KEEPING IN TOUCH :: RSA Newsletter




	Alberta, 1930. Thousands are out of work after the crash of ’29. Farms are literally turning to dust and blowing away. Bible Bill Aberhart is preaching repentance on CFCN, the Voice of the Prairie. The “big city” of Calgary has electric lights, Charlie Chaplin movies, indoor plumbing & paved roads. Fleeing the drought in the Dakotas, the Stockman family moves to Alberta in the hopes of finding a better life and renewed faith, only to find that they cannot outrun their fears. Performed and produced by students in Mentorship Level I: Justin Born Dan Derksen Kendra Hutchinson Jonathan Kobewka Also featuring: Sammantha Isaman, Kelsey Krogman, Nathan Schmidt, Scott Schreiner For Tickets Call: 1-800-267-7553 or (403) 677-2350 Duration: 120 minutes - Read more... Rosebud School of the Arts Calendar Apr. 20 - Discover Rosebud! in St Albert, AB - Sturgeon Valley Baptist Church Apr. 29 - Performance Night at the Akokiniskway Gallery May 3 - Last Day of Winter Term May 4 - Student Showcase at Rosebud Church May 6 - First Day of Summer term (Practicum studies only) May 17 - Closing of Trying – Rosebud Theatre Opera House May 30 – Aug 30 - Fiddler on the Roof – Rosebud Theatre Opera House July 3 – Aug 30 - For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again – Studio Stage – Rosebud Theatre July 14 – 19 - Scout Week for prospective students Aug. 4 – 9 - Scout Week for prospective students Recipe for Success – What Makes Rosebud Work? For 35 years, Rosebud School of the Arts has been delivering education in the arts. From humble beginnings to a leading theatre arts school, the Rosebud “recipe” for success remains simple: Take equal parts vision, passion, and commitment, mix together with like-minded, dedicated people and place in the warm oven of a community that cares, for as long as it takes. What can you do to spice up our recipe? Time? Talents? Money? Consider contributing to the Rosebud recipe for success today by donating, in whatever fashion you can. Call RSA Executive Director Bob Davis at 1-800-267-7553. Alumni Update Heather Pattengale ’07 married Paul Zacharias (photo left) last summer and they moved to Surrey, BC. But they’re coming back this May when Heather begins rehearsals for Fiddler on the Roof. Contact: vvbutterflyvv@hotmail.com Joanna Siemens ’05 (photo right) married Matthew Rowley and gave birth to a little boy Brian Josiah Rowley on Aug. 3, 2007! They are living in Ponoka, AB. Contact: far_beyond_dreams@hotmail.com Lyf Stolte '01 (photo left) is directing and producing an original work called The Passages of Everett Manning, the first completely home-grown play inspired by the Sanctuary community, a ministry for street-involved residents. Playing every Friday and Saturday night throughout April 2008 at Sanctuary, 25 Charles St. E., Toronto, ON. http://sanctuarytoronto.ca/screamingmonkeys/locate.html Student Final Project I Laughed, I Cried, It Moved Me, Bob West Coast Trip By Cassia Schramm, Certificate in Theatre Foundations (photo below) Rosebud’s Certificate class had a fabulous West Coast Trip. After six months of Rosebud life, it was refreshing to see the world beyond our valley and theatre outside of the Opera House. The trip gave us a broader perspective of theatre and an opportunity to discover the growth Rosebud can offer us. Our trip started in Chemainus. We explored the Little Town that Could, enjoying the brightly colored buildings and absorbing the British Columbian landscape. We spent a bit of time in Goldstream Park. After two nights in Chemainus’ luxurious Inn, we embraced our identity as students and checked into the Ocean Island Backpackers Hostel in Victoria. There we enjoyed live music and a new closeness with our classmates. We explored the streets of Victoria, visited the cathedral, Beacon Hill Park, and took a day trip to China Beach. The rest of our trip was spent a ferry-ride away in Vancouver. We saw fantastic shows! A few highlights were Tonight…Piaf at Chemainus, Turn of the Screw in Victoria’s Belfry Theatre, and Glorious at the Arts Club in Vancouver. These shows featured incredibly talented actors, and amazing stories. We also saw A Man for All Seasons at Pacific Theatre, The Boyfriend at Studio 58, United Players’ Jane Eyre, and The Amorous Adventures of Anatol at the Vancouver Playhouse. Along with our theatre experiences, we attended workshops at Chemainus Theatre, Pacific Theatre and with the Panic Squad Improv Team. We toured the Vancouver Playhouse production centre and participated in various talk-backs. Little golden moments included: dancing on the moving sidewalk in the Calgary airport, standing in the freezing water of the Pacific, breathing in the ocean, seashells and messages in the sand, prodding and taking advantage of Shannon’s uncontrollable laugh and scare, noticing obvious patterns, Alysa laughing in her sleep, and the sun finally shining on our last day. We learned so much about theatre and even more about ourselves. We were inspired by people who are passionate about theatre. We had our struggles, but the trip was refreshing, exciting and a great experience. A bit chilly at China Beach: From left to right: Marlee Braithwaite, Natalie Blanchard, Luke Reinhardt, Michael Bartz, Cassia Schramm, Shannon Klassen, Alysa van Haastert Not pictured: Dale Marushy, Clayton Bergquist. Photo credit: Dale Marushy ROSEBUD ALUMNI ON FACEBOOK Search Rosebud Alumni on FACEBOOK… and Join the Group! CHECK OUT OUR NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE & BLOG STILL ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER!!! If you know of a young artist that has not yet heard of the programmes offered by Rosebud School of the Arts… don't waste any more time, get them in touch with our Recruitment officer and get them to Rosebud! Summer Scout Week dates are set for: July 14 - 19 August 4 - 9 June dates are available on request. Nathan Schmidt ~ Recruitment Officer recruitment@rosebudschoolofthearts.com Box 654 Rosebud, AB T0J 2T0 Phone 403-677-2350 UPCOMING EVENTS CHOIR CONCERT Sunday, April 13th at Rosebud Church - 3 pm Children’s Choir singing The Best Little Theatre in Town, Rosebud Chorale, Rosa Cantorum, Rosebud Masterworks Freewill offering MOSAIC – An Evening of Blues, Canadian Music and Opera Tuesday April 15th at Kaleidoscope Theatre, Drumheller - 7:30 pm Rosebud Chorale, Rosa Cantorum, Rosebud Masterworks Tickets at the door: $10 adults, $7 students / seniors Kids under 12 free The 2008 Student SHOWCASE Sunday May 4 Rosebud Church 2pm Class work in performance: music, choir, movement, monologues, scenes, & dance Freewill offering		April 2008 Download this issue of the Keeping In Touch RSA Newsletter (PDF) Student Final Projects One of the strengths of an RSA education is the opportunity for each student to produce a final project before graduating. Through the final project, students create and manage a mini-production company and gain essential skills in creating their own work – skills that are crucial for any theatre graduate coming out of school. A twisted gnome (Scott Schreiner) begs his master (Travis Friesen) for mercy in The Author’s Voice by Richard Greenberg, a dark comedy produced by Scott Schreiner. Grandma (Diana-Marie Stolz) shares a moment with her granddaughter (Rachel Peacock) in A Song of Colour, a touching drama with music, written and produced by Rachel Peacock. In the stylish comedy La Bete by David Hirson, produced by Travis Friesen, a newbie actor (Travis Friesen) struts his stuff while the professional (Nathan Schmidt) looks on. A grown-up daughter (Rebecca Wohlgemuth) proves her mother’s secrets (Leah Hearne) in the drama Destroying Mt. St. Helen’s, written and produced by Rebecca Wohlgemuth. RSA Acting Students Audition at Emerge by Paul F. Muir, Head of Acting In April, theatre graduates from across the province will be auditioning for Alberta's Artistic Directors, Freelance Directors and Casting Directors, vying for the chance to be noticed and hopefully employed. The annual Emerge auditions, hosted by Theatre Alberta, take place on April 14th in Edmonton & April 21st in Calgary. Proudly representing Rosebud School of the Arts this year will be the following graduating students, with Rosebud credits listed after their name: Travis Friesen (Butterfinger's Angel..., Precious Bane, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, Tent Meeting, St. Nick's, On Golden Pond) Aaron Krogman (Butterfinger's Angel..., Precious Bane, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, St. Nick's, As You Like It, The Good Doctor, The Quarrel, The Homecoming) Lindsey Sine (Butterfinger's Angel..., Precious Bane, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, St. Nick's..., The Good Doctor) Rachel Peacock (Butterfinger's Angel..., Precious Bane, St. Nick's..., As You Like It) Scott Schreiner (Butterfinger's Angel..., Precious Bane, St. Nick's..., Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, On Golden Pond, The Good Doctor) Rebecca Wohlgemuth (Butterfinger's Angel..., Precious Bane, The Way of the Wolf, The Homecoming). Please keep these individuals in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for their first step into the professional world. NEW YORK, NEW YORK… By Kelsey Krogman, Mentorship Level II Acting We escaped the Alberta deepfreeze just in time to find the weather in New York quite warm, despite some rain and snow. Our time there was spent seeing shows and the sights (like the Mac store on 5th Ave.), and participating in workshops. We audited some classes at HB Studios, home of the quintessential acting textbook Respect for Acting, and saw a play there, Lilian Yuralia, which was like watching a master class in Uta Hagen’s acting principles. We learned some basics of the Alexander Technique at the Neighborhood Playhouse, Sanford Meisner’s school for acting. We revisited some of the scenes from last spring’s Studio Stage production of As You Like It at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts. In Toronto, we had the opportunity to explore text and movement under Gerry Trentham’s guidance again; he led an Intersession class with the Mentorship students last spring in Rosebud. I took in some fabulous shows, like David Mamet’s hilarious new play November, about a president on his way out of the Oval Office, and The Seafarer by Conor MacPherson, about two brothers playing cards with the devil. I returned to Rosebud, inspired to play and explore within the work ahead of me. Posing in the heart of the Big Apple: Kelsey Krogman (top left), Megan Craig (top right), Belinda Jackson (bottom right), Sammantha Isaman (bottom left). Photo credit: Paul F. Muir Just outside the hostel, next to Central Park. From left to right: (standing) Dan Derksen, Kendra Hutchinson, Justin Born, Megan Craig, Emily Malmberg, Sammantha Isaman, Serena Snively, Nathan Schmidt, Matthew Schaffer, Jonathan Kobewka, (sitting) Belinda Jackson, Kelsey Krogman Photo credit: Paul F. Muir BUDDING PLAYWRIGHTS Seedlings Ready to Transplant By Lucia Frangione ’91, Instructor of THR 333 Introduction to Playwriting Does anything sprout in Alberta in February? The BPF is a unique opportunity for artists and audience to participate in the growing of a new play from what I consider to be a "seedling" phase. Through the Introduction to Playwriting course we germinate seeds for play ideas, learning about the conditions that are necessary for a good idea to grow, we generate a few sprouts, pluck out the ones that are weaker and nurture a tender stem until it looks ready to harden off in a mere four hour rehearsal period and transplant to the big wide world in the form of a public reading. What the audience gets to see is a budding play: its first outing into the world, a rare and wonderful creative "spring" and Rosebud gets a kind of artistic "spring fever" around festival time. We are all so accustomed to watching and creating within a well established fully bloomed play, often from a different time and a different country. It's a "close to the bone" kind of thrill when a play is homegrown, when you're part of a creative process in the fragile, glistening with newness phase, developing something "ours", something Canadian. This year was no exception. The writers brought courageous, hard-hitting, wobbly, wonderful works to the stage and the volunteering artists committed to them a hundred percent. We had full houses both nights and I am left with a profound sense of gratefulness to be a part of it all. Out of the three years we've done this course, three scripts have gone on to have full productions: Carmen Paterson leading the way with a national premier of The Naked Barn in Manitoba last year. The course is open to eligible students but also open to members of the community at large. Register soon though, the course books up fast and I have a limited enrollment. Cheers, Lucia For more information about the playwriting course, click here or contact Maki Van Dyke, Registrar education@rosebudschoolofthearts.com Currently playing on the Opera House Stage: March 14 – May 17th By Joanna McClelland Glass Starring roger hamm and Cari Russell For reservations, please call 1-800-267-7553 RSA Alumni Rate: $49 buffet and show Tell Reservations that you are Alumni!