Magic’s Afoot In Summer Theater For Second Public Production

By Laurie Borst

Newtown High School’s auditorium is the scene of the action this summer. Continuing Education offered a Summer Musical Theater Workshop for 11- to 15-year-olds and Newtown’s finest performers have turned out for this six-week camp.

Workshop director is John Harned, choral director at the high school during the school year. Mr Harned is being assisted by Erin Thomas. Ms Thomas, NHS Class of 2001, graduated in 2005 from Emerson College in Boston with a degree in set design.

“Erin is awesome,” Mr Harned said. “She has such positive energy. She’s great with the kids. She teaches them the technical side of theater.”

Positive energy abounds. Elissa Gellis, director of Continuing Education, said of Mr Harned, “We hear him singing in the halls in the morning. His energy is positive and the students react to that.”

“The objectives of the course are threefold,” Mr Harned explained. “It gives the students stage experience, they are able to learn a number of new songs, and they learn to develop characters through the music.

“The students develop the ideas for the shows. They select the themes, build the sets, create the artwork. The counselors determine the repertoire, making sure the material is vocally appropriate for each performer,” Mr Harned continued.

Five counselors assist with the camp. Amanda Eventoff, a sophomore studying music at Manhattanville College in New York, is the dance instructor. Three of the counselors are members of the Class of 2006. Samantha Mitchell will be a music major at Manhattanville College. Greg Gordon will attend New York University to study film.

Maggie DeMarco, who will study theater management at Bentley College, handles the marketing and creates the press releases. Alex Hennessey, NHS Class of 2007, is the accompanist. “Alex is brilliant, awesome. Talented beyond his years,” Mr Harned raved.

The group meets from 9 am to 1 pm five days a week. Monday through Thursday follows a set schedule. Fridays are a bit more relaxed. Mr Harned presents some history of musical theater and goes over the technical aspects. Special guest speakers come in on Friday, except the days before performances, which are rehearsals. The students are currently working on their second performance of the summer.

On July 21, the special guest was Samantha Mitchell’s voice instructor, Diana Canova. Ms Canova, perhaps best known for her role as Corinne Tate on the 1970s sitcom Soap, has appeared on Broadway and in regional theater, and has directed plays at John Read Middle School in Redding for the past 17 years. “I love working with this age group,” she said.

Katie McMorran bravely volunteered to sing first for Ms Canova. As she moved into the song, she slipped up on the words. As Katie stopped, ready to start over, Ms Canova offered this advice, “This is like auditioning. You have to get out of your head. You know the words, you know the notes. Act it out. Sing past our heads.”

Her gentle manner was reassuring. Katie continued, singing beautifully.

Maggi Halliwell, a Newtown voice teacher, was the first guest speaker. Jim Shea of Full Spectrum Lighting and Sound spoke to the group during an earlier session about the technical aspects of theater. Mr Shea has worked on numerous Broadway productions.

The respect between director, counselors, and students is apparent. So is the sense of fun. The students work hard to perfect their craft.

See the results of their hard work an Friday, August 4, at 7 pm, at the Newtown High School auditorium when they will present A Magical Musical Review! Tickets for the show are $10 and can be purchased at the door or by calling the Newtown Continuing Education Office at 426-1787. The first performance was sold out and tickets for this show may do the same.