North Beach, MD – Six winning plays are currently featured during the Twin Beach Players (TBP) Summer Youth Troupe production of the 10th annual Kids Playwriting Festival (KPF) held at the Boys and Girls Clubs in North Beach.
The Festival opened on Friday, July 31. Remaining performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 9 at 3 p.m. Tickets are priced at $10 general admission and at $5 for seniors, members, and students. (Tickets are available online at www.TwinBeachPlayers.com and at the door). The Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maryland is located at 9021 Dayton Avenue.
Two winners in each age group—elementary, middle, and high school—were selected by a panel of five judges. Each winner received a $100 prize. Each of the six winners was involved in the production process. Last year’s winners returned as this year’s directors.
The two elementary-school winners were Ava Jabara (a repeat winner) for “Blending” and Lucie Boyd for “The Sand Island Explosion.”
Middle-school winners were Elizabeth Cullens for “Choosing You” and Leah Hartley for “The Art Contest.”
High school winners were Cameron Walker for “A Tale of Two Directors” and Abigail Petersen (a previous winning playwright) for “Coffeehouse Change.”
All six of these winning plays were written by children in the State of Maryland who then had the opportunity for complete control of their respective shows from casting, directing, designing, and even playing a role in their own plays.
The playwrights showed great maturity in their choice of subject matter, and in the professionalism evident in the staging of the plays.
The evening’s Opening Act was a “welcome “greeting performed by an energetic KPF dance troupe (Olivia Heath Jasmine Heminger. Olivia Obetz and Adriana Ciccone).
The first play on the bill was 11-year-old Ava Jabara’s “Blending,” which depicted the challenges faced with the blending of two families. Both Kiera Gallagher as Melody and Abigail Petersen as her mother gave strong interpretations of their roles, using good vocal projection, as they accurately conveyed the stressful situations in Melody’s endeavors to adjust to three new brothers. Miss Gallagher is a winner of the TBP Best Actress award for her role as Imogene in “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” The brothers subsequently stand up to lunchroom bullies on behalf of Melody, and a level of peace is achieved within the family. The actors portraying the four children were certainly convincing in their expressions, both verbal and facial. The cast members included Vittorio Barberio (Kyle), David Evans (Drake), Braden Heath (Jake), Travis Lehnen (Dad). Travis is a winning KPF9 playwright, and is TBP’s assistant Youth Troupe director. Other cast members are Andrew Mason (Blake), Tabitha Petersen (Sidney), Luke Rannacher (Jamie), and Aaliyah Roach (Lunch Lady). Scene changes were handled smoothly by the stage crew. Director was Cheryl Thompson, who is a member of the TBP Board of Directors. Miss Jabara served as assistant director.
The second play was Leah Hartley’s “The Art Contest,” which detailed the bonding of two girls as they work on an art project assigned by their teacher, Miss Parker (confidently portrayed by the playwright herself). Andrea (Sadie Storm) breaks her arm in an unfortunate tree-climbing incident. Her friend Angie feels guilty for not having stopped her. The mechanics of the classroom organization scenes—passing out papers and art supplies, students taking and leaving their seats, appropriate off-stage sounds—were staged effectively. The camaraderie between the two friends was poignantly revealed, and Angela Denny as Andrea’s Mom added an entertainingly hyper “spin” to her role. Second-grader Sophia Hopkins as Mia, winner of second place in the class contest, exhibited good characterization as the class show-off. Additional cast members included Carsyn Baker (student), Ashley Beaudin (Lanie, a TBP veteran), Adriana Ciccone (student 2), Cami Duffy (classmate), Julia Hartley (doctor), Kendall Heath (Lanie’s mom), Olivia Heath (classmate), Jasmine Heminger (classmate), Tristan Hopkins (student 1; Tristan’s first speaking role), Carmen Mileo (Lanie’s sister, seen here in her third TBP production), Andrew Sferra, and Asenath Weaver( as chatty student 3). Director was Anna Gorenflo (the first four-time winner of the KPF; she is currently a sophomore at Kent State University majoring in vocal performance and minoring in theatre). Assistant director was Camden Raines who will be attending Rollins College in Florida in the fall to study theatre.
“The Sand Island Explosion” by Lucie Boyd was the evening’s third play. The intriguing premise of the plot revolves around the investigative adventure undertaken by a group of University of Maryland students as they delve into a mysterious explosion which had occurred on Sand Island 50 years ago. They are regaled by stories from a local resident (E.J. Roach as Old Mr. Jenkins; he is also the play’s assistant director) who relates his version of what he insists really occurred as they prepare for an overnight camp-out at the site. The actors who portrayed the four students demonstrated good rapport with each other as they dealt with the characters’ personality quirks and even with a few slight unexpected prop malfunctions, which were handled with definite flair. Each role is clearly defined: Sarah, the group’s leader (Kathryn Hoyle in her first TBP performance); Darren, the “nerd” of the group, (Fletcher Tracy, making his TBP debut); spunky Brittany (Riley Ann Johnson in her TBP debut); and the personality-plus Jed (Luke Rannacher, seen here during his 3rd summer with TBP’s KPF). Satisfied that they’ve been visited by aliens, the students depart the next morning from the island in triumph while Old Mr. Jenkins and the bartender indulge in a private toast to their success. Additional cast members include: Hayden Baker (Jesse) in her second KPF summer, Adrianna Money (Professor Nydie), Brandon Richards, and Aaliyah Roach (Uncle Flynn). Director Brandon Richards returns to TBP while on summer break from college.
Following Intermission, the next featured play was “Choosing You,” by Elizabeth Cullens (who performs here with KPF for her fourth year). Miss Cullens took inspiration from the musical Annie for this story about an orphan (Judi) who is shuffled from one foster care home to another while waiting for her mother (Sidney Baker) to return. Judi’s plight is heartbreakingly detailed, brightened only by the friendship of her little friend, Penny. Amelia Talbot, a seventh-grade student who is a TBP veteran and a seasoned actress, gave a remarkably mature performance as Judi, while 8-year-old Maria Hartley was a scene-stealer as Penny. Actors deftly assisted each other with slight dialogue lapses, and kept the action flowing. Other actors in this large cast included Taylor Baker (Mrs. Jill), Seraphina Barberio (Ms. Lisa/Jenny), Vittorio Barberio (Freddie), Bryan Bowen, Braden Heath (Joey), Ava Jabara, Lily Kennedy (Jane), Koral Kent (Rachel), Savannah Kirk (Lucy), Andrew Mason (Ryan Walker), Riley Nikolaus (Mia; Riley was seen as a Baby Angel in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with TBP), Olivia Obetz (Rachel 1), Paige Plater (Mary), Nya Plater (Mrs. Walker), Alyssa Reid (May), E J Roach (Mr. Joe/Mr. Walker), and Cameron Walker (Mr. Ralph). “Choosing You” was directed by Cheryl Thompson.
The fifth play on the bill was “Coffeehouse Change” by Abigail Petersen, an accomplished actress, and a 2013 KPF winner. Her view of this fictional coffeehouse is one that Starbuck’s could model in bringing people together if faced with any rude customers. Shop owner Carol Ann (Rachael Meador, making her TBP debut) and her waitress friend, Wendy (Sarah Rannacher in her third year with KPF, and a KPF9 winner) couldn’t be a sweeter or more optimistic team. They are ultimately successful in dispensing advice along with their beverages. Also appearing in this cast are Sidney Baker (Alicia), Mickey Cashman (Will; Mickey is a two-time KPF winner), Elizabeth Cullens (Blake), E J Roach (Ben), and Cameron Walker (William, Wendy’s unassuming boyfriend-to-be). Director was Jeffrey Thompson, who is a dual Acting and Women/Gender Studies major at Fredonia State University of New York. Assistant Director was Tabitha Petersen, a KPF7 winner participating in her 12th TBP production this summer.
The finale of this festival was “Tale of Two Directors” by Cameron Walker. This is his first attempt at play writing. Walker will be remembered as Elwood in TBP’s Harvey. He credits Rod Sterling and Steven Spielberg for inspiring his efforts, and this is evidenced by scenes that are reminiscent of a very old Twilight Zone episode’s characters (which only “come to life” while the playwright crafts their dialogue), and in scenes where the lead actor seems to be losing his mind (not alike Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining). As Mike, Hunter Mackey gives a deeply intense performance as a writer struggling with internal and external “demons” in his pursuit of fame and fortune. The stunts and pratfalls in the action scenes between Mackey and E J Roach (versatile throughout the Festival and seen here as Smith/Shadow Man) are athletically choreographed, and it is a small miracle that Mr. Hunter has not yet suffered a broken neck or other injuries during the run of this Festival! Rachael Meador plays his patient and understanding wife. Others in the cast are Kiera Gallagher (Woman in Hat), Abigail Petersen (Manager), Sarah Rannacher (Thug), Olivia Turner (Maggie), and Michael Saunders (Mike’s friend, Peter; Mr. Saunders was seen as Det. Trotter in TBP’s The Mousetrap, and as Scrooge in TBP’s A Christmas Carol). Director was Regan Hall, who is currently a psychology major at the College of Southern Maryland. She thanks Haley Morgan (a biological sciences major at CSM), and Bryan Bowen (currently an extra in Netflix’s House of Cards) as her co-directors.
Serving as the Tech Crew for the Festival are Caleb Petersen (Sound Operator, who dates his TBP experiences to 2010), and M.J. Rastakhiz (Lighting Operator) who has been with TBP since 2012.
TBP President is Sid Curl; Youth Troupe director is Sherry Lehnen. In his program notes message, Mr. Curl encourages audiences to “…enjoy the show”, and to “Let the kids hear your applause, your laughter”. Festival Director Lehnen’s notes state that she wants you to “…join in our excitement watching these very talented kids bring the words on paper to life on stage”.
Be sure to come out to support these talented young performers Aug. 7, 8 and 9 at the Boys and Girls Club in North Beach.
The schedule of upcoming auditions lists Aug. 23 and 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. for The Island of Dr. Moreau (ages 12 and up), and Sept. 27 from 2 to 5 p.m. and September 28 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for A Christmas Carol (ages 6 and up).
Twin Beach Players is a non-profit 501©3 community theater group based in Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, founded to promote the performing arts and culture for the residents of the Twin Beach communities. For more information you may contact http://www.TwinBeachPlayers.com.