CaliforniaEducationalTheatre

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Vol. 3, Ed. 3

CETA Past President Receives Presitgious Teaching Award

hervoicehasbeenimportantinassuringthatcurriculumchangesandprogramreviewsenhancedtheeducationalexperienceofstudents.Shehasalsobeenaprominentmemberofthecollege’sInclusiveExcellenceAdvisoryBoard, where she played a signifi cant role in shaping the college’s strategy for improving yield, retention,andgraduationrates. Strengtheningstudentandfacultydiversity isa toppriorityforWalker.ShehasbeentheFaculty-in-Resi-denceforDiversityforSJSU’sCenterforFacultyDe-velopment,andshehastaughtoutsideherdepartmentintheCreativeArtsandAfricanAmericanStudiespro-grams.Sheandherhusband,Phillip,owntheAfricanAmericanDramaCompany,a30-year-oldprofessionaltouring company that specializes in the performanceofAfricanAmericanhistoryplays, and in2002Phil-lipWalkerreceivedCETA’sProfessionalArtistAward.Inaddition,sheisthefoundingpresidentoftheBlackTheatre Network, a national organization for profes-sionalsandthoseinvolvedinhighereducation. Walker’sachievementshavebeenrecognizedbynu-merous organizations. She was appointed to the SanFranciscoArts Commission by former Mayor WillieBrown.SheisarecipientoftheLivingLegendAwardfromtheNationalBlackTheatreFestival,EdTA’sHallofFameAward,andhasbeeninductedintothenation’smostelitetheatregroup,theCollegeofFellowsoftheAmericanTheatreAssociation.Walkerreceivedadoc-toraldegreeintheatrefromtheUniversityofMissouri-Columbia, a master’s in speech and drama from theUniversityofColorado,andabachelor’sineducationinspeechanddramafromLincolnUniversity.

EthelPittsWalker,Presi-dent of CETA from 1998to 2000, was honored bySan Jose State Universityas its 2006-07 OutstandingProfessor.Ethelhasbeenamemberof theDepartmentof Television, Radio, FilmandTheatresince1989andhas been actively involvedintheatreorganizationsherentireteachingcareer.

IntroducingWalkeratSJSU’sgraduation,PresidentDonKassingsaid,“ProfessorWalkerisrecognizedasamasterteacherwhosegreateststrengthistheabilitytotranslatehervastacademicandprofessionalexperi-ence into thecontentofher teaching.”“Her teachingstyleissoclear,sochallenging,soinformativeandsoenjoyablyfullofpassionandenergythatshecreatesavibrant,emboldenedstudent-learningcommunity.” As she began to speak a rowdy audience of 6,000studentshushed.Sheheldthemcaptivatedthroughherstimulatingandinspiringspeech. “A student knows from their fi rst interaction with Dr. Walkerthattheyareinthepresenceofaneducationalforceofnaturethatnotonlyknowsthebusinessofedu-cationwell,buthastheuncannyabilitytoconveycom-plexideastothenoviceandkeepthestudenthungeringformore,”onestudentsaid. Walker’sdedicationtoteachingextendswellbeyondtheclassroom.ShehasservedonSJSU’sCollegeofHu-manitiesandtheArtsCurriculumCommittee,where

EthelPittsWalker

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From the President I’vehadseveralopportunitiesover the last few monthsto spend time with someinsightful theatre educators.Two opportunities specifically were the Camp Bravo TheatreEducators Retreat and theCalifornia Theatre Credentialstudy group. One was fantastic

forcamaraderieandinspiration,theothervaluableforformulating an action plan for the CaliforniaTheatreArtsandDanceTeachingCredentials. The Camp Bravo Theatre Educators Retreat wasan invigorating way to spend Memorial Day weekend. Over forty teachers from California, Nevada and Arizona gathered in the San Bernadino Mountains to laugh, learn and share. Our professors were incredibly patient as we transitioned from teacher-mode tostudent-mode. In Carrie Dobro’s acting workshop we all morphed into super heroes. We enjoyed hilarious performances of the “Paper Bag Princess” in PeterNovak’s Voice and Speech workshop. Ursula Meyer’s Voice and Speech class on dialect madness and choral response was very stimulating, as was Linda Innerset’s eccentric and enjoyable embodiment of Shakespeare. As campers, the physical and auditory expression of the Native American poems was an experience to behold…aswellascreate.Wewerealsomostfortunatetospendtime with playwright Jim Leonard Jr. (The Diviners,And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson). We heardanecdotesfromhisfascinatinglifeandhadtheamazingopportunity to hear excerpts from his latest gem of a play, Battle Hymn. Thank you again to camp directors David Krassner and Artur Cybulski for another much needed revitalizing weekend. Therevitalizationwasofgreatassistancewhenweheaded back to the drawing board with the California credentialing issue. I want to thank the hosts of the June 15th study group, Los Angeles Unified School District’s high school theatre advisor, Carolyn McKnight, and middle school theatre advisor, Dr. Steven McCarthy, as well as CJ Foss who presented a clear historical perspective. It was a productive meeting where weexamined what is different now versus the last time the credential was defeated in 2000 i.e. NCLB, California Statecontentstandards,SB469supportinginstructional

materials for the visual and performing arts, the UC/CSU visual and performing art requirement, subject matter authorization, the Capitol climate, and theadvanced placement work. Representatives from elementary, middle and high school were in attendance as well as from both theatre arts and dance. The survey informationfromlastsummeraswellasourpersonalstorieswereabletogiveusacurrentperspective.Thetask force is set, and we will be asking for input and supportduringourupcomingevents:CETAConference– October ’07, North Hollywood and the 10thannualCAYouth in Theatre Day – March ’08, Sacramento. One of the key elements will be the CETA Position Paper, which will be presented at the October Conference. Thank you for all of the hard and creative work that you do, and be reminded that it is important to nourish your artistic self so that you can continue to do the difficult and challenging work that you are called to do.

- Amanda Swann

California Youth In Theatre

March 07 is Celebrated in Sacramento

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Three hundred and fortyTheatre students, their par-ents, Theatre educators, ad-ministrators,andguestsgath-ered in theEurekaRoomoftheCapitolBasementCafete-riainSacramentotocelebratethe NinthAnnual CaliforniaYouthinTheatreDay.

Schoolsinattendanceincluded:AmadorValleyHighSchool, Bakersfield High School, Canoga Park High School,CantwellSacredHeartofMaryHighSchool,Creative ConnectionsArtsAcademy, Dodson MiddleSchool,ElRanchoCharterSchool,ElSegundoMiddleSchool, Everett Alvarez High School, Garfield High School,JohnBurroughsHighSchool,JohnGlennMid-dleSchool,JuniperIntermediateSchool,KatherineAl-bianiMiddleSchool,MartinLutherKingHighSchool,Pershing Middle School, Raymond Cree MiddleSchool,RedlandsEastValleyHighSchool,RiversidePolyHighSchool,SaintMark’sSchool,SamuelJack-manMiddleSchool,St.Lucy’sPrioryHighSchool,Temescal Canyon High School, Trinity LutheranSchool, Tri-School Theatre, Upland High School,WoodcreekHighSchool,andYucaipaHighSchool. Numerous legislators and/or legislative aidesjoinedthestudentsforcomplimentarycoffeeduringtheearlyhoursofMarch27;theyposedforpictureswithstudentsfromtheirlocaldistricts. SacramentoTheatreCompanywas thehost for thesevenhoursofaward-winningperformancesandwork-shopsledbytheSTCprofessionalcompany. ComedySportzLAhighschoolmembers,directedbyJamesThomasBaileyentertainedwithamatchduringlunch;BradKoepenick,MaryKrell-Oishi,andChris-tineKolbsharedwordsofinspirationwiththedelega-tion. CETA board members, Corky Dominguez, DavidKrassner, Amanda Swann and director Tom Fearonhanded out individual certificates to each student and teacher in attendance. The certificates were prepared by CETA and the Lt. Governor’s John Garamendi’s of-fice. LettersforcongratulationsfromtheFirstLadyMariaSchriver, and the Legislative Proclamation were pre-sentedtoGaiJones,FounderofCYIT. NancyCarr,VisualandPerformingArtsConsultant,gaveeachdelegateaFactsSheetaboutTheatrewhichincluded,“Didyouknowover138,699studentspartic-

ipate in theatre,drama,creativedramatics, television,and film courses in our high schools and in some mid-dleandelementaryschools?10,000morethan5yearsago.” TheTenthAnnualCAYouthinTheatreDaywillbecelebratedinMarch2008.Registrationformswillbeon the www.cetoweb.org website.Any prize-winningstudentalongwithhis/herTheatreeducatormayregis-terbyFebruary18,2008.AnyelementaryandmiddleschoolTheatreteachermayregistertheirstudentsandpresented a rehearsed performance.Watch for E-bul-letinsconcerningregistrationandpossiblescholarshipsforthe2008event.

GaiJones

byEllenSell“Flames are pouring out of the stage area of Garfield High School Auditorium!”ThiswasthenewsreportIheardonKNXNewsRadioat9:30a.m.SundaymorningMay20onmywaytochurch. When church was out, I had

several voicemail messages notifying me of the fire but littleotherinformation.Idrovetoschoolandwasabletolookinthefrontoftheschoolthroughtheopenfrontdoors and could see sunlight streaming throughwhathadbeentheroofoftheauditorium.Icouldonlystandonthefrontsidewalkandlook.Severalpeoplehadtak-enpicturesearlierinthedayandthescenesweregrim. IwalkedaroundtothesidetoseeifIcouldseefromtheback.No,thepolicetoldme.ItoldthemIwasthetheatre teacher and as I look from the street, I heardthem kind of laugh. I thought, “They’re laughing atme,” then a HazMat man, a fire chief, offered to take me ona“walkaround”.ThenIrealizedthattheythought,ofallpeople,thetheatreteacheroughttobeabletoseewhat remained. Thewoodenchairs,handcrafted forthe1925auditorium, seemed tobemostlydestroyed.Looking in from the east door, the fire retardant foam lookedlikeasnowonthecharredremains.Atthreeinthe afternoon a few of the 100 firemen who had fought the fire were still locating live embers.

More Drama Than a Theatre Teacher Needs

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At Piedmont Middle School,our 6th grade class rotates

through an elective cycle. Thisyear,thecycleofclassesincludes:

Drama,ShakespeareanDrama,MusicandMovement,VocalMusic,Computers,ChallengeFactor,Woodshop,and Art. Each class rotation meets daily for a fifty-min-ute period and lasts for approximately five weeks so thatstudentscanhavetheopportunitytoexperienceeach

RozanGautier,VPMiddleSchools

Fromthebackentrancethestageitselfappearedrel-atively undamaged. When the firemen arrived on the scene, they had dropped the asbestos fire curtain and kept the fire from spreading into the stage and back-stageworkareas.Thecurtainswereinplace,highoffthe floor, and the workroom seemed undamaged. The floor had suffered water damage, and much water had flowed into the lower level base-mentarea. Thedoorintothedressingroomarea on the lower level from theoutsidehadseveralsawmarks,oneover a foot long, where someonehad tried to saw around the lock.Thearsonistshadcomepreparedtodoseriousdamage. Andthedamagewasserious:$25milliontothebuildingand$10milliontothecontents.WehadplannedtousetheSB1131formajorupgradestolightingandforanewlightboard.Nowinsuranceshould cover that as the building is fully insured forreplacement, including code upgrades and an antiquehistoricalbuildingrestorationclause. Thechandeliershadwroughtirondesignswithlovelydecorativeglass.Thepatternedceilinghadoriginallybeen plaster but had been duplicated exactly in Sty-rofoam to prevent pieces of plaster falling during anearthquakeandkillingsomeone.Aboutthirtypercentoftheseatshavebeensalvaged. Thecleanupworkhasbeensteady.Thewallsoftheauditoriumarebeingreinforcedinpreparationforthenewroofbeams.Theoldbeamsbentandcurledintem-peratures well over 1,000˚ F. The three story building attached to the auditorium containing administrativeoffices and twelve classrooms has been cleaned and re-opened for students and staff to reoccupy. The onlyteachers without a classroom are the dance teacherswhousedthestageastheirclassroom.Theyhavenoareatodance.Theircollectionoffolkloricocostumessufferedseveresmokedamageandisprobablyacom-pleteloss. My classroom where theatre costumes and propsarestoredisaboutablockawayfromtheauditorium.Most tools, flats, lumber, supplies are stored backstage. Somewerelost,but$7,500inbodymicrophonespur-chased the first of May survived the fire, protected in a roombehindtwobrickwalls. Somanypeoplehaveexpressedconcernandhaveofferedhelpinamultitudeofways,andwearesograte-ful.

Wearestillassessingwhatneedstobedone.Weweresofortunatenoonewasharmed,andthatstudentswerenotoncampus. Pictures of the fire, the cleanup and beginning con-struction work are at garfieldhs.org. Click on Photo Album and go to Garfield’s Auditorium Fire. Many ofthepicturesweretakenbyourprincipal,OmardelCueto,whopreparedapresentationtoshowthefacultyonMondaymorning.Hehopedtosatisfyfacultyandstudentcuriositybecausetheywouldbeunabletoseetheunstablesite. One sixteen year old Garfield freshman has been chargedandtwoothersareimplicated;allminors.Beercans with fingerprints were found on stage behind the asbestoscurtain. The Garfield Alumni Foundation is organizing a ben-efit July 28 at the East Los Angeles City College Sta-dium.LosLobos,theMidnighters,GeorgeLopezandEdward JamesOlmos,whoportrayedourown JaimeEscalantein“StandandDeliver,”areamongthosewhowillperformfrom1:00-10:00p.m.SupervisorGloriaMolinaisprovidingsecurityfortheevent. LookingattheshellofthefacilitythatIhadspentsomuchtimecaringforwasmorethandisheartening.Somanymemoriesarecontainedinthosewalls:somanyproductions; assemblies; DTASC theatre festivals,Fluffy,oneofour resident rats,would runacross themiddleofour1,500seatauditoriumduringrehearsalsorcomedownabackstagepipeandscamper throughaMidsummerfairy’slegs.Astudenthadtakenapho-tographofourresident“ghost.” Ihaveafeelingtheghost has fled.

The Sixth Grade Elective Wheel at Piedmont

Middle School*

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oftheelectives.Theprogrambeganinresponsetohav-ingtoreorganizethescheduletoprovideseveralCoreteacherswithfull-timeteachingassignments.Howev-er,theprogramhasalsoblossomedintoanidealwayofallowingkidsavariedtasteofinterestingsubjects. Five weeks?!? What’s a drama teacher to do in a five-weekelectivecycle?We’vecomeupwithastructurethathasworkedquitewelloverthelastfewyears,andwe’dliketoshareitwithyou. During the first week and a half of Drama, we play theatergamestofosterasenseofplayandcreateacom-fortableatmosphere.Successfulgamesinclude:“WhoStartedTheMotion?”,“KittyWantsaCorner”,“KeeperoftheKeys”,and“Honey,ILoveYou/IfYouLoveMe,Smile”.Wethenmoveontoastick-puppetshowproj-ect.Studentsaredividedintogroupsandgivenafolk-tale inscripted form. Asuccessful resource touse isDramatizedFolktalesoftheWorld,editedbySylviaE.Kamerman. Some surefire tales are “The Fierce Crea-ture”,“ThePrincessWhoWasHiddenfromtheWorld”,and“ASpouseforSusieMouse”.Studentsthencreaterod-puppets(usingtagboardandchopsticks)foreachofthecharacters,andonepieceofbackgroundscenery.Studentsthenpracticeandperformtheirpuppetshowfortheclass.Thisusuallytakesone-and-a-halftotwoweeks. Our final project is a lip sync performance. Students aredividedintogroupsandareallowedtochoosesongsfrom our class collection of CD’s, which have beencarefullyscrutinized.Studentsaregiventhreeperiodstocreatetheirlipsyncroutine,whichusuallyincludesdance. Frompastexperience,wehavelearnednottogive students any more than three periods of time toprepare, because the performance does not get betteranddisharmonyinthegroupcanoccur.Includingtheintroduction and the final performance, this project usu-allytakesaweek. If time allows, we will either finish up with more dramagames,orreadaplayasaclass.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory isapopularfavorite. After the Drama elective, students rotate into theShakespeareanDramaelective. It is anatural segue.TheShakespeareanDramaclassisalittlebitofevery-thing: history, acting, vocabulary, modern culture, film study-allguidedbytheprimarythemequestion:“Justwhat influence does this Shakespeare guy have on my modern day 6th grade life?” As in the beginning ofdrama,studentsplaygamestopromotecreativityandestablishaconnectionwithoneanother.Wetrynotto

repeatthegamesfromDramatoShakespeare;populargamesinShakespeareincludeaNameGamewherestu-dentsdanceacrossacircle,arhythmgamecalled“AliBabaandtheFortyRobbers”,and“TellMeAbouttheTimeYou”,agameinwhichstudentsimproviseastorybasedonmodern-daylanguagethatShakespeareorigi-nallycreated.Studentsareoftensurprisedtolearnthatcommon expressions such as, “knock, knock…who’sthere?”,“It’sallGreektome!”,“upstairs”,“football”,and“puppydog”areallattributedtoTheBard. Stu-dentsarealsoexposedtoanumberofmoviesthatref-erenceShakespeare,songsthatreferenceShakespeare,Shakespeareinadvertisements,andShakespeareinsuchpopularcultural iconsasMTV! Inaddition,studentsplayacting-outgamestolearnaboutlifeinElizabethantimes,commonElizabethanterms,andparticipateinaShakespeareanInsultContest.Thisusuallycoversthefirst two-and-a-half weeks. Fromthere,wespendtheremainingtwo-and-a-halfweeks focusingononeofShakespeare’s plays. Thisyear’s classes have been focusing on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.Webeginbyfocusingonkeythemesintheplay,andactingoutthosescenesusingtableauexer-cises. Because students remain in the class for only five weeks,wefocusonafewkeyscenesinsteadofreadingtheentireplay.Studentsreceiveasummaryoftheplayandasummaryofeachscene.Partsaredividedsothatseveralstudentsshareapartandreadthelineschoral-ly. We also watch the majority of the film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dreamaswell,andiftimeallows,we watch bits and pieces of different film versions so thatstudentsareexposedtodifferentShakespeare in-terpretations. This rotation model has served Piedmont MiddleSchoolwellforthepastthreeyears.Thetimegoesbyquickly;wetellourkidsthattheclassesaremerely“ataste”,andthatperhapsonedayyoumaywanttopur-sueDramaorShakespeareas“abanquet”bytakingad-ditional classes outside of the middle school. We’reproud that our elective wheel has such an emphasisin the arts! Many students go on to take Drama 7/8andcontinueparticipatinginthedramaprogramatourfeederhighschool,PiedmontHighSchool.Eitherway,we are pleased that students get exposed to not one,buttwotypesoftheaterbeforetheygraduatefrom8thgrade.

*Submitted by: Gina Thompson, Core 7/, Drama 7/8, and Shakespeare 6 Teacher Marie Cartusciello, Core 6/ Drama 6 Teacher

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Charlotte Motter Scholarship Recipient -

2007 Ed. note - Cassie Horn is this year’s future teacher scholarship winner. This is her instructor’s letter of recommendation.

CassieHorncomesfromafamilyofteachers,includ-inghermomandthreeofherfourgrandparents.Sheisalsoanaturalteacherherself.I’vewatchedherhelpher younger siblings with their homework, seen herhelppeersunderstandclassconceptsormydirection,and even had her teach me a little bit about readingmusic.ItismysincerepleasuretowritethisletterofrecommendationforherforaCharlotteMotterSchol-arshipformanyreasons,nottheleastofwhichisthatI’mcloseenoughtoretirementtobeonthelookoutforagoodreplacement,andIthinkCassiewouldmakeagreatdramateacher.

I first met her as a freshman at auditions for our spring musical,Guys And Dolls.Assheherselfhassaid,sheneverintendedtobecastinaleadrole,butwe,thedi-rectors,fortunatelydidn’tknowthatandcastherasAd-elaide.Thisfreshmanamongabunchofseniorsstoodoutforhertremendousworkethic.Inevergaveheradirectionthatwasn’tincorporatedintohercharacterbytheverynextrehearsal.Shemadeitlooksoeasyforher,and itwasn’tuntilmuch later that I learnedhowhardshehadhadtowork.

Sincethen,noonehasbeenabletokeepherawayfromthe drama program, even though she did not officially enrollinaclassuntilherjunioryear.Shehungaroundthetechkidslearningaboutlightsandsound,shepar-ticipated in festivals, competitive exams, and dinnertheatres,wasastudentdirectorforonefallshow,thenwrote,directed,andactedinaspecial19thcenturystylemelodrama olio. She played the lead in Once Upon A Mattress,asupportingleadinHello, Dolly!andjustfinished her fourth musical lead as Belle in Disney’s Beauty And The Beast.Thispastfall,sheplayedbothM’Lynnin Steel MagnoliasandTitaniain A Midsum-mer Night’s Dream. In December, she became anaward winning directorwith a one-act at the RanchoCucamonga festival. This is all in addition to main-tainingexcellentgradesandsingingintheschool’stopchoirwhileservingastheirpresident.

IfIwanttobesuresomethingisdone,IgiveittoCassieto do. Her practicality and persistence have accom-plishedeverythingfromorganizingpointrecordingforourThespianTroupe(as itscurrentvice-president) toassistingwithpropsandcostumesforalocalcommu-nitytheatreshow.Evenwhenplayingaleadingrole,she’s the first to help set up the scene at rehearsal or volunteertoassistwithascenechangeduringperfor-mance.Cassieisalwayseagertolearnsomethingnewand always willing to share her time and knowledgewithothers.Sheisasensitive,caring,andverypercep-tiveyoungladywhoneverhesitatestogiveofherself.I’ve been privileged to be her teacher, but it is herfuturestudentsIenvy.

Sincerely,

JoanneF.Karr

High School Summer Note Robert Rotenberry (Academy for the PerformingArts) is directing theOrange County premiere of themurdermysteryspoof-...And Then There Was NunfortheHuntingtonBeachPlayhouse.ThistakeoffonAg-atha Christie centers around nuns who bear a shock-ingresemblancetoformermoviestarslikeBetteDavis,JoanCrawford,VivienLeigh,MaeWest,JudyGarland,andyes.Toto.too.ItrunsJune29-July15.SaysRob-ert,“afterthatIwillbereprisingtheroleofDrakeinthe musical Annie, this time at the Curtain Call Din-nertheatreopeninginlateJulyandrunningforseveralmonths.”

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Meet Your BoardMeet an Old Friend - Past President, Carol Hovey

CarolhasherBAandMAinTheatre fromSanFranciscoStateUniversity.SheteachesTheatreandEnglishatLivermoreHighSchoolandisTheatreMan-agerofthePerformingArtsTheatre,Livermore.SheiscurrentlyPresidentandservesontheBoardofDirectorsforPleasantonPlayhouseandisPast-PresidentoftheCaliforniaEducationalTheatreAssociation(CETA).CarolwasafoundingmemberofCETANorthin1989andwasawardedtheirTheatreEducatoroftheYearAwardin1998.ShehasbeenthesitecoordinatorofCETAconferencesinthenorthsince1993andisdeeplyinvolvedinadovcatingtheatreartseducationinthestateofCalifornia. Shehasservedinvariouscapacitiesoverthepast10yearswiththeCDEasaTechMentorwithTeachingArts.org,CAAN, theCaliforniaArtsAssessmentNetwork,hashelpedwritetheCAVisual&PerformingArtsTheatreArtsContent

Standards,andhasservedontheInstructionalMaterialsAdvisoryPanelforK-8VAPAtextbooks.Sheiscur-rentlyamemberoftheAlamedaCountyArtsAllianceandisonherDistric’sArtsTeam. Honoredasoneof25Women at Center StageintheMay2004Diablo Magazine,Carolhasproduced,directedanddesignedforseveralBayAreacommunitytheatrecompaniesoverthepast20years,includingContraCostaMusicalTheatre,DiabloLightOpera’sTeenTheatre(Hello, Dolly!),HaywardLittleTheatre(How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying),DiabloValleyCollege(Godspell),thePlayhouse’sStudioTheatre(Tartuffe,On Golden Pond),andLivermoreValleyOpera(The Mikado).CarolhasdirectednumerousmusicalsforPleasantonPlayhouse,includingWest Side Story,Anything Goes,Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,My Fair Lady,Brigadoon, Oklahoma!, Fiddler On The Roof,andThe King and Iamongothers.Sheisproudofbeingageneralistinthetheatre,andoverthepastseveralyears,shehasbeentherecipientoflocal“Player’sAwards”suchas“BestDirector”(Joseph...andGodspell),“BestCostumes”(Forever Plaid,Macbeth),and“BestLighting”(Godspell).

Meet Your Advisory Council Member “BacktotheBoardswith10MillionMiles”

byBradKoepenick,AdvisoryCouncilChair AsyourAdvisoryBoardChair,myjobistoattractnewmembersforourboard,keepourmembershipabreastofwhoourboardmembersare,writearticlesthathopefullyaren’ttoodryregardingtheirvariousactivitiesanddevelopandoverseeanactiveadvisoryboardsothatwemayinvolvetheminCETAevents,projectsandpromotionforworthyCETAcauses.Okay,sohere’sone. When Iwas in6thgrade,my friendPatrick calledmeandsaid,“Dude,youwannagotomysister’splayatPatrickHenry

JuniorHigh?It’suh,like,somestorytellingthingorsomethingandifitsuckswecanjustskateboardaroundthecafeteria.”“Yeah,whatever”,Ireplied.Iwassoar-ticulate. Whathedidn’t tellmewas that the“storytelling thing”wasPaulSill’sStory Theaterandthathissisterhadsomeseriousactingchopsandthemostincrediblesinging voice I’d ever heard. That compelling production was my first “official” theaterexperienceandmyfriend’ssisterturnedouttobesinger/actressMareWin-ningham.MarehasbeenaCETAadvisoryboardmemberforthepastfewyears,isa MAREWINNINGHAM

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frequent guest presenter at our Southern California DTASCfestivalsandoftensharesherexperienceswith theaterstudentsthroughclassroomvisitations.IjustreturnedfrommeetingwithMareandwediscussedCETAbusiness,herlatestCDandhercur-rentproduction,theOffBroadwaymusical10 Million Miles. After I saw thatStory Theater performance in1975, IneverfailedtoshowupataschoolproductionifIknewMarewasin-volved, as she was one of those other worldly performers wholongbeforegoingprofessionalatage18,hadfollowersandadmir-ersallacrosstheSanFernandoValleyandL.A.area.Shewascon-sistentlyaDTASCfestivalwinnerinmiddleandhighschoolandastapleinthesummerCalStateUniversity,NorthridgeTeenage

DramaWorkshopchildren’stheaterproductions.OnSpringweekends,friendswouldventureouttocatchherasacostumedstreetsingerpassingthehatattheSouthernCaliforniaRenaissanceFaire.(AlthoughIdorecalltheoccasionalcontroversyoverwhetherLindaRondstadt’s“DifferentDrum”wasindeedanauthenticRenaissanceoffering.) WhenMaresecuredatransfertoChatsworthHighSchooltostudyunderBobCarelli,shesuggestedthatIfol-lowsuit,asherthenboyfriendVal(Kilmer)hadalsoconvincedhislittlebrothertotransfertoChatsworthandwewerebothtwoyearstheirjunior.(Thatwayuslittlefreshmankidswouldhaveseniorheavyhitterstohelpuswithourfestivalcuttings)...Plus,supposedlysometalentedCanogaParkhighschoolseniornamedKevinFowlerwasalsotransferringtojointheChatsworthPlayProductionclass..WhenKevinFowler(Spacey)andMarewerecastasCaptainVonTrappandMariainThe Sound of Music,MeyerMishkin,thelastofthegreat“uberagents”justhappenedtobesittinginthehouseonclosingnight.HesignedMarealmostimmediately.Hercareerexplodedin the year that followed. Not long after that, she snagged her first Emmy Award and the offers for TV and film workcontinuedtopourin. So,amIunbiased?Hardly.Itwaswatchinghercareertakeofflikearocket,seeinghertrainherselfandhonehercraft“onthejob,”startalargefamily,navigatethetorridwatersofearlystardomandstayconnectedtothepeopleandthingsthatmatteredtohermostthathasledtomyintenserespectforMareasapersonandartist.She’sneversteeredawayfromchallengesorrisks(learningsignlanguagefortheTVpic“LoveisNeverSilent,”masteringvariousaccentsandphysicalchallengesforavarietyofrolesanddivingintohistoricalcharactersasvariedasHellenKellertoMrs.GeorgeWallace…whichbroughtmoreEmmy,GoldenGlobeandSAGAwardnods). Mare has such a generous spirit and as a young, struggling actor, the first lesson I really learned about this in-dustry came not from a coach or theater teacher, but from witnessing her do her thing on film sets. And that was to be the kind of actor that people want to work with over and over again. She collaborated with film director Joseph Sargent on several occasions and that collaboration led to her first Emmy Award for “Amber Waves” and some of the best television film work of the time. She collaborated on several projects with friend and writer/producer Bar-baraTurner.Mare’sfansandesteemedco-workershavenotonlysignedontoprojectsasaresultofherpresence,but they’ve gone to bat at the studios for her on many occasions. Although Mare will be the first to admit that she thoroughlymissedoutonthecollegeexperienceandclaimssheisremindedofthateverytimesheworksbecause‘theotheractorsarealwaysthesmartestintheroom,”Mareisthetypeofactressthatothers(castandcrew)aredrawnto.She’dgivemehellforsayingthis,but“actingclassesornot,classicallytrainedornot,collegeornot,”sheisanactor’sactor. Mare’scontemporarymusicalcareerhasalwaysbeenahugepartofherlife,touringtheUS,performingathundredsofclubsandvenues.ShehasseveralCDsavailable,What Might Be,LonesomersandthelatestRefuge Rock Sublime,aselfdescribedcountry/bluegrassJewishfolkalbum.MarehasconvertedtoOrthodoxJudaismandontopofher6dayaweekOffBroadwaycommitment,sheisbackatschoolMondaysthroughFridaysfrom9-3studyingclassesonJudaismandTorah.Onhernewstudies,Maresaid,“Theytoldme...You’llbetheworstintheroom.Theothergirlsareinhighschool,butyou’llbetheworstintheroom.”KnowingMare’ssenseofpurposeandcommitment,somehowIdoubtthat. -8-

Her beautiful, folksy voice was most notably showcased in the feature film “Georgia,” for which she re-ceivedanAcademyAwardnomination,SAGAwardnominationandtheIndependentSpiritAward.ShesangtheroleofHermiainamusicalproductionofLAFreeShakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s DreamattheJohnAnsonFordTheatersomeyearsagothatwowedaudiences.Andthentherewasthetimeshedressedupasashy,mousyreluctantsingingcontestanton“TheGongShow.”Hercreationof“SharonShamus”,apatheticandendearingcharacterthatstartedonadareandasapersonaljokebetweenafewofus,sangsobeautifully,wassoauthenticandheartbreakingthatsheactuallymovedcomposerPaulWilliamstotearsontheair.(Andyes,sheWASaskedback to sing for “The Gong Show” finals, thank you very much...although I’m not sure why it’s omitted from her resume...hmmmm.) Upon graduating from Chatsworth High School, Mare scored her first Equity gig as a “silent nun” in the trav-elingLAFreeShakespeareproductionofComedyofErrors(anonspeakingrole).Sheliterallystoletheshow.Although mostly known for her dramatic work onscreen in well over a hundred TV and feature films, Mare’s alwaysbeenagiftedstageperformerandacomicactresswhoknowshowtoworkanaudienceandgetthelaughwhencalledupon.SomeotherothernotabletheaterworkhasincludedHurlyburly(WestwoodPlayhouse),Side-man(PasadenaPlayhouse),The Genius(MarkTaperForum)andLessons(LeeStrasbergTheater).She’sbeenatelevisionpresencethisseasonon“Gray’sAnatomy”and“LawandOrder:SVU,”andherlistoftelevisionandfilmcredits is extensive including “The Boys Next Door,” “George Wallace,” “The Magic of Ordinary Days,” “Amber Waves,” “Love is Never Silent,” “The Maldonado Miracle” and feature films such as “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Turnerand“Hooch,”“WyattEarp,”“TheWar,”“ShyPeople”and“OneTrickPony.” ButallthisdidnotpreparemeforwhatIsawinNewYorkthisweek,namelysomeofthebestworkshe’severdeliveredin10 Million Miles,theAtlanticTheaterGroup’sfollowuptotheultrasuccessfulSpring Awakening.10 Million Miles isacountry/folkinspired“roadmusical”thatchroniclesthevisionquestofacoupleoframblingsouls and the various characters they confront on their journey. The music is written by cult favorite Patty Griffin andtheresultisanauthenticsounding,trulyunique“folkmusical”thatgivesMareachancetoshowoffnotjusthervocalrangebuthercharacterworkandcomedicgiftsaswell.Shechannelssomereallyhilariousandsome-timestouchingcharacterswhoseessencesaretappedthrougharelaxedperformancerifewithnuance,awhimsicalsenseofplayandpurevocalchutspa.Fromherturnasaloudmouthed,boozy,whitetrash“soontobenewlywed”toanelderlywomanwhoreminiscesthroughsongin“MakingPies,”Marehasfoundapiecethatresonateswithhertalentsandtakesthemusicalformtoaplaceishasn’tquitebeenbefore.Mare’sgladtobebacktotheboardsandtheboardsseemedpleasedtohaveher. As I set off to Door, Wisconsin this July 31st for the first ever “PaulSillsSpolinWorkshopforTeachers”,IamremindedofthatproductionofStoryTheaterthatultimatelyopenedmyeyestotheworld of the arts, the power of arts education and the influence a goodpieceoftheater(oragoodfriend)canhaveonyou...10 Mil-lion Miles isscheduledtorunthroughJuly31st. AdvisoryCouncil

Dr.DianeBrooksLenCariou

HaroldGouldAmyHill

TheHonorableSheilaJamesKuehlGeriJewell

JohnLithgowRogerRees

MareWininghamJoeMantegna

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CETABoard of Directors

CETAPresident Amanda SwannBirminghamHighSchool

CETAPresident-ElectJames Thomas BaileyComedySportzInternational

CETAPast-PresidentCarol HoveyLivermoreHighSchool

CETAExecutiveTreasurer Carolyn I ElderSacramento,CA95823

CETAExecutiveSecretaryDawn M. ReidLittlerockHighSchool

VICE-PRESIDENTS:Gai JonesVice-PresidentMembershipConferenceRegistrar Emeritus,ElDoradoHighSchool

Vice-PresidentHigherEducationPeter NovakUniversityofSanFrancisco

Vice-PresidentSecondarySchoolsArlene HoodMoreauCatholicHighSchool

Vice-PresidentMiddle/ElementarySchoolsRobin LithgowLosAngelesDepartmentofEducation

Vice-PresidentParochialandPrivateSchoolsandE-NewsAssistantEditorKim O’RourkeSt.Lucy’sPriory

CETANorthernRegionLiaisonChris FallowsHeritageHighSchool

CETA-SouthernRegionPresidentCorkey DominguezLosAngelesCountyHighSchooloftheArts

CETAPublicationsandE-NewseditorKaleta BrownEmeritus,CypressCollege

CETAAwardsChairJennifer Johnson-CaseyWindwardMiddleSchoolCETAAdvisoryBoardCo-ChairBrad KoepetnickPUCSchools

CulturalDiversityChairEllen SellGarfield High School

CETAPastPresidentsCouncilVictoria Francis Emeritus,PalisadesCharterHighSchoolRoger GrazianiCharterOakHishSchool

Visual&PerformingArtsConsultantNancy CarrCaliforniaStateDepartmentofEducation

Webmaster John BilottaNash Editions,CypressCollege

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Artur CybulskiCampBravo

David HamiltonSouthLakeTahoeCommunityCollege

Chris FallowsHeritageHighSchool

Emmett JacobsLoyolaUniversity

David KrassnerCampBravo

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