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2008-2009 Officers of the Theater Club
President - Jaimie Kautzmann
VP - Jason Rosen
Secretary - Francesca Cromartie
Treasurer - Crystal Gray
Historian - Carol Ann Rock & Joe Rawda
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One of the highlights of the 2008-2009 school year was the partnership that developed between the South Plantation High School Theater Department and Cirque Dreams creator & artistic director Neil Goldberg. To see video clips from this unique and exciting experience, please visit the Cirque Dreams page.
Last year the Paladin Players were invited to perform "Aquarius" for the Annual Scholarship Dinner for the Broward Education Foundation. Following that success, and the rave reviews received for West Side Story, South Plantation High School theater students have been invited back! This time, the Foundation has asked South to exclusively perform at “Laffing Matterz” dinner theater in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 23rd as they celebrate the 25th Anniversary of their organization. Our improv troupe, Crayon Scented Backseat, famous for our popular “30-in-60” shows, drew upon the experience and training they received this past summer at The Second City in Chicago and putting together 10-15 minutes of sketch comedy for this event, spoofing the education system of today vs. 25 years ago as well as delicately poking some innocent fun at the people in charge. SHPS theater co-director Jason Zembuch writes:
Congratulations to Crayon Scented Backseat on a job well done!
Please congratulate your Thespians when you see them on an outstanding showing at this year's District Festival. Of 25 competing individual entries, we received 4 critics' choice selections (best in show in each category), 12 Superior 1st place ratings (9 of which received straight superiors across the board) and 9 Excellent 2nd place ratings. This year's festival boasted over 600 participants, and we are very proud of our students. See below for details of who received what. Also exciting - Joe Rawda (our Silver Knight nominee in Drama) not only received Straight Superiors for his scene design entry, not only received Critics' Choice in Scene Design for the festival, but was awarded a $500 scholarship from District 13 Thespians to help him pursue his college dreams! In the One-Act Play Contest, our entry "Zanna, Don't!" received Straight Superiors, Best Tech, and was the District's State Selected Alternate this year. Cast & Crew of the One-Act included: Rob Oda, Noel Harris, Justin White, Josh Wittneben, Kellie Smith, Alli Santamauro, Mario Aivazian, Carol Rock, Frank Gonzalez, Alvaro D'Amico, John Encalada, Francesca Cromartie, Sydney Pigao, Mercedes Brandt, Crystal Gray, Abigail Cline, Kaley Shields, Jason Rosen, Elizabeth Martinez, Scott Collins, Chelsea Dexter, Taylor Hall, and Julian Montalvo. Individual Event Scores Critics' Choices Remaining Superiors Excellents
One student describes it this way: " '30 In 60' is approximately one hour of complete and utter nonsense". Perhaps, but it is nonsense that will likely have you alternately yelling at the stage and rolling on the floor in laughter. Sounds like fun, eh? On Wednesday, September 17th, SPHS "Crayon Scented Backseat", South's Improv Troupe, executed the goal of 30 comedy skits within a 60 minute period. As is always the case for a "30 in 60" production, the cost of entrance was dependent upon a roll of the die and the concessions were free!!! Proceeds went to the SPHS theatre department and additional donations were collected that will go to Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids. Congratulations to "Crayon Scented Backseat" on another successful production! South Plantation Friends of the Theatre's "Meet The Director" night held on Friday, September 12, 2008 was a great success. Over one hundred parents and students attended and were treated to excellent Italian cuisine catered by Mr. D's Pizza (954-581-0373) and a totally emo (in a good way!) look back at productions past via PowerPoint created by FOTT historan extraordinaire Tina Oda. The evening continued with a welcome and announcements from FOTT President Denis White and an introduction to Theater Co-Directors Michelle Terl and Jason Zembuch. Michelle and Jason provided a comprehensive overview of the program that included tesimonials by Drama Club Student President Jaimie Kautzmann, student-actor Justin White and student set designer Joe Rawda, followed by a pair of seasoned theater parents, FOTT webmaster Dean Kautzmann and FOTT Vice President Fran Sweet. The common thread throughout the evening was "'involvement leads to growth"- growth in your child, growth in your relationship with your child and growth in yourself. Another topic of discussion was budget cuts. Funding for the arts is nearly non-existant in the public schools. Mobilizing parents to act on behalf of their children and support the arts in education is critical to staging any production in any school...however, South Plantation High School IS NOT just any school. This theater program excels beyond expectations for numerous reasons and against all odds. The challenge is to sustain this high level of quality. That takes committment from everyone- teachers, students, parents and the community. We firmly believe that everyone has something to offer and there are many areas where your participation would be invaluable. Drop us a line if you can help. Here is some recommended reading on the subject: "Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement". July 2008: While the majority of Broward School employees were enjoying the summer off, South Plantation High School Theater directors Jason Zembuch and Michelle Terl would not have been considered among them. South Plantation High School, in conjunction with the League of Hard of Hearing, hosted a performing arts summer camp for middle school students, grades 6-8. The theme of the camp was "Theater For The Deaf & Hard of Hearing". A total of twenty three students (19 of which are either deaf or hard of hearing) were exposed to all aspects of performance theater including music, dance, stagecraft, literary adaptation, traditional scenework and pantomime. Theater directors Jason Zembuch and Michelle Terl oversaw the camp and acted as Artistic Directors but were not alone in this outreach. They had four full time student volunteers working alongside industry professionals including Eric Alsford (music), John Hensley (choreography), and Graciela Binaghi (pantomime). The camp culminated in a successful performance showcase at the Paladin Playhouse on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 7:00pm. The performance, which was free to the public, raised over $400.00 in donations that were directed to Broadway Cares: Equity Fights AIDS. Congratulations to all who participated & supported this event and a special thank you to all who attended the showcase. Saturday, May 31, 2008 was a typical hot, humid day in South Florida. But that didn't stop drama program students and the Friends of the Theatre from coming out to South Plantation High School and giving the campus a well needed cleaning. Everyone spent the day picking up all manner of debris and garbage from every nook and cranny of the grounds. Though the students recieved community hours, they also recieved something greater- a sense of pride in their school.
May, 2008: South Plantation High School's own Paladin Players were invited to perform at the 13th annual Broward Education Foundation's Scholarship Celebration on Friday, May 16th, 2008. This years theme harkened back to the 60's and was called "Easy Rider- Peace, Love, Happiness & a Harley". In keeping with the theme, the Paladin Players performed "Aquarius" from the 1960's musical "Hair" in both voice and sign language. The evening was not without technical difficulties. An undetermined issue with the audio resulted in a very low music accompaniment that forced the students to, for all practical purposes, sing a capella. Just as they did in Tampa, the Paladin Players rose to the occassion and gave a fabulous performance. We are pleased to premier the footage of that performance right here at FOTT.org.
The Broward Education Foundation provides over $845,000 in scholarships annually through this event for college bound graduates with unmet financial needs. Attendees included Broward Schools Superintendent James F. Notter and his wife Judith, philanthropists Alan and Marsha Levy, Broward County School Board Member Jennifer Gottlieb, and Broward Education Communications Network (BECON) Director Dr. Phyllis Schiffer-Simon. What a great audience to see how special these South Plantation High School students are!
Halloween 2007: Trail of Terror International Thespian Society Competition 2008 Second City Television, Chicago
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to Troupe 3383's inductees into the International Thespian Society!
The International Thespian Society is an honorary organization for high-school and middle-school theatre students located at more than 3,600 affiliated secondary schools across America, Canada, and abroad. The mission of ITS is to honor student excellence in the theatre arts. It is a division of the Educational Theatre Association. Learn more about the International Thespian Society by clicking here.
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