[NEohioPAL] Correction & We're On the Radio: Shaker Theatre's New Stages 26

[McBurney, Christine]

The revised press release is below.  A play was accidentally omitted.
 
Also, listen to students and staff talk about New Stages on WCPN's Around Noon this Wednesday, March 26!

 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Christine McBurney

216-295-4258

24 Hour Box Office: 216-295-4287

Shaker Theatre presents New Stages 26: Festival of New Plays, Written, Directed, Produced & Performed by Students

The Theatre Arts Department of Shaker Heights High School presents the twenty-sixth festival of new plays, written, directed, produced, and performed by students: New Stages 26: Shaker Playwrights and Directors New Plays Series, March 26 and 27 at 8 PM and March 28 and 29 at 7 & 9:15 PM, Shaker Theatre's intimate black box theatre, Stage 3. Seven one-act plays will be presented as part of a full season of theatrical events, which began with The Importance of Being Earnest at the Cleveland Play House in December and concludes with the Spring Ensemble Show in May.

The plays are: Leftovers by senior Susanna Pretzer, directed by junior Jenny Waletzky; One Day a Package Came by senior Amanda Stovicek, directed by senior Emily Tuttle; Ring of Fools by junior Nathanie Yaskey, directed by senior Rebecca Semel; Ring Tones by senior Peter T. Krause, directed by senior Jack Sutorius; Sound by junior Nick Hahn, directed by senior Aaron Dunn; Still Life with Dead Birds and a Basket of Oysters by Susanna Pretzer, directed by Melissa Freilich; This Little Light of Mine by senior Jeff Stevens, directed by junior Tempest Charles.

New Stages, now in its twenty-sixth continuous year, was begun by retired Shaker Theatre Arts Department founder, James Thornton, in 1983. Having developed it out of a playwriting class, Thornton considered New Stages to be "the most significant thing we do as a theatre program. The fall show is flashier and on a larger scale. The Spring Ensemble Show provides our most polished and sophisticated performances."  Department Chair, Christine McBurney adds that "New Stages provides an excitement and a guided learning experience for students that is unparalleled. Students work closely together, learning how to problem solve, collaborate effectively, and think creatively." Thornton also says, "across the line, if you ask Shaker Theatre alumni what their most memorable moments were, they will most likely recall those moments shared in New Stages. To my knowledge, no other high school in the country has a new play series of this design."

This year's New Stages provides working and learning opportunities for over 75 students. Over 26 years, the series has involved more than a thousand students in the creation of new works for the theatre. Among Shaker Theatre alums are:

*	Carter Bays '93, five-time Emmy-nominated writer for Late Night with David Letterman. Bays is also a writer and producer for American Dad and How I Met Your Mother 
*	Jamie Babbit, '89, writer/director of the film, But I'm a Cheerleader, The Quiet, and Itty Bitty...Committee 
*	David Wain, '87, writer/director of the film, Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten 
*	Michelle Federer, '91, New York stage actress, the original Nessarose in Broadway's Wicked and who recently appeared Off Broadway in Anon, and in the film Flannel Pajamas 
*	Michael McElroy, '84, New York Tony nominated stage actor, Big River, Rent, Miss Saigon, Angels in America, currently appearing in the new Terrance McNally play, Some Men 
*	Gabrielle Perrin, '87, former casting director for all West Coast operations for the television channel, Nickelodeon 
*	Betsy Hogg, '06, recently appeared Off Broadway in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie with Cynthia Nixon and on Broadway in The Crucible with Liam Neeson and Laura Linney and Fiddler on the Roof with Harvey Fierstein 
*	Sara Knowlton, '87, television, film and New York stage actress 
*	Jennifer Cohen, namesake of the annual Shaker Foundation Award, Owner and President of The Annoyance Theatre Company, Chicago 
*	The late Louis Schechter, '83, Los Angeles film producer and director 
*	and many others...

Every new Broadway season for the past sixteen years has included one or more Shaker Theatre alum in major New York productions. In addition, Shaker Theatre alums hold positions in every area of professional theatre and the entertainment industry.

Stage 3-Shaker Heights High School's intimate black box theatre-was the vision of student Amy Silberman, '81.  For her Senior Project, she drew a design for a black box theatre and identified the space in the basement of the school.  Amy was the catalyst for turning the former fallout shelter into a performing space. Stage 3, dedicated in her memory, is the perfect venue for New Stages, seating only 86 people and usually selling out every performance. 

The award-winning Theatre Arts Department at Shaker High offers 9 daily theatre classes, produces 4 major productions and 5 showcases, and involves nearly 300 students each year. The program hosts numerous on-going guest artists, including, for the past two years, residencies with Matt Thornton, '92, of the Pilobolus Dance Theatre; Geoff Bullen, Assistant Director at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA); Seth Gordon, Associate Artistic Director at the Cleveland Play House; and regional theatre actress Diedriu Ring. Faculty include: Theatre Arts Department Chair Christine McBurney, who teaches Playwriting, Acting, Jr. Ensemble, and Shakescenes; Erik Johnson, who teaches Junior, Advanced and Senior Ensembles, Theatre I, and Theatre Production Seminar; Chuck Tisdale, Auditorium Manager and Technical Director; and Joel Rathbone, Stage Manager. 

 

 
Christine McBurney 
Theatre Arts Department Chair 
Shaker Heights High School 
15911 Aldersyde Dr. 
Shaker Heights, OH 44120 
216.295.4258 
216.295.4277 fax 
New Stages 26
Shaker Playwrights & Directors 
New Plays Series
March 26 & 27 @ 8
March 28 & 29 @ 7:00 & 9:15
Box Office 295-4287
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