Good News!

Thanks to our excellent city youth program, “Durham YES, Youth Employed & Succeeding,” Durham Family Theatre will employ Auntais Faulker as a part-time assistant to the artistic director (20-hours a week) for 12-weeks, May – July, 2013.

Auntais is already well known and loved at DFT – he has performed in two of our shows, Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and the fabulous “Space Pirates! A musical adventure through cyberspace.”  And he has been a tech volunteer with almost all of our productions.

In his usual life, Auntais is a 21-year-old student at Durham Tech, studying communications and film.

His job at DFT will include a month of administrative efforts helping DFT develop our media outreach resources and organize our volunteers.

For all of June and July, HOORAY, Auntais will be assistant camp director at our fantastic, exciting, entertaining Summer Acting Camps 2013.

Speaking of the summer camps, our Children’s Camp #1 (June 17-29) is COMPLETELY FULL! We’ve started a waiting list; email durhamfamilytheatre@gmail.com to be added to that list. AND there are only FIVE places left in our Children’s Camp #2 (July 29-Aug 10.) So if you’re thinking of enrolling, do it soon.

We have a good start to enrollments in our teen camp (July 8 – July 27), but teens (12-17 years) can still register for the three-week conservatory –  to rehearse, design, create and perform a full-length murder mystery at this intensive Teen Acting Conservatory.

Hope to see you soon, Jenny Justice

April 10, 2013

Spring has arrived at with bright blossoms on bushes and fresh green on trees. DFT has its seasons too; Spring is when we reflect on the program year that’s nearly behind us so we may plan for the one ahead. As artistic director, I change hats from directing & producing shows to visioning, finance and dramaturge (teaching never stops & spring classes are in full swing). I file documents and analyze budgets. I research new plays and old ones. I’m writing two plays for our summer theatre camps. AND TODAY I CAN ANNOUNCE THAT:

DFT’S CHILDREN’S THEATRE CAMP #1 (June 17 – June 29) Is FULL! Send me an email at durhamfamilytheatre.gmail.com if you want to be added to the Wait List for this camp.

MEANWHILE: We’ve still got room in our 3-week Teen Theatre Conservatory where we’ll produce and perform a full length murder mystery (July 8 – 27) and in our 2-week Children’s Theatre Camp #2 where we’ll perform an exciting, 60 minute original script based on ancient Irish myth and folklore. (July 29 – August 6) -

REGISTER TODAY at our DFT Summer Theatre Camps page.

Warmly, Jenny Justice

APPLY TODAY FOR A SUMMER THEATRE CAMP INTERNSHIP POSITION

A fabulous summer intern!

Durham Family Theatre has eight teaching assistant positions available for teens that are interested in all aspects of theatre and enjoy working with elementary aged children. (You can apply for both camps if you like!)

CAMP DATES: (for more details on camps go to our DFT Summer Camps page – and check out our 3-week Teen Theatre Conservatory too!)

Children’s Theatre Camp #1 – June 17 – June 29

Children’s Theatre Camp #2 – July 29 – August 10

TIMES: Monday – Friday from 8:45 am – 3:00 pm over each two-week camp session; public performances on last two evenings of camp

PLACE: Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, corner of Gregson Street and Trinity Avenue in downtown Durham (near Brightleaf Square and DSA)

If you are aged 13-17 and interested in an internship with Durham Family Theatre this summer, download the “Intern Job Descrip” and “Summer Intern App”  forms.

If you’ve got questions, email us at durhamfamilytheatre@gmail.com or give us a call at (919) 286-5717.

Blossom with Creativity with DFT Spring and Summer 2013

On my mantle piece at home I keep a post-it note that says: At DFT we are passionate about human potential! And when I look at our programs – our classes, summer camps and shows – this is what they all have in common:

DFT offers the opportunity to realize individual and community potential.

There are few pleasures as solidly satisfying as working with a group of friends to create something very good, encouraging ourselves to go beyond our perceived limitations, expanding our potential and skill until we attain our dreams!

Whether that dream is the solution to an acting game, a successful class showcase or performing a full show for our summer camps or main stage productions – it is a powerful, joyful, enriching experience – to learn that we can dream and then work hard and make our dreams come true.

REGISTER TODAY!  Spring Acting Classes start on March 21st, Summer Theatre Camps begin in June.

February 21, 2013

DFE at Guthrie Theatre

TAKE the OPPORTUNITY to ACT in Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet, Rita Dove’s, powerful, passionate, compelling, lyrical tragedy, “The Darker Face of the Earth.” FINAL AUDITION on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25th, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Details on the DFT SHOWS PAGE.

In November 2012 I observed that our beautiful, passionate, honestly acted production of “Between the Bells” had been a successful-failure.

It was a true success in that it fulfilled the visions of the writer/director, designers and actors – the actors were fully alive in telling their story and our audiences were moved to laughter and tears.

Between the Bells

But we were trying to develop a new audience for that show and I simply failed to get the word out adequately to teens around the city. We never drew more than 30 enthusiastic audience members per show. We lost one-thousand-dollars on the immeasurably valuable project that brought together African American, Hispanic, Latino and White Durham teens to lay it on the line about life in our high schools.

Today, as I posted pictures to our Photo Wall from our third annual family musical, “Space Pirates! A musical adventure through cyberspace,” I reflected that this time we were successful in all directions.

Our passion for the project grew with our confidence that we could tell the story fully and honestly; the actors were entirely alive on the stage.

A remarkable community of family and friends supported our cast in their efforts. At one point I counted 100 people involved in rehearsing our play, building & painting our sets, sewing our costumes, putting on make up, getting young actors to rehearsals, focusing lights, setting the props …

Our audiences were moved to laughter and more laughter. And even a few sweet tears when the Princess Errestria sang of home. Plus, our audiences packed the house for nearly 5-nights running – making $1,000 profit to balance out the loss of our beloved “Between the Bells.” In the not-for-profit world we call that “coming out ahead!”

Please enjoy the new additions to our Photo Wall of Shows – then go to the DFT Shows page to read about auditions for our spring 2013 (PG-13) production of Rita Dove’s “The Darker Face of the Earth.”

From there you can click on the DFT Classes page and register for Spring 2013 creative fun, or jump ahead to the DFT Summer Camps page and make plans to immerse your young actors in theatre this summer.

There’s a lot going on at Durham Family Theatre; we hope you’ll join us as we grow.

Warmly, Jenny Justice

2 Chances Left to Blast Off With Space Pirates!

We are having a blast performing “Space Pirates! A musical adventure through cyberspace.” Our audiences have filled the house and rocked with laughter and cheered our entertainment.

You’ve got two more chances to join the fun with our third annual family musical: Friday, February 15th and Saturday, February 16th at 7:00 pm.

 

You, too, can enter the “Space Pirates!” video game, rescue Princess Errestra from the Evil Diva of Cyberspace, return imagination to Cyberworld, restore peace and harmony to the universe and be home in time for bed - PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY at our DFT Shows Page. We’ll have a BLAST!

January 25, 2013

Time flies when you’re working hard and having fun – My last post was on January 5th and suddenly here we are, two-weeks away from our opening weekend of “Space Pirates! A musical adventure through cyberspace.” (Feb. 8, 9, 15, 16)

I’m delighted to report that the entire cast of “Space Pirates!” (36 people aged 5-65 & all decades in-between)  is fully committed to bringing a fun, moving, exciting, entertaining musical for all ages to you! Our audiences -

You, too, can enter the video game, rescue Princess Errestra from the Evil Diva of Cyberspace, return imagination to the Cyberworld and restore peace and harmony to the universe – PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY at our DFT Shows Page. We’ll have a BLAST!