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The first Overtures session begins at 10:00am on Monday, July 2 at The Kennedy Center. The fortunate news: many, many talented young performers auditioned for the 2007 Overtures Musical Theater Institute. The unfortunate news: we could only accept 20 applicants into the program. Selecting students was extremely difficult this year. However, the small class size is one of the reasons Overtures is such a valuable experience. The celebrated two-week intensive musical performance program offers professional hands-on training. Led by Eric Schaeffer, the Overtures staff features award-winning choreographer Karma Camp; actress and head of the Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America, Jane Pesci-Townsend; and musical director and Chairman of the Music Department at Montgomery College, Jay Crowder. Andrew Long, recipient of the 2007 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play, joins the staff this year to focus on acting skills. Master classes will be offered by Broadway performers Emily Skinner and Marc Kudisch, featured in Signature’s production of The Witches of Eastwick, famed pianist and composer Marvin Hamlisch, and a representative from Tara Rubin Casting in New York. Overtures participants perform in a final, free showcase at the end of the program. The showcase will be held in The Theatre Lab at the Kennedy Center on Saturday, July 14, at 2:00pm. No tickets are required. Come see a great show featuring the musical theater performers of tomorrow. PLAYWRIGHTS ON STAGE The Third Annual Playwrights on Stage public reading features plays-in-progress written by advanced drama students from Wakefield High School. The evening of first-time plays by first-time playwrights is the culmination of an intensive 10-week playwriting workshop conducted by Education Director Marcia Gardner. Students are challenged to explore the world around them—through newspapers, magazines, and the people close to them or on the Metro or in history—to find issues, events, and lives that generate creative ideas for a play. “The hardest part is finding something to write about,” a sentiment echoed by many members of the workshop. Once a final draft is completed, the student playwrights engage in the same process as professional playwrights. The material written by the student playwright is given to a professional director. The director works closely with the playwright to prepare for rehearsals with a cast of student and professional actors. During rehearsals, the playwright may make changes to the script and will collaborate with the director and actors to strengthen the play and shape the reading. The result, an evening of new work by potential future American playwrights. Next, it’s time to add the missing ingredient: you. Join us on Monday, July 18 in The ARK at 7:00pm. Hear the plays, interact with the blossoming playwrights, and learn more about their process. The cost is free, but the experience is priceless. To also learn more about these up-and-coming talents, join us for our From Page to Stage series on Monday, June 4, 2007 at 7:00pm.
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