AACT Season newsletter
Transcription
AACT Season newsletter
BACKSTAGE Volume 2 Number 3 Spring 2009 From the Directors Beyond intrinsic value, the study of any art form builds and promotes thinking, processing, listening, concentration, and analytical skills. Additionally, involvement with a performing arts group is a good vehicle for learning and reinforcing the "how to" of people and social skills. One learns that it is not always about me, my, and I, but about we, our, and us. There is very little that one can do alone. Dr. Wallace Cheatham AACT Music Director The North Star is pointed out as the Drinking Gourd in the collection of songs and stories performed at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The creative energy of the youth in African American Children’s Theatre livened up special public events celebrating Black History Month this year. “Follow the Drinking Gourd” was a collection of songs, dance and poetry woven into a small scale theatrical production that could be easily toured. The children selected the pieces under musical direction of Dr. Wallace Cheatham. Our cast included Araeya Gatson, Kendra Guy, Malik Guy, Caleb Johnson, Nia Johnson, Anthony Mensah, Imani Smith and Thaddeus Smith. “Follow the Drinking Gourd” was performed at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum Neighborhood Night twice and a third time at the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Family Sunday. Sponsors include Northwestern Mutual Foundation, the Helen Bader Foundation, Jack and Lucy Rosenberg Foundation, and Wisconsin Arts Board. African American Children's Theatre was founded in 1989 by cousins following a family tragedy. The formation of AACT provided a “stage” for grieving youth to work through their feelings and redirect their energies into positive outcomes. Today, AACT offers all youth of the Milwaukee area a safe place after school where they can express frustration by using stories, role playing, music and related theatre activities to encourage the development of social sensitivity, thinking and behavior, as well as performance skills. WE ARE ASKING YOU FOR A DONATION. A partnership with you will go a long way toward helping our youth to become proud and productive citizens. Constance Clark, AACT Founder Artistic/Executive Director African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. M.L. King Dr., Suite 213G, Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] 414-461-5771 www.aact.us Araeya Gatson Malik Guy I go to Elm Creative Arts. I am 7 years old. My favorite hobbies are basketball and doing art. My Mom helps with the show that I do at AACT. In the future I would like to be a doctor. I would like to attend Marquette University. I love being a part of AACT. I'm 10 years old and attend Golda Meir School for the Gifted and Talented. I played baseball for three years and won the MVP Award and I love the WWE. My experience with AACT has been tremendous. My sister and I are having a great time learning about acting and performing. Kendra Guy I go to Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts. I am a triple threat because I sing, dance, and act. I the future I want to be a singer, a dancer, or a doctor. I was 8 years old when I joined the AACT company. I helped write and produce “I Am The Dream”. I would love to attend either Julliard (in New York) or Harvard University. One of my favorite hobbies is softball. I play for the Lady Tigers. I love being a leader to everyone, that’s why I joined AACT. Caleb Johnson I am a strong man of God. I listen to music in my spare time. I am an interesting person. My favorite subject is Politics. I like to act and sing. I play the drums at my church. AACT is not my first experience in theatre. I was cast in a play called “Tellin It Like It Is”. AACT is a challenge but I enjoy performing. Girls in the front row: Kendra Guy, Imani Smith, Araeya Gatson. In the back: Thaddeus Smith, Caleb Johnson, Anthony Mensah, Malik Guy and Constance Clark. Nia Johnson is pictured to the right. 2 Cast Bios Nia Johnson I go to Cass Street School. I like to watch TV. My mom got me to join AACT. I am in the third grade and am 9 years old. I am a new member at AACT. I like to clean house. I will become an actor. Anthony Mensah I am 11 and attend the YMCA Young Leaders Academy. I enjoy acting, singing, writing, sports, school, and most of all, AACT. I’m also a world traveler, going to places such as Ghana West Africa (my ancestral home), London, Amsterdam and Germany. I’ve been in the MLK Jr. poetry contest, Academy Act, school-wide musical performances, and recited a poem at the Bradley Center. I have an exciting life and I’m glad AACT is a new part of it. Photos by Sue Borges Vliet African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. M.L. King Dr., Suite 213G, Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] 414-461-5771 www.aact.us Imani Smith I am 12 years old and I go to Milwaukee School of Languages. I like to sing, act, dance, and do art projects. I played “Addy” in Chicago in “The American Girl Review”. In AACT I played “Annie”. It was my very first production ever! It was nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. I love AACT because it boosts confidence and it’s fun. I came to AACT because I saw “We Are The Dream” with Kendra Guy and was inspired. Thaddeus Smith I am 9 years old and I love to act. I play sports like football, basketball, soccer and baseball. My favorite trip was to see the Green Bay Packers. I attend Elm Creative Arts School. AACT is a very good production company because you get to act, sing and it is a lot of fun! AACT’s Resident Company students learned some of the secrets of the actors in “King Arthur’s Calamity” from Cardinal Stritch University during one of the Behind the Curtain field trips. AACT is part of the MPS and Arts@Large Artist in Residency program at 53rd Street School, Martin Luther King Elementary School, and Hawley Avenue Environmental School. Alumni Update AACT Staff Constance Clark Artistic/Executive Director Caroline Lenyard Grantwriter Wallace Cheatham Music Director Mahdi Gransberry Intern and Rap Instructor Member of AACT for nine years, and freshman at the High School of the Arts Akua Taylor is hard at work in the entertainment industry in New York. She has recently appeared in a "Sol Village" showcase at SOB's, and at the Sister 2 Sister Youth Summit at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. She can be seen in music videos "Flyist" by rapper Mo'Betta and "Watchin' Me" by D.O.E. Keep up with Akua’s news at www.akuataylor.com or listen to her sing at www.reverbnation.com/ akuataylor?eid=1754534_16980012 Theatre that changes hearts and minds The mission of the African American Children’s Theatre is to provide all children of the metro Milwaukee area with opportunities to express their creativity, to nurture their individuality, and to guide them in the learning and acquiring of leadership and performance skills while producing quality art. African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. M.L. King Dr., Suite 213G, Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] 414-461-5771 www.aact.us 3 Did you know? Some of the Greats started young! Bessie Smith (1894-1937) Blues Singer Bessie first sang around age eight in her hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. America was in the golden age of powerful blues women during the 1920s, and at the pinnacle stood Bessie Smith who had pushed out the boundaries of both female and African American expression for a new mass audience. She toured with the best minstrel shows and cabarets. She recorded “Downhearted Blues” in 1923 and it established her as the most successful Black recording artist of her day. She continued touring with great success. She made her last recording in 1933 and was killed in a car accident at the age of forty-three. Mahalia Jackson (1911-72) Gospel Singer Mahalia grew up in New Orleans, familiar with the music of Bessie Smith and other blues singers. Her father, who was a preacher, allowed only religious music to be played at home. Jackson made her first recording in 1934 and eleven years later she achieved national fame with “Move On Up a Little Higher”, which sold over a million copies. In 1950 she made her first appearance at Carnegie Hall. She won Grammy Awards for her albums Great Songs of Love and Faith and Make a Joyful Noise. She was also well known for her performance of “Precious Lord”. Pearl Bailey (1918-1990) Singer, Actress Pearl started singing in her father’s church at age three, and went on to become one of the most enduring and admired personalities of the age. Bailey had a string of hit records before making her Broadway debut in St. Louis Women. She also worked in movies and theater. Her biggest triumph was the revival of Hello Dolly in the 1960s, for which she won a special Tony award. The day she died (of heart failure at the age of seventy-two), she was scheduled to address the United Nations. 4 4 adapted from information provided by Pomegranate Publications African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. M.L. King Dr., Suite 213G, Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] 414-461-5771 www.aact.us AACT programs Academy of Theatre Training and Leadership Program After school program for children ages 8-14 at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, with public performances scheduled periodically. This year we performed at: Betty Brinn Children’s Museum Milwaukee Art Museum Children’s Services Society 2009 Foster Parent Recognition Dinner Artist in Residency with Milwaukee Public Schools and Arts@Large AACT’s We Are The Dream program is taught weekly in school classrooms: 53rd Street School Martin Luther King Elementary School Hawley Ave. Environmental School Behind the Curtain Children and their parents attend professional local theatre companies' productions and are taken on special Behind the Curtain tours. Special events we attended this year include: Milwaukee Ballet, Sleeping Beauty Milwaukee Ballet, The Nutcracker Cardinal Stritch, King Arthur’s Calamity Milwaukee Bucks Kendra Guy in Adventures of a Comic Book Artist at Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts Register for fall classes Tuesday, Sept. 22 and Wednesday, Sept. 23 4:00 to 5:30 pm Please register in person Parent must accompany child Classes start Tuesday, September 29 Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut Street Session runs 4 - 6 pm Tuesdays & Wednesdays, Sept. 2009- June 2010 414-461-5771 www.aact.us AACT Starts Summerfest Choir Broadway show tunes performed by local children will be a new feature at The Big Gig this summer. African American Children’s Theatre (AACT) has been invited to organize a Summerfest Choir to perform on the Children’s Area Stage at Summerfest on Monday, June 29 from1:45 to 2:15 pm. Youth ages 8 to 14 have been rehearsing Wednesdays with Dr. Wallace Cheatham in the Sondheim Room of the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. “We were thrilled to get the call from Summerfest,” said Constance Clark, Artistic/ Executive Director. “This is a high-profile event that will show off the remarkable talent of our children to the larger community. These kids will surprise and impress everyone who hears them.” Summerfest holds Family Free Day with no charge for admission until 3 pm on Monday, June 29. Come early and be part of our audience. AACT Summerfest Choir Children’s Area Stage 1:45, Monday, June 29 Free admission! 2009 Board of Directors Maya J. Peterson, President Legacy Bank Antoinette Simon, Vice President Pyramax Bank Vivan Rothschild, Secretary Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Sue Press, Treasurer The Brewery Works, Inc. Dominique Smith Milwaukee Public Schools Angela White Educator, Harambee Elementary School Past AACT Student and Staff Member African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. M.L. King Dr., Suite 213G, Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] 414-461-5771 www.aact.us 5 Major Donors 2-Story Creative African American Women’s Fund African Hut Restaurant African World Festival America’s Black Holocaust Museum, Inc. Arts@Large, Inc. Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Milwaukee Chapter AT&T Employee Giving Campaign Helen Bader Foundation Brico Fund Betty Brinn Foundation Century Fence, AW Bryant Rodney Coubbie Attorneys City of Milwaukee Arts Board Delta Memorial Endowment Fund Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Lambda Alpha Chapter Einhorn Charitable Family Trust Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals Ralph Evinrude Foundation Fellowship Open 2003 Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Inc. Harley Davidson Foundation Herzfeld Foundation In Their Best Interest Joy Global Jewish Community Foundation Legacy Bank Lena’s Foods Marquette University Upward Bound Faye McBeath Foundation Milwaukee Arts Board Milwaukee County CAMPAC Milwaukee Employment & Training, Inc. Milwaukee Community Journal Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Diversity Council Milwaukee Links Special Projects Milwaukee Public Schools Northwestern Mutual Foundation OYAM Community Institute Milton & Lillian Peck Foundation Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation Potawatomi Foundation Mr. Perkins Restaurant Meyer & Norma L. Ragir Foundation Redwood Insurance Jack & Lucy Rosenberg Philanthropic Fund Senator Herbert Kohl Stackner Family Foundation, Inc. Sulli & Associates United Performing Arts Fund United Way of Greater Milwaukee U.S. Cellular Voluptuous Secrets WE Energies Employee Giving Campaign WellPoint Associate Giving Campaign Wisconsin Arts Board Wisconsin Energy Corporation Foundation, Inc. Women’s Club of Wisconsin Friends of AACT Anonymous Adekola Adedapo Lillian Alford Alfred & Joyce Altman Mr. & Mrs. Steven Anthony Barb Armstrong K. A. Baillargeon Stanley Battle Joseph Becker Mr. & Mrs. William Beckett Linda Beckstrom Monique Bell Georgia Berndsen Kelly C. Bishop Yvonne A. Bowenn Angela Boyd William B. Boyd Michelle Brock Audrey Brooks Christy Brown Gail & Chester Brown A.W. Bryant Jessie L. Burks Dr. & Mrs. Wallace Cheatham Benjamin Clark Constance Clark Dolly Clark Sheila Cochran Thomas & Malena Copeland Rosemary Coris Alicia Danielle Crawford Mary Crouther Randy & Joann Crump Louise Cruther Rodney L. Cubbie Giles & Polly Daegar 6 Danae Davis Jerry Dean & Christina Parsons Cory Dod Judith Drink Tyrone Dumas Tracy Edwards Nancy & Stephen Einhorn Joyce Enrhardt Elizabeth Estes Marcia E. Facey Virginia Finn-Lenhard Thelma R. Friedman Pam Garvey Cecilia Gilbert Beverly Goudy & Family Sheena Carey Gransberry Inez Green Laverne Green Eve Hall Pam Halter Mr. & Mrs. Reuben Harpole, Jr. Ellen A. Hayward Tague Hobert Ruth A. Hoenick Leona Holt Virginia Hutchins Gwen Jackson Jenene James David Joles & Elizabeth Flores-Joles Harry T. Kemp Joan Kessler Mae D. Killebrew Julily Kohler Kulliki Kuningas Deirdre Lafford Lamara Lampkins Lathen, Lathen-Harris Caroline Lenyard Martha Love Bruce A. MacIntyre Phillip & Kirsten Matthews Margaret & Michael McGuire Peggy McGuire Mr. & Mrs. Lafayette McKinney Venora W. McKinney Marilyn Nowak Joan Michaels-Paque Linda S. & Sheppard Mollick Verona L. Morgan Fujie Moses Mardon Murphy Rhoda Mykies Sheila Payton Mr. & Mrs. David H. Peters Claire Pfleger Marvin & Dianne Pratt Susan L. Press Rev. & Mrs. R. B. Nabors Marilyn Nowack Udette Quinn Carol Richards Atty. Bettie Rodgers Redonna Rodgers Terry Rozga William Sanders James S. Scherer Kristin Schultz Thelma Sias Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Sims Cathy Simpson Lucy Smith Mr. & Mrs.Thaddeus Smith Gina Spang Rose Spang Barbara A. Stein Marcia Stephens Monica Street Teri L. Sullivan John L. Touchett Edith Wagner Dr. Steven M. Waldman, FACFAS Adolphus Ward Chris Ware Elsie Warr Ella & W. Herold Washington John White Carolyn White-Travanti & Leon Travanti Dionne Lea Williams Ralph & Marlena Williams In recognition of Lillie M. Harris Fran & Ron Lee In memory of Brian Lenyard Jeff Clark Edmund Clark Floyd Campbell In honor of Margie Sutton Carolyn & Samuel Nakasian Barbara M. Weigner Kathleen D. Wild African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. M.L. King Dr., Suite 213G, Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] 414-461-5771 www.aact.us ns st productio a p ’s T C A A A few of Your support is important to the youth of our community. Please mail your tax-deductible donation to our administrative office: African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. King Drive, Suite 213 G Milwaukee, WI 53212 Donor Name ___________________________________________________ Company Name ________________________________________________ Street Address __________________________________________________ City __________________________________ State ____ Zip____________ Phone ________________________E-Mail ____________________________ Total Donation Amount Enclosed: $ ___________ African American Children’s Theatre 1915 N. M.L. King Dr., Suite 213G, Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] 414-461-5771 www.aact.us 7 Come see us at Summerfest! AACT Summer fest Choir Register for fall classes Tuesday, September 22 Wednesday, September 23 4:00 to 5:30 pm Please register in person Parent must accompany child Monday Monday,, June 29 Classes start Tuesday, September 29 Sondheim Room Milwaukee Youth Arts Center 325 W. Walnut Street Free admission until 3 pm Session runs 4 - 6 pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays September 2009- June 2010 (with holiday breaks) 1:45 to 2:15 pm Children’s Area Stage 414-461-5771 www.aact.us Looking for summer activities? While AACT does not offer a summer program at this time, we can recommend signing your child up at any of the neighborhood agencies participating in the All-City People’s Parade and Pageant, sponsored by our friends at Milwaukee Public Theatre. Call 414-347-1685 or visit www.milwaukeepublictheatre.org for locations. Administrative Office 1915 N. M.L. King Drive Suite 213 G Milwaukee, WI 53212 Major supporters in 2009
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