[NEohioPAL] FPAC-STERNFELD EXPANDS TO FULL YOUTH CONSERVATORY WITH PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES

[Tom Fulton]

*For Immediate Release*
*March 17, 2008*
*Fairmount Center for the Arts
*
**
*Renowned professional director, Fred Sternfeld, expands *
*Fairmount Performing Arts Camp <http://www.fairmountcenter.org/fpac08> *
*into a full scale youth conservatory with production opportunities*.
*Romeo and Juliet and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat head
summer production lineup*





Fred Sternfeld, director of the respected and highly popular Fairmount
Performing Arts Camp, known affectionately by campers as "FPAC," will add a
whole new component to the camp this summer:  Production opportunities for
youth (2nd grade – college) called  FPAC PRESENTS!.



"I began my directing career doing work in youth theatre," said Mr.
Sternfeld during a recent interview.  "For the last 20 years my directing
work has been at adult professional theatres.  While I have often had young
people in my productions, I haven't focused my energies specifically on
developing a youth or teen theatre. Starting this summer, and throughout the
coming years, FPAC will be extended into a full year round youth
conservatory program with a range of training and production opportunities.
We'll draw on some of the top theatre artists in the region to work with our
young actors – and present a range of challenging plays and musicals."



As a director, Fred is well known by theatre artists and audiences for his
ability to bring truth and humanity to a production.  The critics have
noticed – honoring Fred with awards for a myriad of productions,
including *Ragtime,
the musical, A Shayna Maidel *and *Man of La Mancha* at the JCC;
Disney's *Beauty
and the Beast, Of Mice and Men, *and* Saturday Night* at Beck Center
and*Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music
*and* Oliver *at Cain Park.* *  "It is true that I try to develop the world
of the play and the logical human action within it, but the ability to bring
this to fruition depends largely on the training and ability of the actors.
I rely on them to have the skills to bring the vision to life."



How does one do that with young people who haven't had that much training?  The
question must be asked, 'can a director expect fine acting from a young,
inexperienced ensemble?'

Mr. Sternfeld is thoughtful for a moment and replies with a bit of a
chuckle,  "Yes of course.  The advantage I have is that I also oversee the
school!"  He is referring of course to the FPAC Professional Training
Workshop.  "We have a great training program with a superb "dream team" of
instructors - Carol Pribble, Mitchell B. Fields, Dudley Swetland, Dana Hart
and George Roth.   Now we're aiming to have a great performance program as
well.  Our program is structured to include dynamic actor training in the
process.  Students cast in the shows will have trained most of the day
before attending the rehearsals. They will immediately be able to apply
everything they are learning in full scale productions."



"Over the last few years our students have spread out all over the region
and shined on numerous local stages.  They comprised most of the children in
*A Christmas Story* at The Cleveland Playhouse the last three years, many
have appeared in *A Christmas Carol* at Great Lakes Theatre Festival, FPAC
alumni comprised the winner and the two alternates in the recent City-Wide
ESU High School Shakespeare competition and scores have appeared in
productions at many other local theatres like Carousel Dinner Theatre, Beck
Center, JCC, Kalliope Stage, Actors Summit, Dobama, Ensemble, and others.  Now
they will have a chance to shine on our stage as well."



Tom Fulton, Executive Director of Fairmount Center for the Arts, the
umbrella organization that established and administers FPAC, supports Fred
on his approach.  "Fred's approach to training and performance is directly
in line with Fairmount's vision of an arts conservatory.  His robust and
award-winning background in theatre, as a director, producer and educator
brings a tremendous credibility and strength to all aspects of our school of
theatre and professional performance program.  We feel that Mr. Sternfeld is
the perfect person to lay the foundations of our future for FPAC and in our
new theatre at Mayfield Village Performing Arts Center."



The productions this summer will be William Shakespeare's tragic love story,
*Romeo and Juliet*, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical *Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat**. *



Fred has this to say about *Joseph …*  "My first contact with *Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat* was in 1973 as a kid in the audience at
Camp Wise. Bebe Weinberg Katz was directing a group of children in the play.
What those kids did was so amazing and moving that I decided to try theatre
for the first time that autumn in the youth theatre at JCC. There was no
turning back - I was hooked!"

"The writing of *Joseph…* suggests to me a stylized production that mixes
the contemporary with the biblical. The core of the story is a moving play
about favoritism, betrayal and redemption. In *Joseph…*there are modern
musical styles like country, reggae, French cabaret and ragtime and the
characterizing of the Pharaoh as Elvis.  How to merge that with the story?  We
will make it an 'illustrated children's bible come to life as seen through
the eyes of children..'  If we are seeing it through their eyes than
anything goes, so besides the Pharaoh as Elvis I'll look for every
opportunity to mix in other pop and rock icons in the characterizations, and
contemporary references in the staging."



In addition to being on the staff of FPAC's Professional Training Workshop,
George Roth will direct *Romeo and Juliet**.*  George embarked on his
professional acting career 23 years ago when he graduated from the
three-year actor's training program at the Central School of Speech and
Drama in London.  During his eight years in England he appeared in the Royal
National Theatre's West End production of *Brighton Beach Memoirs* and at
many other venues around the UK,

Mr. Roth has appeared in a number of productions at regional theaters across
the United States as well as locally at The Cleveland Play House, Great
Lakes Theatre Festival, Cain Park, the Mandel Jewish Community Center, Beck
Center for the Arts, Dobama Theatre and Cleveland Public Theatre.



During a recent interview, Mr. Roth spoke about doing Shakespeare with young
people – "When I was a sixth grader, my school put on Shakespeare's *The
Tempest* and I had the best time of my young life playing Caliban, the
miscreant son of Sycorax, the witch.  It was a seminal moment in my life,
the birth of my passion to be an actor and theater artist.  Even in the
cut-down script, the poetry and imagery were like jewels dropping from the
mouths of babes."



*"Romeo and Juliet* holds a special place in my heart.  It was the second
Shakespeare play I ever performed.  And while it's been many years since I
played Friar Laurence to the Romeo of Michael Cerveris' (Tony Award, *
Assassins*) and the Nurse of Myra Lucretia Taylor (Broadway revival of *Nine
* with Antonio Banderas) when we were all at Yale University, I remember it
as if it were yesterday: the beauty of the language and the deep loves and
passion that drive all the behaviors, both good and bad."



"I'm thrilled to be working with the talented young artists of Northeast
Ohio on *Romeo and Juliet. * I worked with many of the area's talented young
people last summer in *Oliver* at Cain Park and the level of talent and
dedication I saw was inspiring.  I know we'll learn a lot together, but
above all, we'll have fun doing it."



Both productions will have runs at Fairmount Center for the Arts' new
theatre in Mayfield Village in July.  Students interested in joining FPAC
this summer should view the FPAC website at www.fairmountcenter.org/fpac08 .
Or they can call 440-338-3171.
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