Children’s Theatre of Knoxville e-NEWS February 2010

Children’s Theatre of Knoxville e-NEWS
February 2010
Included in this issue:

- “The Hobbit” To Open Friday, Feb. 12
Shows: Fridays (2/12, 19 & 26) at 7 PM
Saturdays (2/ 13, 20 & 27) at 1 PM & 5 PM
Sundays (2/ 14 & 21) at 3 PM
Thursdays (2/18 & 25) at 7 PM

- Auditions Scheduled for “Curiosity Cat” on
February 28, 2010 by Appointment

- Cast of “Ramona Quimby” Announced; Play
Opens on March 12

- Spring Term of Creative Dramatics to Begin
March 13; Enrollment Now Open
Saturday Classes:
“You’re Making A Scene!” for ages 6 to 10
“Character Factory” for ages 11 to 15
After-School Classes:
“Auditioning for A Play” for ages 6 to 10 (Mondays)
“Imagi-Stage” Workshop for ages 13 to 18 (Tuesdays)
“Introduction to Directing” for ages 14 to 18 (Weds)

- CTK Sets Dates for Annual Creative Dramatice
Summer Camps
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“THE HOBBIT” TO OPEN ON FEBRUARY 12;
PLAYS WEEKENDS THROUGH FEB. 27

It’s unusual for a modern work to become a classic so quickly, but J. R. R. Tolkien’s “ring” stories, which began with The Hobbit, clearly are in this very special category.
They stir the imagination and intellect of everyone they touch.

Bilbo, one of the most conservative of all Hobbits, is asked to leave his large, roomy and very dry home in the ground in order to set off as chief robber in an attempt to recover an important treasure. It’s the last thing that any sensitive Hobbit would want to do, but great benefit eventually results—not only for Bilbo but for all of the Hobbits who inhabit Middle Earth—and the hearts of those children and adults who continue to enjoy this kind of magic.

Set in a time “Between the Dawn of Fairies and the Dominion of Men”, “The Hobbit” follows the quest of home- loving Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. It was published on September 21,
1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book remains popular and is recognized as a classic children’s book.

Bilbo’s journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into darker, deeper territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and each sequence introduces a new, fascinating type of creature from Tolkien’s Wilderland. By accepting the romantic, fey and adventurous side of his nature and applying his wits and common sense to his quest, Bilbo develops a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom. See all of the famous characters of the book come to life: Gandalf the Wizard, Thorin Oakenshield, the proud pompous leader of the Dwarves, Smaug the Dragon, Gollum and his underground lake, and many more.

The COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE is:
Friday, February 12 at 7 PM
Saturday, February 13 at 1 PM and 5 PM
Sunday, February 14 at 3 PM
Thursday, February 18 at 7 PM
Friday, February 19 at 7 PM
Saturday, February 20 at 1 PM and 5 PM
Sunday, February 21 at 3 PM
Thursday, February 25 at 7 PM
Friday, February 26 at 7 PM
Saturday, February 27 at 1 PM and 5 PM

Reservations are strongly recommended for all CTK performances.
To reserve tickets for the production, e-mail the number of adult and child tickets needed, along with your requested performance date and time, to tickets@childrenstheatreknoxville.com .
Or you may call us at (865) 599-5284.

Tickets are $11 per person. CTK is continuing our special Adult & Child Combination rate for this production: If an adult and a child enter together, these two may be admitted for $9 each.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The play is being performed by 18 of the Knoxville area’s finest child actors, being joined by two seasoned adult performers. Blair Johnson plys the title role of Bilbo Baggins, the sensible hobbit who is reluctant to join another quest. Audiences may remember Blair as James in CTK’s recent production of “James and the Giant Peach.” Evan Satterfield, making his CTK debut, plays Thorin Oakenshield.

Rounding out the vibrant characters who made Tolkein’s work so compelling are Kiernan Bensey, Clare Carter, Abigail Coughlin, Alex Drinnen, Josiah Eakle, Zack Hall, Will Kersey, Caitlyn Lemmon, Alex Levi, Hannah Sloas, Sean Sloas, Sarah Smith, Luke Taylor, Morgan Voyles, and Sophie Wright. Veteran performer Steve Trigg portrays Gandalf the Wizard.

The play is directed by Ashlee Latimer, making her CTK directorial debut. Ashlee has worked with CTK since its inception, having served in a wide variety of capacities.
After acting in “Little Women” and “The Wind In The Willows,” she served her technical apprenticeship by stage-managing “The Diary of Anne Frank,” assistant directing “James and the Giant Peach,” and serving as the instructor for CTK’s “Styles and Stories” class. Jennifer Osborn serves as the play’s stage manager, and Liz Davis is the show’s assistant director. Kenny Mayfield is the show’s scenic designer and master carpenter, and Jamie Jensen is the backdrop artist.

LOCATION
The play is being performed at CTK’s new theatre in downtown Knoxville, located at 800 Tyson Street.
Heading north from downtown on Broadway, Tyson Street turns left (west) just past Old Gray Cemetery.
Tyson Street is between the traffic lights on Broadway at Fifth Avenue and Central Avenue, and is directly across the street from historic Emory Place. The theatre is about 300 feet down Tyson Street, immediately next door to Dixie Kitchens. The CTK sign is visible from Broadway, looking down Tyson Street.

The play is made possible through the support of UT Surgical Associates, Schaad Companies, Kersey Family Care, and Knology.

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AUDITIONS SCHEDULED ON FEBRUARY 28 FOR CTK’S UPCOMING PRODUCTION OF “CURIOSITY CAT”

CTK will hold auditions for the play “Curiosity Cat” on Monday, January 25. Auditions are by appointment only.

This will be the world premiere of “Curiosity Cat,” which was penned specifically for production by Children’s Theatre of Knoxville. The author of the play is UT alum Chris Grabenstein.

A former improvisational comedian (he and Bruce Willis were in the same Greenwich Village comedy troupe in the early 1980s), Chris spent almost twenty years writing commercials for
America's top advertising agencies. He ended his advertising
career as an Executive Vice President/Group Creative Director at Young & Rubicam in New York.

He won the Anthony Award for "Best First Mystery" for his debut TILT A WHIRL—the first in a series of John Ceepak stories, set "Down The Shore" in a New Jersey tourist town called Sea Haven. The second book, MAD MOUSE, was called one of the "Ten Best Mysteries of 2006" by Kirkus. WHACK A MOLE came out to great critical acclaim in 2007. The New York Daily News called the fourth Ceepak book a "must-read."
The fifth book in the series MIND SCRAMBLER was published by St. Martin's Minotaur in 2009. ROLLING THUNDER, available in 2010, rounds out the first six Ceepak books.

Random House publishes his "rip-roaring ghost stories"
for Middle Grades readers: THE CROSSROADS, which won both the Anthony and Agatha awards for Best Children's novel, THE HANGING HILL and, in 2010, THE SMOKY CORRIDOR.

In THE HANGING HILL, we meet Zack and Judy Jennings.
Just your average ghost-seeing kid and his famous-author stepmother. Off to enjoy a relaxing summer at a theater doing a production of Curiosity Cat based on Judy's books.

CURIOSITY CAT is the play being performed at the summer camp, and has been based on Judy’s famous books, and the play features Grabenstein’s remarkable ability to create side- splitting laughs and highly involving mystery.

CTK will be casting children, ages 6 to 18. Auditions are by appointment only. Auditioners may choose from the following appointment times: 4:00, 4:45, 5:30, 6:15, 7:00, 7:45.
\
Auditioners should prepare a short monologue, poem, story to be performed at the audition. This piece should not exceed two minutes in length.

Auditioners should arrive at least 5 minutes prior to the appointment time. Appointments will be taken on a first-reserved, first-scheduled basis. Ten auditioners will be scheduled for each time period. Therefore, a maximum of 60 auditioners will be seen.

Audition appointments may be made by e-mailing Jenny Ballard at jenny@childrenstheatreknoxville.com . The play will begin rehearsing Monday, March 8 and will rehearse Sunday through Thursday evenings. \The play will open on Friday, April 9 and play for 13 performances on weekends through April 24. Auditions will be held in our theatre facilty’s rehearsal wing, located at in downtown Knoxville at 800 Tyson Street.
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CAST OF CTK’S “RAMONA QUIMBY” ANNOUNCED; PLAY RUNS WEEKENDS, MARCH 12 THROUGH 27

Unpredictable. Exasperating. Boisterous and independent.
That’s Ramona Quimby for you. Always aggravating her older sister, Beezus, constantly getting into trouble and sometimes “making a big, noisy fuss” when things don’t go her way. As narrator, Beezus (Beatrice Quimby) introduces the Quimby family and friends and thereby sets the scene for the collection of vignettes that trace Ramona’s tumultuous passage through third grade and through her family relationships.
At school, she throws a tantrum when provoked by a classmate and is sent home in disgrace. The teacher’s wrath, an important family wedding, persistent sibling bickering and Mr. Quimby’s attempts to give up smoking are part of the fabric that shape a humorous, loving family portrait.

The play is based on the beloved series of children’s novels by Beverly Cleary. The characters and the material, adapted by Obie Award-winning playwright Len Jenkin, are as “today” as the morning newspaper. The problems facing the Quimbys, a middle-class Oregon family, are problems common to most families, and the family’s togetherness in tackling the sacrifices and adjustments required when the father is unexpectedly fired from his job is a clear statement of traditional family values.
Along with the discovery that life is not always fair, eventually Ramona and Beezus come to realize that sisters may not always agree, but they can be good to have around.

Samantha Hatmaker plays the title role of Ramona Quimby.
Sam’s last performance with CTK was as The White Rabbit in Disney’s Alice In Wonderland, Jr. Since then, she has performed in Dollywood’s holiday show. Amber Hull will play Beezus, Ramona’s older sister. Amber was last seen as the bratty singer Ashley in “Zink: The Myth, The Legend… The Zebra.” Other children in the play include Madison Austin, Georgia Barton, Jaden Lily Branson, Jessica Burks, English Daugherty, Isabelle Hannah, Zachary Hull, Bethany Moon, Wheeler Moon, Brandon Wilhoit, and Rowan Young. These talented child actors join a group of veteran, dedicated adult
performers: Houston Daugherty, Rachel Jae, Jacqueline Nun- weiler, and Janice Stanton.

The play will be performed on weekends from March 12 to 27.
CTK is inaugurating new performance times on Saturday, with “Ramona Quimby.” Saturday shows will be held at 3 PM and
7 PM for the remainder of 2010.
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SPRING TERM OF CLASSES TO BEGIN MARCH 13; SATURDAY & AFTER-SCHOOL OPTIONS AVAILABLE

CTK is now accepting students for our Spring 2010 creative dramatics classes. To reserve a seat in any class, call (865) 567-1522, or e-mail Jenny Ballard at jenny@childrenstheatreknoxville.com .
A non-refundable payment of 50% of class fee is expected upon reservation. Students are seated on a first-paid, first-seated basis.
All classes take place at our theatre facility at 800 Tyson Street in downtown Knoxville. In Spring Term, all classes skip one week to accommodate Knox County Spring Break and Easter weekend.

Spring Term 2010 Classes are:

“YOU‘RE MAKING A SCENE!” for ages 6 to 10 Saturday mornings from 10 AM to 11:30 AM Five weeks: Mar. 13, 20, 27 April 10 & 17

Instructor Caroline King teaches this character work class for ages 6 to 10. Students will concentrate on understanding how to create an appropriate character for a particular scene.
Focus will be on sustaining emotion and action throughout an entire scene. Games and exercises will be used to emphasize creativity. This class begins on Saturday, March 13 and continues for the following three Saturdays, then omits the Saturday of Knox County Spring Break (Easter Weekend) and resumes for two additional Saturdays. Classes take place from 10 AM to 11:30 AM. The instruction fee for the 7.5 hour workshop is $150.
Class size is limited to twenty students maximum.


“CHARACTER FACTORY” for ages 11 to 15
Saturday mornings from 10 AM to 11:30 AM
Five weeks: Mar. 13, 20, 27 April 10 & 17

CTK Artistic Director Jenny Ballard will teach this class for
ages 11 to 15. This class emphasizes the essence of acting: how
to create a believable, credible character in comic and dramatic
scenes and monologues. This class begins on Saturday, March 13
and continues for the following three Saturdays, then omits the
Saturday of Knox County Spring Break (Easter Weekend) and
resumes for two additional Saturdays. Classes take place from
10 AM to 11:30 AM. The instruction fee for the 10 hour workshop
is $150. Class size is limited to sixteen students maximum.


“AUDITIONING FOR A PLAY” for ages 6 to 10
Mondays after-school from 4:30 PM to 6 PM
Five weeks: March 15, 22; April 5, 12 & 19

CTK Artistic Director Jenny Ballard teaches this class which
focuses on improving an actor’s ability to audition for a
play, by preparing him or her for the event through instruction
on selection and performance of monologues, improvement of
volume and diction. This class begins on Monday, March 15 and continues
on the following Monday. After a week hiatus, class resumes April 5,
12 & 19. Classes take place from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
The instruction fee for the 7.5 hour workshop is $150. Class size is
limited to twelve students maximum.


IMAGI-STAGE WORKSHOP for ages 13 to 18
Tuesdays after-school from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Five weeks: March 16, 23; Apr. 6, 13 & 20

CTK Exec Director Zack Allen teaches this class, which centers
on teaching how to deal with a play script and how to bring it to
life through performance skills. The class emphasizes practical
work on a script. Students memorize lines and perfect acting
technique in order to perform for family and friends on the final
day of class. This class begins on Tuesday, March 16 and continues
on the following Tuesday. After a week hiatus, class resumes April 6,
13 & 20. The instruction fee for the 7.5 hour workshop is $150
Class size is limited to eight students maximum.


“INTRODUCTION TO DIRECTING” for ages 14 to 18
Wednesdays after-school from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Five weeks: March 17, 24; April 7, 14 & 20

Zack Allen (director of 8 previous CTK shows) teaches
this class, which introduces students to the fundamental
precepts of directing. Students will function as
director for scenes and as actor in the student-directed scenes,
experiencing and offering feedback on both sides of the
directing process. Budding stage directors learn a practical
checklist to follow to improve scenework by participants.
Student time is split between classroom work and hands-on
acting and directing. This class begins Wednesday, March
17 and continues on the following Wednesday. Class resumes
on Wednesday, April 7, 14 & 20. Class size is limited to six
students, all of whom must have prior theatre experience. The
cost of the class is $200.

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CTK SETS DATES FOR ANNUAL CREATIVE DRAMATICS
SUMMER CAMPS

CTK will hold our annual summer camps in creative dramatics
during June and July 2010. This year, there are three camps to
choose from, for a variety of age groups.

CAMP ONE will be a MUSICAL THEATRE CAMP, taught
by CTK instructor (and drama teacher at Sacred Heart Cathedral
School) Caroline King. This camp will emphasize vocal coaching
and choreography skills-building and will be held from 1 PM to
4 PM, from June 14 through 18 at CTK’s theatre facility at 800
Tyson Street.

CAMP TWO will be a TEENAGER’S WORKSHOP CAMP,
where students will build skills in script analysis and character
creation while working on a short playscript. This camp will be
held from 1 PM to 4 PM, from June 21 through 25 at CTK’s
theatre facility at 800 Tyson Street. Camp Two will be taught
by CTK Exec Director Zack Allen.

CAMP THREE will be an ELEMENTARY ACTING CAMP,
which teaches basic acting skills through exercises and games,
resulting in a simple recipe approach to the creation of characters.
This camp will be held from 1 PM to 4 PM, from July 26 through
30 at CTK’s theatre facility at 800 Tyson Street. Camp Three will
be taught by CTK Artistic Director Jenny Ballard.

The fee for any theatre camp is $230. To reserve a spot in any
camp, or more information, call Jenny Ballard at (865) 567-1522,
or e-mail jenny@childrenstheatreknoxville.com . A 50% deposit ($115)
is required at the time of registration. Students are seated in each
camp on a first-paid, first-seated basis.

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