pecked the ground. It was my last
piece of bread but I decided to share it anyway. I
would never let someone (or even some bird) suffer of
starvation like I would.
— Lexi Lee
“Swimming Poem” by Celia Niebler
On the peg, my heart is pounding as I hear all the
voices yelling and the commotion
Block out all of it...
3,2,1 BEEP!
I dive into the water
Feeling the water splash over me
Coming up I give it my all
Arm over Arm
Taking a breath every other swing
Then everything stops..
I feel a tile touch my hand
I hear happy shouts from my family as I am getting out
of the water
I won, 1st place
Now I am going to State
“Frosting” by Reva Hegde
Too sweet it may be, Too sour never!
Buttercream is thick. Water is thin
Yearning to take a bite. Yum. I want more
Whipped frosting is the best
Red, orange, blue...many more colors too
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
I will eat this winner all day long
Frosting, F-R-O-S-T-I-N-G
Cake, cookies, cupcakes suits it well
Frosting is better than the dells
Photos by Jennifer Adams
2015-16 SAB Members
Faith Austin, Regan Carter, Marie Charles, Eloise Field, Kaysha Gail, Kamani Graham, Megan Grizzle, Emily
Kellner, Dakota Komorowski, Ben Kramer, Paige Landrum, Hannah Lipscomb, Taylor Loomans, Isabelle Morris,
Anna Nelson, Kenyon Proby, Sophie Schroeder, Haley Shamah, Noah Stone, Ben Sturycz, Marissa Tucker,
Thomas Webb, Abby Wesley, Cami Westlake, AJ Wielichowski, Collin Woldt, Oshionna Wright, Rachel Young
Young Playwrights For Change
National Middle School Playwriting Contest
6th-8th grade students are invited to enter the regional competition by submitting their play on the theme:
“What do you want to change about the world?”
Regional submission deadline: January 23, 2016
Criteria: All plays should have no more than six characters
and be no longer than ten minutes when read aloud.
The winner of the regional competition will be submitted to the national competition in February 2016!
Please contact Jennifer Adams at [email protected] or (414) 267-2975
for resources and further information. Individual coaching and instruction can be available!
page 5
In Focus
Volume 5 Issue 5
Lights on Afterschool...
A national celebration!
From the First Stage Blog:
Word Search
by Jennifer Adams
The First Stage/Kluge CLC participated in the national Lights On Afterschool celebration on Thursday, October
22 with a special event held afterschool from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Afterschool programs play an important role in the
lives of children, families and communities. According to Afterschool Alliance, participation in afterschool
programs has increased to nearly 10.2 million students nationwide, but unmet demand for afterschool
programs has also increased. For every child in an
afterschool program, there are two more whose parents would participate, if a program were available. In
addition, one in five students in the country today is
unsupervised after the school day ends.
More than one million people nation wide celebrated
Lights On Afterschool day this year. “Lights On Afterschool events give students a chance to showcase
the skills they learn and talents they develop at their
Photo by Jennifer Adams
afterschool programs, and to send the message that
millions more children and youth need quality afterschool and summer learning programs,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “These events spotlight the fun, educational, hands-on activities that quality
afterschool programs offer and the ways these programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working
families.”
At the First Stage/Kluge CLC Lights On Afterschool celebration, special guests facilitated activities to encourage
literacy, math and science skills, physical fitness and more.
First Stage Teaching Artists Bill Jackson, Marcy Kearns
and Resident Teaching Artist Samatha Montgomery
rotated dramatic storytelling sessions, while First Stage
Artistic Director Jeff Frank got students moving as they
tested their physical fitness in the American Ninja Warrior Challenge. Students worked together, sharing ideas
during Samatha Montgomery’s Spoken Word Challenge,
and Marcy Kearns led future thespians in a Shakespeare
Challenge. Finally, Resident Teaching Artist Brenna Kempf
and community volunteer Brian Cummings led students in
an Engineering activity.
WORD BANK
Photo by Jennifer Adams
Our celebration culminated in a student showcase of the skills they’ve learned while attending the CLC this
year. Friends, family and teachers couldn’t have been more proud.
Charlie Brown
Snoopy
Spookley
Square Pumpkin
James
Giant Peach
Centipede
Ladybug
Earthworm
Grasshopper
Spider
Glowworm
Spiker
Sponge
Family
Friendship
First Stage
Academy
Life Skills
Stage Skills
Keep up with First Stage news online at
firststagechildrenstheater.blogspot.com
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In Focus
Volume 5 Issue 5
Color by number
KEY:
1 = Purple
2 = Green
page 8
3 = Blue