First 2016 camp to fill is ...

Yesterday DRT'S "A Play A Day 1" summer theatre camp 2016 filled up - the first to fill for 2016, but Children's Theatre Camp 2 has just one spot left open and the others are ... well, if you want to know how many registration spots are open at any of our fabulous 2016 summer theatre camps, just go to the summer camps page for the up to date number of openings listed under each camp date. And while you're there - grab a spot for your family - it's going to be a great creative summer!

Warmly, Jenny Justice, artistic director

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Everything's Coming Up Roses

The theme this spring is growth, and we're seeing it everywhere at DRT. 

  • Summer camp registration is in busy bloom, with several camps about to fill. Teen interns are signing up as assistant camp teachers and we're almost ready to announce our assistant camp manager for 2016. To help you keep up, we've listed the number of open spots remaining in each camp and we'll keep it up to date; you can find everything you need to know at durhamregionaltheatre.com/theatre-camps/
  • DRT 8-week acting classes have expanded so that each sessions includes 50 or more students in acting and musical theatre classes. And students this spring are making break-throughs in vibrancy, imagination, communications, empathy, stage craft and depth of experience - Every week brings beautiful new blossoms from our dedicated students. durhamregionaltheatre.com/classes/
  • Hamlet Project Durham will end our first year with 13 students committed to the 5-year artistic, career training, cultural transformation project. We'd like that number to reach 20 by next December, so we're well on the way to reaching our first HPD participation goal. AND WOW these actors are getting it already - they are making Shakespeare their own and bringing it alive today! Find out all about it at durhamregionaltheatre.com/hamlet/ 
  • Because we lost our lead actor mid-way through rehearsals, we've delayed production of the hysterical, award-winning adult comedy, Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" until November 2016. And the outcome of that challenge is an exciting new seed that is putting out shoots and starting to take root at DRT. We're calling it the "DRT Players," an adult acting troupe doing plays for our adult audiences. Right now we're putting in structures and processes - we'll keep you posted on ways to get involved.

Here's wishing your spring is also blossoming -

Warmly, Jenny Justice, DRT Artistic Director

Adults-Only Cast Auditions for "39 Steps"

Auditions: Saturday, March 5, noon - 2 pm and Monday, March 7, 6 - 8 pmdurhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-shows/ has the details

Auditions: Saturday, March 5, noon - 2 pm and Monday, March 7, 6 - 8 pm

durhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-shows/ has the details

DRT auditions for the adults-only cast of Alfred Hitchcock's "39 Steps," adapted by Patrick Barlow from the Novel by John Buchnan, will be held at 913 Ninth St., Durham, NC, in the auditorium of EK Powe Elementary School, beginning at noon this Saturday, March 5th and again on Monday, March 7th starting at 6:00 pm - Auditions will be loose and relaxed - some improvisation and some cold readings from the script (you'll have to time look it over before you take it on stage)

 Plans for our production of "39 Steps" are still a bit unclear - not our commitment to producing the hysterically funny, award-winning show, we are tremendously pleased to hold the rights to produce this play. Our vision of how DRT produces shows for adult only audiences (or mature teens) is actively taking shape - Because of this we're talking about where to present our adult MainStage play (dinner theatre? cabaret? formal auditorium? nightclub?) and when - spring, summer, next spring -

A good deal of our thinking is around the idea of forming a DRT adult acting troupe that works together year-round and has a major role in deciding what plays to do, etc. (in partnership with the DRT artistic director) So, we will hold two auditions at once this week: 1) auditions for specific parts in "The 39 Steps" and 2) a first audition/inquiry into the idea of a DRT adult acting troupe.

All adult (including young adults) actors are invited to attend these important, and exciting auditions. Who know what will happen next?

Warmly, Jenny Justice

Alice Dazzles and Enthralls

All week I've watched our "Alice" audiences lean forward in their seats, their eyes wide, entirely enthralled by DRT'S 5th annual musical, "Alice, a mad musical fantasy." And these are just the adults! Today at our educational matinee for EK Powe Elementary School, over 200 3rd, 4th & 5th graders literally bounced in their seats with excitement as the Knave of Hearts tried to escape the wrath of the Queen of Hearts and Alice tried to find her way out of Wonderland. 

For three shows I've heard comments from audience members like, "That was fantastic!" and "It totally captured me." And most of all, "Where did you find all these incredible singers?" I say, "They're everywhere, just looking for a place to give their all." We're grateful they chose to share their talents, their efforts, their dedication and joy with DRT.

We have one more performance of "Alice" left to give. Tomorrow, Saturday, February 27th at 1:00 pm. Don't miss it. That's all I have left to say. 

Tickets at durhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-shows/ or 

At the box office, auditorium of EK Powe Elementary School, 913 Ninth St., Durham, NC, 30 minutes before showtime.

 

Curtains up!

Many thanks to Sunshine Scoville for the show photos

Brilliant, fast paced, funny and fabulously mad --

What better way could there be to survive life in our mad, mad world than to enter a madder one and laugh? Now's your chance to do it - and invite everyone you know to join you. Tweet, text, Facebook, call, email, talk about it in the coffee shops and the barber shops. 

Brilliant, funny, fast paced and fabulously original, DRT's 5th winter musical, "Alice, a mad musical fantasy," opens this Friday night, 7:00 pm - Trust me - you don't want to miss it!

Only 3 shows, Feb. 19, Feb. 20, Feb. 27. Only three chances to be part of the mad, magical, thrillingly alive "Alice" experience. Go to durhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-shows and reserve your tickets now.

I look forward to seeing you at the theatre.

Jenny Justice, DRT Artistic Director

““Curiouser and Curiouser””

Be dazzled

Betsy Jones, Alice, Sheldon Mba, Cheshire Cat and our choreographer

Betsy Jones, Alice, Sheldon Mba, Cheshire Cat and our choreographer

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR

A DRT Main Stage Original Musical to Enchant All Ages

“ALICE, a Mad Musical Fantasy”

Adapted by Jennifer Justice from Lewis Carroll's "Alice" fantasies. Lyrics by Lewis Carroll, Jennifer Justice & Ryan Gunzel; Music by Ryan Gunzel & Jennifer Justice. Director, Jennifer Justice; Music Director/Vocal Arranger, Joy Harrell-Goff; Choreographer, Sheldon Mba

Madness attains dizzying heights in this sparkling, witty, musical adaptation by Jennifer Justice of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” The music moves confidently from lullabies to boisterous show tunes and bluesy rock and roll.  The lyrics include classic Lewis Carroll poems like “The Walrus and the Carpenter” and “Jabberwocky,” alongside thrilling new songs from Justice and Gunzel.

 “Alice, a mad musical fantasy” draws its strong cast of 26 singers and actors from Durham, Raleigh, Cary and Chapel Hill. Proving once again that the Triangle is bursting with talent just needing a stage.

SHOW DATES: February 19, 20, 27, 2016

AT: EK POWE Elementary School Auditorium, 913 Ninth St., Durham, NC (Near Club. Blvd & School for Science and Math) Plenty of free parking on street and in lots around school

FOR TICKETS & Reservations: Go to our Main Stage page at durhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-shows/

“DRT is both an expanding company of experienced, racially diverse theatre artists and an arts-education hub, committed to the growth of regional theatre artists from elementary school through adults.”  DRT Mission and Vision statement 
“Take heed. If you go among mad creatures, you will become mad yourself. Like me.” Cheshire Cat, “Alice, a mad musical adventure,” Justice

Alice, a mad musical fantasy!

Tickets are on sale NOW for DRT'S annual family musical. This year we are very pleased and proud to present an exciting revision of our 2010 original musical, "Alice, a mad musical fantasy."

The script was adapted by DRT artistic director (me) Jenny Justice from the fascinating "Alice" novels of Lewis Carroll. Lyrics by Lewis Carroll, Jennifer Justice and Ryan Gunzel, music by Ryan Gunzel and Jennifer Justice. The play is directed by Jennifer Justice with music direction and vocal arrangements by Joy Harrell-Goff. With "Alice" we are thrilled to introduce DRT musical regulars to the magic of choreographer/actor, Sheldon Mba.

Thirty-nine hopeful actor/singers auditioned for the twenty-six roles in "Alice." We have a stellar cast, working hard to delight you every second of this enthralling show. Don't miss it!

Tickets are on sale now at: durhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-shows/

 

1st Round AUDITIONS for "ALICE, a mad musical fantasy"

Jenny Justice & Joy Harrell-Goff

Jenny Justice & Joy Harrell-Goff

The 2nd round of "Alice" auditions is on Monday, Jan. 9th, 6 pm - 8 pm at E.K. Powe Elementary School, 913 Ninth Street, Durham, NC - between Club Blvd and Main St. - plenty of parking around the building, on the street and in small lots. Enter at the Main Doors and the auditorium will be directly in front of you. 

ALL DRT SHOWS ARE MULTI-RACIAL - We have major roles for adults and teens with plenty of good parts for elementary aged actor/singers too. 

DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THIS exciting, original, intriguing, funny, musical event. Find out more at: durhamregionaltheatre.com/drt-shows/

SEE YOU AT AUDITIONS * BRING YOUR FUNNY BONE -

Jenny Justice, artistic director

We held our first round of auditions for DRT'S winter musical, "Alice, a mad musical fantasy," and had a FABULOUS time. Joy Harrell-Goff, our music director, was brilliant as always at bringing the very best from our talented singers. The auditioning actors were quick and funny in delivering the characters: the tyrant, Queen of Hearts, the frightened Knave of Hearts, curious Alice, nervous White Rabbit, Tweedledum and Tweedledee - It was a strong beginning.

Alice Flamingo.jpg

Get Tickets Today for "The Giver"

You can purchase tickets to this suspenseful, provocative show online today at our DRT MAIN STAGE shows page. Join us for a deeply moving, thrilling theatrical experience.


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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