ENTER THE PLAYERS

Hamlet Project Durham Actors, 9/17/16

We held our first class of the five-year Hamlet Project Durham today - already we can tell you who all the main characters are in our play - we can tell you the story - we know it's a tragedy - we've performed some lines in characters and improvised Hamlet characters waiting for a bus - and we've decided to create our own comic version of the play for performance - maybe by the end of this year! 

To point out the obvious - we have an excited, sharp and involved startup group of actors aged 8 - 12 who will perform William Shakespeare's masterwork, "Hamlet," in spring 2020 (both at home and on tour.)

AND WE HAVE ROOM FOR MORE -

By the end of the year we intend to be able to cast the play twice - involving 20+ multi-racial, multi-ethnic young actors in a commitment to creating a professional quality, moving, exciting, insightful performance of "Hamlet."

CLICK HERE for a "Hamlet Project FAQS" brochure and go to durhamregionaltheatre.com/hamlet/ to register of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

QUESTIONS:

Contact: Jenny Justice, DRT artistic director, durhamregionaltheatre@gmail.com, (919) 286-5717

 

The POWer of Words

We're feeling the POWer of Words at DRT -

Tomorrow night (9/8/16) we hold our first script read through with the fabulous cast of DRT'S prize-winning Main Stage show, "The Giver." Next week DRT fall acting classes kick off with three new plays (including the amazing new 9-12 year old series "Blue Moon Shape Shifters.") THERE IS STILL ROOM TO JOIN DRT Fall Acting Classes. 

AND on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th, the much-anticipated HAMLET PROJECT DURHAM holds its first official class. 

Hamlet Project Durham (HPD) is a 5-year (2015-2020) artistic, career-training, education boosting, social change project constructed around an intentionally multi-racial core group of, initially, 15-20, 9-12-year-old, actors preparing to perform "Hamlet" in spring 2020.

WHY "HAMLET?" DID YOU KNOW? William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is widely considered the greatest play yet written in the English language. Displaying a brilliant imagination alongside verbal prowess, Shakespeare added 1,700 new words to the English language. In "Hamlet," Shakespeare created 170 new words.  

tennant hamlet words.jpg

WHY DRT CARES ABOUT EXPERIENCING WORDS  

"Estimates show that about 40% of fourth graders struggle with reading at even basic levels and there is a markedly disproportionate representation of children who are poor and who belong to ethnic or racial minorities among those who struggle to read ...Children's ongoing engagement in literacy activities and their developing propensity toward considering language as an object of attention become primary routes for language development." From "Literacy and its Impact on Child Development," Dr. Laura M. Justice, 2010

READ ALL ABOUT HAMLET PROJECT DURHAM (and download a short HPD FAQS brochure) at durhamregionaltheatre.com/Hamlet/

REGISTER for HPD and/or for DRT FALL ACTING CLASSES 2015 at durhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-classes/

AT DRT, WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF WORDS to POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LIVES OF ALL OUR STUDENTS! 

“A child’s oral language development provides the foundation for all other language and literacy skills … Our vocabulary and language ability control the way we are able to think about things. Understanding words orally is essential to being able to understand words written down.”
From Oral Language and Early Literacy by Kathleen A. Roskos, Patton O. Tabors, and Lisa A Lenhart. (2009, International Reading Association)

A Lovely Way to Start the Day

This morning, as I enjoyed the luxury of a slow breakfast (post-summer camps,) a young girl shyly approached my table. She was in our August A Play A Day Camp, participating quietly and fully in all our stories. "Ms. Jenny," she said this morning as her mother joined her, "do you know what my favorite camp was all summer?" "We were just talking about it," her mother explained, "I asked her which was her favorite out of all the camps she took this summer." "Which was your favorite," I asked the young girl. "Durham Regional Theatre!" she exclaimed, smiling big. "What did you like about the camp?" I wanted to know. "Everything." she told me, meaning it.

That's a lovely way to start a day, isn't it? It made me remember other generous comments from students this summer. Two of the comments were very similar. Both students were quite quiet and shy on stage when they started DRT classes four and five years ago. And both made great breakthroughs in courage, strength and grace in leading roles at our 2015 summer camp shows. Each young actress approached me at the end of her successful performance, saying, "When I have to speak at most places, I'm still kind of shaky and shy, but here I'm never scared. I'm excited. I love doing it." While I remain committed to our students feeling happy to speak anywhere, anytime they wish, I'm also glad for the message of a job well done.

Summer camp students are already enrolling in our fall 8-week acting classes. I look forward to the empowering, fun, creative time we will continue to have all year. You are welcome to join us! (Just go to the "Classes" page under "Education.")

Warmly, Jenny Justice, DRT artistic director

 

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DRT Announces Assistant Camp Manager 2015

DURHAM REGIONAL THEATRE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE

From a strong field of candidates we have picked a DRT favorite, KORINN JEFFERIES

(Rising Sophomore at Howard University and former DRT student and Main Stage performer)

As DRT Assistant Camp Manager, summer 2015

In the summer of 2013, Korinn Jefferies volunteered as a Teen Teaching Intern with DRT; she was an immediate favorite with campers andstaff as a strong, steady, good-humored creative presence that added to our positive theatre experience. 

 In 2014, Korinn graduated from Durham School for the Arts having performed in area theatres, including DRT, Walltown Children’s Theatre and Evening of Entertainment (2006-2013.) She just completed her first successful year as a Musical Theatre major at the amazing, fantastic Howard University.  We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Korinn as she moves from student, to volunteer teacher, to stipend level management with Durham Regional Theatre. 

 Teen Teaching Interns will meet Korinn at our Interns Training on Saturday, June 6th from 10:30 to noon at the camp site. We still have Teen Teaching Intern positions with all children’s theatre camps. Fill out a Teen Intern Form at durhamregionaltheatre.com/theatre-camps/

 

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SHOWCASE WEEK BRILLIANCE

 
 

It is Showcase Week for DRT spring acting classes on the lovely stage at EK Powe Elementary School. The Tuesday acting class, ages 9-12, kicked-off our Showcase Week with great energy. Every student actor gave fully to creating a funny and smart performance of the play they helped to invent. It was exciting to watch each actor realize a character he or she had created only eight-weeks ago. The audience laughed in all the right places!

After the performance, the cast and audience mingled happily for our celebration, munching Strawberry Shortcake, pretzels and watermelon. Sipping lemonade. Reliving favorite moments in the show. 

As I wiped whipped cream from my fingers with a napkin, a parent said something like this to me, “Every time our daughter finishes one of these classes her reading skills absolutely leap up at school.”

That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to find the words to express about the power of arts in education. Of course at EK Powe and other A+ (arts in education focused) schools, this power is already being unleashed.

The arts, and in our case especially the performing arts, are not just beneficial but necessary for both social and brain development. As Jane Healey noted in her seminal text (“Endangered Minds, Why Our Children Can’t Think”) without constant practice of the oral language (talking, listening, being heard, hearing, imagining, expressing, identifying) the part of our brain that makes connections between different pieces of information – i.e. relationships – simply does not develop.

 With the active, consistent, age-appropriate practice of oral language through storytelling and theatre at DRT, a child develops necessary learning-strengths more quickly and more solidly. And they have the greatest fun in the world doing it.

 DRT acting classes for 2015-2016 (INCLUDING THE OFFICIAL START OF HAMLET PROJECT DURHAM CLASSES) will be open for registration on July 1, 2015. Mark you calendars now, and plan to grow, learn and have a great time with DRT.

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Teens Rule the Summer at drt!

 

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You may think - because all four DRT Children's Theatre Camps are filled for this summer - that the gorgeous fellowship hall at Trinity Ave. Presbyterian Church where we hold our camps will be creative and positive only because of the presence of 5-12-year-olds - but that is far from the truth! On the first day of each camp, 25 campers will join a Table Group of five campers, and each Table Group will be joined by one of our FANTASTIC TEEN TEACHING INTERNS - And Teen Teaching Interns make all the difference to the success of our children's camps.

Teen Teaching Interns provide crucial community service with DRT each summer - while gaining real skills in theatre, teaching and camp management. Check out our Teen Teaching Internship positions at durhamregionaltheatre.com/theatre-camps/ - download the job description and application form - fill it out today - it doesn't take that long - and send it back to durhamregionaltheatre@gmail.com.

Former DRT Teen Teaching Interns have gone on to colleges including Harvard Univ., George Washington University (DC,) Howard Univ. and  Univ. of Rochester in New York. Teens (ages 13-19) are invited to join this great tradition in theatre and education today! 

See you in the summertime,

Jenny Justice

Spring Has Arrived and DRT Has Broken All Records

As the earth displays her first burst of spring glory with daffodils, forsythia and tulips, DRT is bursting too - for the first year since we began offering our exciting Summer Theatre Camps in 2011, ALL of our CHILDREN'S THEATRE CAMPS are full with young actors. We still have space in our 3-week TEEN THEATRE CONSERVATORY in July and are accepting applications for summer camp TEEN TEACHING ASSISTANTS - Join the excitement this summer. You can get TEEN ASSISTANT job descriptions and applications, and register for the life changing Teen Theatre Conservatory at our Education/Summer Theatre Camps page. And create something great with DRT this summer!

 

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2 Spaces Open Up for Children's Theatre Camp 1

 

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Two spaces have opened up for our Children’s Theatre Camp 1, June 15-27, 2015. This almost never happens so take advantage of opportunity and REGISTER your young actors for this great experience today. Find out why campers return to DRT summer after summer, year after year!

Also, we are still accepting registrations for our first camp of the summer, “A Play A Day 1,” June 8-12, 2015 and for our "Teen Theatre Conservatory" in July.

For Information and Registration go to our Education/Summer Theatre Camps page.

Happy Spring, Jenny Justice

 

SPRING CLASSES START TODAY

 

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PAD Cast.jpg
 

It is exciting each time we begin a new session of acting classes at Durham Regional Theatre, and this spring brings extra anticipation with TWO new classes about to take off - on Wednesday we hold our first DRT Satellite class at Sandy Ridge Elementary School and on Thursday we begin the great adventure of "Hamlet Project Durham."

I hope everyone has been keeping up with our progress and the new website (Two people have let me know they are having trouble accessing the site and I'm working with SquareSpace to try and figure out what's up. If you're having any access trouble, please use the old DurhamFamilyTheatre.wordpress.com blog site - I'm keeping the info there up-to-date.)

Meanwhile, our first summer theatre camp has filled past the brim (Play A Day 2 is now closed for registration) and the others are fast moving that way - so is you want to create something great with DRT this summer, register asap on our durhamregionaltheatre.com/theatre-camps/ page.

Spring is definitely in the air!

Warmly, Jenny Justice

March 12,

Jenny Justice & Joy Harrell-Goff (Music)

After months of discussions and preparations, today Durham Family Theatre has officially been renamed Durham Regional Theatre - there are butterflies in my stomach, such as a new actor feels while waiting in the wings for that first entrance. There are, I will confess, a few tears in my eyes as I say goodbye to the Durham Family Theatre blog site where we posted nearly 200 messages and received over 15,000 visits. And then I think this is, indeed, a very butterfly-like moment and wonder what the beautiful insect feels as its wings first stretch and fly. 

I look forward to hearing our creative community's thoughts and ideas via our visions for the future; to begin, I hope you'll post a comment letting us know what you think of the new website. We hope it is beautiful to look at, easy to use and tells you what you need to know about getting involved with Durham Regional Theatre.

Warmly, Jenny Justice

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March 8, 2015

We had another positive, hardworking DFT/DRT board meeting today - everyone pitched in with ideas and offers to take on extra tasks as we approach the day - THIS COMING THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 - when we will make the formal announcement of our new name and unveil the Durham Regional Theatre website to everyone who has supported Durham Family Theatre through 4 1/2 years of steady growth. I'm excited thinking of what we will create together in the next five years.

Warmly, Jenny Justice

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