Blog Posts - Festival Theatre | St. Croix Falls, WI

READING: Mark Peacock and LaMoine MacLaughlin at Festival Theatre

1/6/2018

Media Contact
Josiah Laubenstein, Marketing Director
scftheatre@gmail.com

Mark Peacock and LaMoine MacLaughlin, two nationally known and respected writers, will have a reading at St. Croix Festival Theatre on January 20th at 7:30PM. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds go to support the theatre.

Peacock, a fiction writer, and MacLaughlin, a poet, met a dozen years ago at a MacLaughlin’s church. Peacock says, “They had asked me to read the 2nd chapter of Luke at their church, so I did and then it's kind of grown from there.”

Peacock came to fiction late in life. He was first a freelance columnist: “I knew I'd get paid for an article and the market for fiction was very thin, I mean, for fiction maybe 6 months later you'd get a check or a rejection notice. We had to eat so I couldn't do it then. Only after I retired I thought I had some time.”

He’s used that time well. A chaplain at Good Samaritan, Peacock says he would always see people reading on their phones or tablets on their break. “I wanted to write something you could read in that amount of time, and then get back to work, having finished the story.” Break Time Stories were born. He has four collections available on Amazon Kindle and the first three have been compiled into a paperback, The First Gathering of the Break Time Stories.

Peacock gets inspiration from many places, but the latest came from close to home. “The genesis is stories I used to tell my kids. A lot of them they’re kind of mangled fairy tales, tales that kind of get stood on their head, for example Jack and the Bean Sprouts or The Little Red Hoodie. But in writing them down they give me a chance to deal with some ethical issues, like is suicide heroic or is it a waste, and what do you really do with poverty? Big questions, but told plainly.”

The event is a donation to the Festival Theatre. Peacock wanted to support the theatre, but didn’t know how. “I haven't got any money but I want to support Festival, always have. The idea for this originally came when I was reading at the Saint Croix Falls Library and I thought here's something I can do.”

For those interested in the attending the reading in and supporting Festival Theatre, tickets are $10 and can be purchased at FestivalTheatre.org, by emailing festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com or by calling the box office at 715-483-3387.

Photo Caption: Peacock and MacLaughlin

Applications available for 2018 Intern and Apprentice Class

1/4/2018

Members of the 2017 Intern/Apprentice Class with Guest Artists

Oh, how dearly we miss our 2017 Intern and Apprentice Class - it seems like only yesterday that this fabulous group of young women were taking the Festival Theatre stage by storm in our summer musical 1776! But 2018 waits for no man (nor woman neither,) so it is ONWARD!

Festival Theatre is currently accepting applications for our 2018 Intern and Apprentice Company. A position in the I/A Company means working shoulder to shoulder with the Festival Theatre staff and professional guest artists from all around the country to create a summer season of bold, audacious live theatre in the St. Croix River Valley.

Festival Theatre will be attending the Twin Cities Unified Theatre Auditions, a CLIMB Theatre
audition event, February 24th and 25th at Concordia University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Registration for the TCUTAs is due February 15th and you can register online by clicking here. **Do not call Concordia University.**

Festival Theatre’s Internship/Apprenticeship Program offers participants...

On Stage Experience - Interns and apprentices will perform a role or understudy a role in at least two of our three summer shows.
Design and Stage Management Opportunities - Interns and apprentices with experience and interest are often considered for design, stage management and assistant positions throughout the summer.
An Enriching Workshop Series - Our series of (weekly) workshops will allow for unique experiences with the ultimate goal of individual growth as a performer, teammate, artist, teaching artist and human being.
Teaching Artist Experience - Interns and apprentices will work closely with Arts Education Director Rachel Kuhnle in leading Art In Action - Festival Theatre’s summer drama camp - for community youth ages 5 -12. Teaching Artists are paid an hourly fee.
Improv Experience - All summer company members participate in weekly improv shows on Friday nights in July and August. Improvers explore short and long form improv and get a split of the house.
Involvement In Production / Administrative Teams - Teams include Scenic Carpentry, Stage Management, Box Office/House Management, Administrative Assistance, Marketing and Development.
Front of House Experience - Interns and apprentices also get to spend time crafting the patron experience by working occasional box office and house management shifts.
Stipends - Interns and apprentices receive a small stipend competitive with similar programs.

For more information about the 2018 season and to read testimonials, click here.
For more specifics about intern/apprentice duties, click here.
And finally, applications can be downloaded here.

Spring Youth Acting Classes at Festival Theatre

1/2/2018

Happy New Year from Arts Education at Festival Theatre,

We hope you've had a wonderful Holiday break and are ready to take 2018 by storm! Get the new year started off right with this exciting opportunity for your child to explore the craft of acting in a new way.

Spring Youth Acting Classes

Starting Jan 27 thru Mar 3 (No class 2/24 or 2/25)
1.) Ages 7 - 12: Sat morning 9 am - 11 am (2 hrs a week) $50 for 5 weeks
2.) Ages 13 - 18: Sun evenings 6 pm - 8 pm (2 hrs a week) $50 for 5 weeks

Maybe your kid is totally new to the stage, maybe they act all the time but have never taken a class - this spring, Festival Theatre is offering youth acting classes for any experience level.
Two age groups are available:
Actors ages 7 to 12 will meet Saturday mornings from 9 am - 11 am
Actors ages 13 to 18 will meet Sunday evenings from 6 pm - 8 pm.
Led by Arts Education Director Rachel Kuhnle, with guest instructors from the Festival Theatre company, actors will explore storytelling using the three actor tools - the voice, the body, and the imagination. Fee is $50 for 5 weeks. All classes take place in the Franklin Square Black Box. **Space is limited**

Possible activities include:

Concentration, memory and ensemble building games
"Open Scene" studies, exploring creating given circumstances and justifying actor dialogue
Actor vocab - fun activities to better understand different acting concepts from some of the great acting teachers
Individualized feedback in a safe and supportive environment
Voice and diction work
Impulse training through movement - how to react and express confidently and honestly in the moment and turn off your self-doubt.
Individual monologue work - how to make your works take action
Scene work - practice analyzing a scene as a series of units, beats and actions and how to bring your actor choices to life
Original scene work - make anything you can imagine come true with an original scene prompted by fun writing exercises
Improv exploration

To sign up for for more information, contact Rachel Kuhnle at artsedfestivaltheatre@gmail.com. Space is limited, so get in touch today!

Youth Auditions for Peter Pan

12/7/2017

Festival Theatre Announces Youth Auditions for
Peter Pan
Sunday January 21st, 5:00 pm - 7:15 pm
Monday January 22nd, 5:00 pm - 7:15 pm
**Registration through the Box Office opens Dec 21**

ABOUT THE SHOW: Join Wendy, John and Michael Darling as they adventure into the world of Neverland with the mischievous Peter Pan as their guide. The familiar story you know and love, this will be a fresh take on the classic story of never wanting to grow up.

A PRE-AUDITION WORKSHOP will be held Sunday, January 7th at 6 pm. The audition workshop will take approximately 45 minutes and will provide some basic audition coaching. Youth will receive an introduction to the stage area, a few vocal & physical exercises, and a “pep talk” for how to prepare for their audition. Youth should dress comfortably and be well-rested.  If you have never auditioned for Festival Theatre, we highly encourage you to attend this workshop! Parents are urged to attend as well. Please register in advance for this workshop at the Festival Theatre Box Office by e-mail or telephone (see box office information below).

WHO: We are looking for somewhere between 12 and 24 youth actors, ages 7 to 18.

PERFORMANCES:
Peter Pan
2:00 pm: 3/11, 3/18
7:30 pm: 3/9, 3/10, 3/15, 3/16, 3/17
**Additional yet-to-be scheduled student matinee dates not included**

REHEARSALS: for Peter Pan will begin Saturday, February 3rd. To aid us in creating a successful rehearsal calendar, please be as accurate and detailed as possible with known and potential conflicts on audition registration form. A complete rehearsal schedule will be made available to cast members at the first rehearsal.

What is needed for the AUDITION?
●      PLEASE REGISTER in advance by e-mail (preferred) or telephone for a specific audition time slot. Registration will open one month prior to audition date (Dec 21st) Form attached.
●      TO REGISTER: e-mail or call the box office to register for the audition. Hours: T-F, 10 am - 3 pm festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com OR 715-483-3387
●      A COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORM with all scheduling conflicts during the listed rehearsal and performance schedules. Registration forms can be received via e-mail or picked up at Festival Theatre.
●      A RECENT PHOTO (headshot preferred – school photo is fine) and a list of any performance experiences, classes, or performance camps. Please attach the photos and list to the registration form. Photos will not be returned.
●      PERFORM A MEMORIZED MONOLOGUE (30-45 seconds only – not longer). Choose a piece from a play, a poem, very short story, part of a story, or even a joke.
●      ARRIVE FIVE TO TEN MINUTES EARLY FOR A PROMPT START. Late arrivals will be rescheduled if space allows. Arrive well-rested, dressed comfortably for movement, with a ready attitude for small group activities.
Can parents/guardians watch the auditions?
In order to provide a safe and distraction-free environment for all participating youth, we ask that youth NOT have their adults along in the audition space. However, if it seems essential to be present, one parent/guardian may request to be present at the back of the theatre and must be completely quiet. Siblings or friends who are not auditioning may NOT attend. Requests must be made at least six hours in advance of audition.

Q & A With Some of the Actors of Children of Mystery River

9/13/2017

Read about our youth actors and their experience with Children of Mystery River.
Interested in being one of our youth actors or know someone who is? Email us at festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com for more info.

2017 Cast of Children of Mystery River.

1.) What was your favorite part of rehearsing Children of Mystery River?

Olivia (Ensemble, Mrs. Oloffson) : "Learning how to become a river was tricky but fun."

Adilena (The Heron) : "I like the games [we played in rehearsal] because they were new and fun.

Michaela (Ensemble, Rev. Larson) : "Exploring the different movements and sounds we could make for our own parts of the show. We used so many different noises with our mouths and our bodies to make up things like animals and storms."

Jack (Ensemble, Charlie) : "Getting new pages because it is always cool to get more lines."

Tristan (Ensemble, Erik the Blacksmith) : "Hanging out with friends, playing theatre games, and learning Swedish! I loved that we could be imaginative in this play."

Gideon (Seth) : "I liked the blocking because it's fun to see how the show comes together, and I think Rachel did a really good job with that."

Cade (Ensemble, Anders) : "Seeing what animals, sounds or things you will become. It's really fun to become fire, a tree or even a porcupine. Also being with friends of course."

North (Ensemble, Malcolm) : "One of my favorite parts of the rehearsal process was when Josiah came in to do a voice workshop. We got to play interesting games on how to improve our acting - like drawing our "voice" and pretending to be someone else - I pretended to be be Josiah!"

2.) What is your favorite part of the play?

North (Ensemble, Malcolm) : "I like the last line of act one where I say 'hello."

Michaela (Ensemble, Rev. Larson) : "The storm. We make all of the noises ourselves in very intricate ways and everyone has their own individual parts of the storm that they play."

Adilena (The Blue Heron) : "I like when North picks me up and makes me fly as the heron."

Gideon (Seth) : "My favorite part is when I get to fish with Anders, because I think it's cool that Anders is teaching me how to fish and I'm learning about it and saying the right kind of stuff about it.

Beckett (Ensemble, Townsperson) : "My favorite is the bakery scene because it's super funny."

3.) What have you learned by working on this play?

Michaela (Ensemvle, Rev Larson) : "You don't always need sound effects and more prop pieces to make the scene look or feel better. The actors can all become one thing or situation with each other's creativity and imagination."

Adilena (The Blue Heron) : "I learned to be still."

North (Ensemble, Malcolm) : "I leaned how to use my body to create abstract images.
I also learned that timber cruising was way cool!"

Olivia (Ensemble, Mrs. Oloffson) : "I've learned how to connect and work with the other ensemble actors. Like when we're the river, we're all one river."

Tristan (Ensemble, Erik the Blacksmith) : "Your shyness disappears when you act."

Beckett (Townsperson, Ensemble) : "I learned that the mystery river is the St. Croix River!"

The Children's Hour: Is it for kids???

8/8/2017

In rehearsal with Marjorie Gast and director Jaclyn Johnson.

Hey all! It’s Rachel, the Arts Education Director at Festival Theatre.

Sunday we said goodbye to Rumors, our summer comedy, and, immediately began tech for our final show of the summer season - Lillian Hellman’s underproduced American classic The Children’s Hour. It’s always thrilling to say goodbye to one show and immediately usher in the next. Out with the lava lamps and slamming doors of Rumors, in with the pencils, books and teacher’s dirty looks (it’s set in an all-girls boarding school, after all) of The Children’s Hour.

The rehearsal period for The Children’s Hour has been a complete blur for me personally as it overlapped with the roll-out of our new summer arts camp, Art In Action! Thrilled as I was to work alongside our terrific teaching artists (summer company members Emma, Gillian, Taylor, Erika and Emily,) and bring our exciting new curriculum to the kids of our St. Croix Valley community, I was simultaneously in Children’s Hour rehearsals, taking on probably the most emotionally taxing role I’ve ever done.

On one hand, it was a huge help! My character Martha, after all, is a teacher who is around students 24/7. It helped me get the most appreciation out of lines like, “Maybe I am [taking it too seriously]… But you spend all your time around kids and you won’t know what to take seriously either!”

But something I’ve encountered again and again (and the inspiration for this blog post) was the recurring question from camp parents “What’s up next at the theatre? Can we come see you in a show?” And I immediately choke up! I mean, the show is after all called The Children’s Hour. Surely it’s something our campers and their parents can enjoy together. Right?? The title, named for the Longfellow poem of the same name, sounds perfectly innocent!

One thing for sure - this is NOT a children’s play. It’s a drama. And it is NOT appropriate for children under the age of 12. However. I do feel this show is EXACTLY the kind of play we need to be watching with our kids. Especially those 12+ who are starting to grapple with mature issues.

Now, my qualifier - I am not a parent. Parents, please know that I defer to you! You are aware of things that I, until I am in your shoes, cannot imagine. But hear me out: I do work with kids - many kids over the past 10 years. Which means everyday I am reminded of what it’s like to be a kid. And the difficult themes in this play? Themes like bullying, gossip, lying, peer pressure, manipulation, exclusion, sexuality and suicide? Your kids want to talk about them.

A show like The Children’s Hour is a special opportunity to explore, in a safe place with a theatre you trust, topics that are otherwise difficult to talk about. Directed by our wonderful Artistic Director Jaclyn Johnson, starring members of our staff, summer company, and a large number of community actors - you know us. We’re a part of your community here. Let’s have a conversation.

The Children's Hour opens this weekend - Sat August 12 - with shows Thursday, Saturday and Sunday until August 27th.
Tickets are available here.

And we do have a kids show coming up!! Our Youth and Family Series show Children of Mystery River is right around the corner - Sept 8 - Sept 17. Tickets are available for purchase now.

The Children's Hour Opens This Weekend

8/7/2017

Lucy Herman and Nyla Greenberg rehearsing for The Children's Hour.

The Children’s Hour opens at Festival Theatre this weekend, Saturday, August 12th at 7:30pm and runs through the 27th.

Lillian Hellman’s under-produced masterpiece offers a beautiful but tragic look into the lives of two teachers in the 1930s. The play deals with issues such as bullying, gossip, and lying. It is a very cathartic piece that also provides some wonderful opportunities for local youth actors to showcase their abilities.

“It speaks to issues that are still very relevant today in 2017,” says Rachel Kuhnle, who plays one of the two teachers devastated by a lie started by a student at their school. “There is a real need to share and open ourselves up and this play shows the dangers of avoiding that.”

The show also features several youth ‘veterans’ of the Festival Stage, including Alaina Driscoll, Jenna Driscoll, Sidrah Edwards, Ellie Eklof, Carl Hallberg, Lucy Herman, Frankie Miller, Sienna Shoop, and Brecken Styles.

The show, which deals with some difficult themes such as lying and bullying, will be a challenge, especially for Frankie Miller and Lucy Herman who play two of the girls involved in starting a rumor which drastically changes the lives of the teachers at their school.

But Miller and Herman, both of whom attend the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, feel up to challenge. Herman says, “I like exploring my characters and seeing how they are different from characters I have played before.”

Tickets are $26 for adults, $15 for youth 5-18, and patrons are encouraged to reserve ahead of time as the run is limited to only 8 performances. Tickets can be purchased at FestivalTheatre.org, by emailing festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com or by calling the box office at 715-483-3387.

Youth Actors have a chance to shine in The Children's Hour

7/28/2017

Braving the Storm

6/30/2017

"In the eye of the hurricane there is quiet..."

***Celebrating our penultimate weekend of shows with a throwback to the excitement of opening! Enjoy this post by acting apprentice Emily Garst as she shares her opening night reflections.***

1776 Opening Weekend: Braving the Storm
By Emily Garst

It's impossible to accurately describe what an opening weekend feels like. After weeks of rigorous rehearsals - and subsequently weeks of expectation - you are finally in front of an audience. You cannot predict what kind of audience will be in attendance, nor how they receive the performance. The chance of missing a cue or mangling a line is left up to the fates. The time to call "hold" and run that song one more time is long past.
However, amidst all the panic and anxious excitement, there is also a unique sense of calm. It's as if we members of the entire cast and crew find ourselves in the eye of a storm. This tempest consists of keeping the author's and director's vision close by, supporting your voice, and responding accordingly to the choices made around you. The whirlwind is having animated whispered conversations in the green room before hushing yourself abruptly mid-sentence and perking your head up to listen for the scene's progress as you await your cue. The deluge is keeping the energy alive after 2.5 hours of congressional debate.
Even so, none of us feel a deep sense of dread. We've made it this far. We are a force with which to be reckoned. Just as our Founding Fathers who came before us, we "brave the storm in a skiff made of paper." This script brought us all together for a common purpose. And in our journey to revive a tale of America's birth, we have supported each other the entire way. There are bonds forged within this cast that are stronger than many I have experienced in my brief time on this earth - and that makes them all the more precious. I am endlessly grateful to everyone who has been part of this process, and I cannot wait to return to this incredible production for the next three weekends.

***Tickets are going fast! Don't miss your chance to see this wonderful, unique production!***

Our Unique Staging

6/27/2017

Vintage postcard of the Declaration Committee.

The St. Croix Festival Theatre production of the musical 1776: America’s Prize Winning Musical is truly unlike any you will ever see again, and not only because of all the new faces in our summer company and our intimate staging in the Franklin Square Black Box. The production is cutting edge as Co-Artistic Director Seth Kaltwasser employs two major theatrical conventions currently popular on Broadway and around the country: non-traditional casting and actors doubling as musical accompaniment.
So, what is non-traditional casting? The most famous example is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s award-winning Broadway musical Hamilton, with tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, reimagined with actors of color - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and, of course, Alexander Hamilton are all portrayed by non-white actors. A truly innovative masterpiece, theatres around the country have embraced non-traditional casting as a way to re-experience the familiar through a new lens, and bring to the stage traditionally underrepresented persons.
For Co-Artistic Director Seth Kaltwasser, the choice to do 1776 with a female cast was timely. “I’d just recently fallen in love with the score [of 1776] and was curious about the possibility of reimagining the show to fit inside a black box venue. It seemed an odd fit, at first, for Festival Theatre’s summer season, as the applicants for our intern and apprentice company are college-aged performers, and our casting pool is always filled with an abundance of talented young women we’d like to cast. Unfortunately, very few musicals feature a large quantity of roles for young women. With this in mind, and because we were choosing our 2017 season in a year when America had its first female presidential nominee of a major party, Jackie and I felt there was a great opportunity to tackle this project now, and in doing so, hopefully expand the conversations that 1776 will inevitably inspire.”
As for the decision to double actors as accompaniment, it was a matter of economy. “We’re a black box, there is no place to hide a pit orchestra. I’ve learned that, as a director, you can’t fight your venue; you have to embrace the unique qualities of your space. So, in staging a big musical in a small space, you start to think about boiling the music down to its most essential qualities. Also, it’s a goal of ours to always engage our interns and apprentices at a very high level. With actor doubling, we wheedled a cast of 27 characters down to 14 performers. From that economic perspective, the next question was obvious: what if the actors also played the music? It felt like an exciting challenge.”
To meet the unique challenges of this concept, Seth and Co-Artistic Director Jaclyn Johnson had to secure a summer company up to the task. They would need to be especially strong musicians, singers, and actors to meet the demands of this artistic undertaking.
When I first heard our production was with an all-female cast I thought, ‘what a cool
opportunity to tackle a role I would NEVER been able to play otherwise,” says apprentice Marjorie Gast. Gast portrays Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, plays violin, and is a piano accompanist for a number of songs. “One of my favorite parts about our show is to watch the rotation of piano players circle in and out behind the piano - because all of the musicians have their own sense of musicality, each accompanist has a different flavor she brings to the show which I find to be truly charming.”
The rehearsal process brought about many surprises and discoveries.
“As a woman in 2017 portraying a male historical figure, it was interesting to see what made no difference versus what made a HUGE difference,” says apprentice Erika Kuhn, who portrays several members of Congress. “As a modern woman, taking action and fighting for what you believe in is not a stretch. However, there are several little moments in the show that draw attention to the gender bend purely because a woman speaking those words trips up a social expectation where a man's voice would've been the norm.”
As activist Marie Wilson says, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Diverse representation is important. And it means a lot to the young women in the cast.
"I love the idea of claiming the words of our Founding Fathers for ourselves,” says apprentice Emily Garst, who portrays Abigail Adams and Andrew McNair. “With an all-female cast, we explore the birth of our nation with fresh eyes.”
"I would definitely do this sort of thing again!” says Laila Sahir, who plays Thompson and piano accompaniment on a number of songs. “Reimagining a piece of theatre is incredibly empowering. It shows that there isn't a ‘right’ way to create and that innovation is important and necessary for continued growth and vitality in the arts. There's no one 'right' way to tell a story."

Dickenson, Hancock and Rutledge waiting to make an entrance.