Spotlight 2021

Th e

SPOTLIGHT A PVTC Pu b lic a t ion

THE PIVOT TO OUTDOOR THEATRE pp.5 SPOTLIGHT ON: 2021 INTERNS pp.10 New I.D.E.A.s a t PVTC: INCLUSION DIVERSITY EQUITY ACCESSIBILITY pp.12

WELCOME! Welc om e to the first- ever ed ition of The Spotlight! Throug h this p ub lic a tion, we hop e to sha re with you- - our c om m unity- - the ric h, m ea ning ful, a nd c rea tive work tha t ha s em erg ed in PVTC sp a c es over the p a st yea r. Whether outd oors, on a Zoom c a ll, or in our b eloved La ne Fa m ily Ha ll, PVTC is in p ursuit of joy, d isc overy, a nd tra nsform a tion.

2021ha s forc ed us to b ec om e nim b le. I a m so g ra teful for the c a reful a nd visiona ry work of a st ella r b oa rd of d irec t ors ( m eet them on p p . 20) a nd the sup p ort of Va lley Presb y t eria n Ch u rc h ; their thoug htful d ed ic a tion a llowed us to return to sa fe in- p erson p rog ra m m ing la st Ma rc h a nd exp a nd our und ersta nd ing of our own p otentia l. Som eh ow , d esp it e t h e c h a llen g es of p iv ot in g for a COVID w orld , w e h a v e fou n d w a y s t o flou rish .

I wa s rec ently ta lking to a PVTC b oa rd m em b er who joined the lea d ership tea m ea rlier this yea r. Desp ite her d ec a d e- long history a s a sum m er c a m p p a rent ( her d a ug hters ha ve thrived onsta g e a nd in the internship p rog ra m ) , she noted tha t she ha d no id ea just how m uc h PVTC d oes until she joined the b oa rd . W e a re, in d eed , a b u sy , b u st lin g org a n iza t ion c om m it t ed t o t h e g row t h a n d su c c ess of ev ery m em b er of ou r c om m u n it y . And we wa nt you to know a b out tha t! Whether you?re fully im m ersed in c urrent PVTC p rog ra m m ing or it?s ?b een a m inute? sinc e you?ve eng a g ed , I hop e you?ll ta ke a m om ent to flip throug h these p a g es, see the sup er- innova tive wa ys PVTC tea m m em b ers, interns, a nd stud ents ha ve em b ra c ed the c ha lleng es of our d a y, a nd lea rn a b out our hop es for the future a s we find our wa y to our ?new norm a l.?

Send ing a ll of you wa rm fuzzies a nd c rea tive vib es,

Noëlle GM Gibbs Executive Artistic Director

Ta b le of

CONTENTS

02

W elc om e from Noëlle

04

Su m m er 2021: Th e Sh ow Mu st Go On !

08

Dev isin g in t h e Red w ood s

10

Sp ot lig h t On : 2021 In t ern s

12

New I.D.E.A.s a t PVTC

16

Crea t in g a Bra v e Sp a c e

18

A Hop e for ?Pu rp le Su m m er?

19

In t h e Pa rk in g Lot W h ere It Ha p p en ed

20

Firesid e Room Ch a t : An Alu m n i Colu m n

21

Th e Peop le Beh in d t h e Cu rt a in

2021 production photo credit Chip Krauskopf Pa g e 3

Sum m er 2021:

Th e Sh ow M u st Go On !

PVTC stud ents, interns, a nd sta ff m em b ers b a nd ed tog ether to c rea te thea tre a ll over c a m p us this sum m er.

Get the insid e sc oop on how we d id it!

"

PVTC is the b est sum m er c a m p I?ve ever d one!

- 2021 su m m er c a m p er

Mem b ers of the m id d le sc hool Outdoor Office c rea te d yna m ic sta g ing in the lower lot while b a ttling the a m b ient noise of Portola Roa d

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Th e Piv ot t o OUTDOOR Th ea t re STAYING COVID SAFE If 2020 wa s the yea r of Zoom p rod uc tions, 2021ha s b een the yea r of outd oor shows. Tha nks to the vision of a thoroug h COVID c om m ittee, the c rea tive a d a p ta b ility of our sta ff & interns, a nd the c oop era tion of our c a m p fa m ilies, we d id it! Here is how: -

-

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Gia n t Hu la Hoop s, d esig ned b y tec h d irec tor Fred Eira s, b uilt b y interns, a nd d ec ora ted b y c a m p ers served a s soc ia l d ista nc ing m a rkers Bed a zzled m a sk s b ec a m e essentia l c om p onents of our c ostum e d esig ns Ten t s ov er ou t d oor p la t form s c rea ted insta nt outd oor sta g es Rollin g c a rt s a llowed p rop s, sets, tec h eq uip m ent, a nd sup p lies to m ove ea sily a round c a m p us

Ad d in d a ily h ea lt h sc reen in g s, t em p era t u re c h ec k s, fu lly v a c c in a t ed st a ff, a nd t est in g for unm a sked hig h sc hoolers in She Kills Monsters a nd we a re p roud to rep ort tha t we ha d ZERO insta nc es of COVID- 19 d uring our 2021 c a m p s!!!

Now, our COVID c om m ittee is ha rd a t work c rea ting a p la n for a sa fe return to La ne Ha ll in 2022! We hop e to see you there!

- Sta c ie Doherty Ma na g ing Direc tor

Our sum m er them e ?The Show Must Go On" invited us to re- think wha t a p erform a nc e sp a c e c ould b e. Aud ienc es visited the red wood g rove, the la wn, a nd even the p a rking lot to enjoy live, in- p erson thea tre.

SUM M ER BY THE NUM BERS

10 3 STUDENTS 22 TEA CHING A RTISTS

9 ORIGINAL SCRIPTS 3 OUTDOOR STA GES

9 TENTS 74 MICS Pa g e 5

Som et h in g t o Sin g Ab ou t In

PORTOLA VALLEY More on Sum m er 2021 BY

RA F

O RN ES

It is no sec ret tha t the p a st yea r ha s b een very d iffic ult for the p erform ing a rts. As a c hora l a nd m usic d irec tor, it ha s b een esp ec ia lly d iffic ult, a s sing ing wa s sing led out a s one of the m ost d a ng erous a c tivities. We sold iered on for over a yea r, org a nizing "virtua l" c hoirs, ta p ing full shows, rehea rsing via Zoom , ed iting vid eos, a nd p erform ing a t d rive- ins. It wa s a la b or of love, a nd stretc hed us a ll c rea tively in b ra nd new wa ys, b ut it wa s a lwa ys a p oor sub stitute for live p erform a nc e.

This p a st sum m er we a t PVTC were c om m itted to resp onsib ly returning to live thea tre, reg a rd less of ob sta c les. Given m a ny restric tions ( m a sking , testing , outd oor venue, etc .) , we d ec id ed on a show whic h would a llow a ll m em b ers to p rep a re a nd p erform a solo, m inim izing g roup intera c tions.

Enter Broa dwa y Drea m s This ultim a tely turned out to b e one of the m ost enjoya b le sum m er shows I ever m usic d irec ted . Is it b ec a use so m a ny young p eop le who would not g et a c ha nc e to p erform a solo, g ot a n op p ortunity? Is it the ind ivid ua l g rowth tha t we sa w in ea c h p erform er? The wa y tha t a ll the c a m p ers sup p orted ea c h other throug hout the c a m p ? The m a ny wa ys in whic h a ll c a m p ers a nd c ounselors overc a m e a m ultitud e of ob sta c les? Yes to a ll of tha t, b ut there wa s a lso fund a m enta l exc item ent a nd joy every m orning , a s we fina lly g ot a c ha nc e to d o wha t we love d oing : tea c hing a c tors, young a nd old , a nd sha ring tha t with a live a ud ienc e.

Perform ers a g es 6 throug h hig h sc hool ta c kle solo num b ers a nd orig ina l c horeog ra p hy for our outd oor Broa d wa y Revue

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W e a sk ed ou r d esig n ers a b ou t c rea t in g t h ea t re in a n ew en v iron m en t .

Here is w h a t t h ey sa id ? ?Being fully eng a g ed in na ture sp a rked im a g ina tive p rod uc tions where c a m p ers, interns, a nd sta ff c ould stretc h them selves to b e a t their b est a nd m ost c om forta b le.?

- Lindsa y Sa ier Ha ir & Ma keup Designer

Our shop s a nd stud ios for c ostum es, ha ir, m a keup , sets, a nd p rop s m oved outsid e so stud ents c ould lea rn a b out tec hnica l thea tre a nd ta ke ow nership over the a esthetic of their show s.

An a ud ienc e g a thers to enjoy Wha t?s On Tonight

"Moving from a fully ind oor thea tre c a m p to a n a lm ost exc lusive outd oor c a m p ha d its sha re of c ha lleng es. Not only wa s there a n outd oor sta g e to b uild , b ut the p a rking lot the sta g e would b e on wa s slop ed . On top of tha t, the wea ther a nd tem p era ture on b uild d a ys were unp red ic ta b le with c old m orning s a nd hot a fternoons a nd the wind wa s b ruta l on our tents. Even so, it truly wa s so wond erful to c onnec t with na ture a nd see the p la n unfold a s stud ent a c tors thrived outd oors."

- Fred Eira s Sets & Props Director Technica l Designer Pa g e 7

De v i s i n g i n t h e

Red wood s MAKING IT UP AS WE GO! We sat down with PVTC teaching artist and alum Maddie Zdeblick to discuss her approach to creating original theatre with young people. This is what we learned: Qu est ion : You c rea ted a sp oof on the p op ula r TV show "The Offic e" with m id d le sc hool stud ents. Tell us a b out tha t p roc ess.

An sw er: We sta rted with a p rom p t? wha t would it look like if a n a lrea d y d ysfunc tiona l offic e c a m e b a c k to work in- p erson, only m a sked , d ista nc ed , a nd in the PVTC p a rking lot? We itera tively im p rovised id ea s, b uild ing on nug g ets tha t were m ost exc iting to us. At som e p oint, stud ents, interns, a nd I sa t d own a nd wrote out a sc rip t. From there, we m em orized , b loc ked , rehea rsed , a nd p erform ed .

And a ll of this ha p p ened in two weeks.

Qu est ion : Wha t wa s one c ha lleng e you fa c ed this sum m er?

An sw er: One of the b est p a rts of d evising a s a p roc ess is tha t it help s us rec a st c ha lleng es a s op p ortunities. In the first few d a ys of rehea rsa l for The Outdoor Office, we strug g led to m a inta in 6 ft of d ista nc e a t a ll tim es? ?sa fety, sa fety, 6ft a p a rt p eop le!? wa s a line

tha t showed up in every im p rovised sc ene.

Stud ents sa w the c om ic p otentia l in this line a nd c rea ted a c ha ra c ter whose sole job it wa s to keep folks a p a rt, to hila rious effec t!

Qu est ion : Wha t d o you love a b out d evising with young p eop le?

An sw er: I love the in- the- m om ent, d elig htful sp onta neity of it. You never know where you?re g oing until you g et there, a nd you c a nnot p ossib ly g et where you?re g oing without the uniq ue c ontrib utions of ea c h ind ivid ua l stud ent. It a lwa ys rem ind s m e of the inc red ib le c a p a c ity of young p eop le to im a g ine, c olla b ora te, a nd c rea te.

ON SET

Stud ents film in Pa g e 8

Pla ywrig ht Da wn L. Troup e c onsults with d irec tor Cla ra Wa lker on the sc rip t for Driving in Ca rs

Exp loring the red wood trees for Beyond Our Wildest Drea m s: Site- Specific Devising

W h a t is Dev isin g ?

In thea tre, ?d evising ? is the p roc ess of c rea ting a new p la y with a g roup of c olla b ora tors. This sum m er a t PVTC, c a m p ers g ot to ta ke on a b ra nd new role in the p roc ess: c rea tors. Working a long sid e d irec tors, d esig ners, a nd p la ywrig hts, the whole tea m c rea ted nine orig ina l sc rip ts from sc ra tc h ? we exp lored everything from internet c a ts to stud ents?exp erienc es a s b a c ksea t d rivers, we wrote b ra nd new fra c tured fa iryta les a nd sp oofed ?The Offic e,? a nd we even d evelop ed a show insp ired b y our b eloved red wood g rove!

m in front of a g reen sc reen

LEARN MORE! Anna b el Ji ?Zoom ed ? into PVTC intern m eeting s d a ily from her hom e in New York. Am ong her va rious resp onsib ilities w a s follow ing the crea tion of ?Beyond Our Wild est Drea m s: Site- Sp ecific Devising in the Red w ood s?! Sc a n the QR cod e to c hec k out her 2- m inute vid eo d oc um enting the exp erience!

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SPOTLIGHT Ju lia Seg a l 10th g ra d e she/ her/ hers

on Sum m er 2021 In t ern s

Yea rs a t PVTC: 6 2021 In t ern sh ip Roles: Rota tion Lea d er, Ad m in Intern, Assista nt Sta g e Ma na g er W h a t d id y ou lea rn t h is y ea r? The rewa rd

Ash er Allen 12th g ra d e he/ him / his

tha t c om es throug h p a tienc e, when others b enefit a nd g row from the sp a c e you p rovid e for them .

W h a t a re y ou m ost p rou d of from t h is su m m er? I felt like I rea lly m a d e a n im p a c t on the c a m p ers in m y g roup a nd I lea rned a lot from them a s well; those c onnec tions

Yea rs a t PVTC: 9

a re rea lly im p orta nt to m e a nd I a m rea lly

2021 In t ern sh ip Roles: Ad m in Intern

p roud to sa y tha t I c ontrib uted to m a king their exp erienc e even just a little b it b etter.

W h a t d id y ou lea rn t h is y ea r? How to b est lea d a nd work with stud ents of neurolog ic a l

Com in g b a c k t o PVTC in a p ost - COVID 19

d iversity. It wa s a n a m a zing op p ortunity to

w orld wa s so inc red ib ly sp ec ia l. Over the

b uild lea d ership skills in a c ting instruc tion,

yea rs it ha s b ec om e a sec ond hom e for

g roup work, a nd c olla b ora tion with others.

m e so g etting to see a ll m y friend s in p erson a g a in a nd working with c a m p ers on ha nd s- on p rojec ts wa s a n a b solute joy.

W h a t a re y ou p rou d of? The sheer p a ssion a nd enthusia sm I sa w from every stud ent I worked or sp oke with! Being a b le to help m a ke a n op p ortunity for this exc item ent ha p p en is a lso wha t I'm p roud of.

Com in g b a c k t o PVTC in a p ost - COVID 19 w orld m ea nt g iving others a p la c e for d eep er, m ore m ea ning ful soc ia l intera c tion.

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33 INTERNS Na t a lia Ku la sooriy a 10th g ra d e he/ they/ she

16 M ENTORS 12 THEATRICAL DISCIPLINES

Yea rs a t PVTC: 5 2021 In t ern sh ip Roles: Ha ir Desig n, Rota tion Lea d er W h a t d id y ou lea rn t h is y ea r? How to style wig s a nd keep kid s eng a g ed a nd listening without ta king a wa y from the fun.

W h a t a re y ou p rou d of? Bec om ing a role

Sea n Bra t t on 10th g ra d e he/ him / his

m od el to m y c a m p ers a nd g etting them exc ited to d o c erta in a c tivities even in unfortuna te wea ther c irc um sta nc es. Help ing run a n outd oor thea ter c a m p wa s a b ig a c c om p lishm ent!

Yea rs a t PVTC: 4

2021 In t ern sh ip Roles: Tec h Intern W h a t d id y ou lea rn t h is y ea r? In the p a st, I ha ve worked in a ll sort of tec hnic a l thea tre d isc ip lines suc h a s lig hting , sound , a nd sets/ p rop s. Sp ec ific a lly this sum m er, I d id a lot of work in live a ud io whic h wa s enjoya b le a s it wa s som ething new for m e.

W h a t a re y ou p rou d of? How everyone wa s a b le to work tog ether to fa c e the c ha lleng e of d oing thea tre outd oors a s it wa s new to a Sum m er 2021 interns g a ther a t tra ining

lot p eop le .

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Accessib ility Eq uity Diversity Inclusion

I . D . E. A .

Pa g e 12

New IDEAS a t PVTC

BY A LLYSO N SPEN C E Bo a r d M e m b e r As a p a rent of three g irls who ha ve enjoyed c la sses a nd sum m er c a m p s a t PVTC, I ha ve a p p rec ia ted the a rtistic a nd em p a thetic wa y tha t stories a re told . A c oup le of hig hlig hts inc lud e p a st p rod uc tions like Box & Mula n JR. Box is a show fea turing a series of vig nettes a b out the b oxes in our lives tha t surround us, p utting voic e to d iffic ult life top ic s. In our p rod uc tion of Mula n JR, the PVTC tea m exp lored Chinese tra d itions a nd c ulture to help c a m p ers g a in a d eep er und ersta nd ing of a nd resp ec t for the c ha ra c ters they were p ortra ying .

For yea rs PVTC ha s invited neurod iverse stud ents to exp erienc e shows, g iving c a m p ers a n ea g er a ud ienc e for their p review p erform a nc e. Ea c h p erform a nc e wa s p rec ed ed b y a hea rtfelt

PVTC c a m p ers show their p rid e

c onversa tion a b out wha t it m ig ht m ea n to ha ve a d isa b ility. If a ny of you wa tc hed even a snip p et of the sum m er Pa ra lym p ic s, you m a y ha ve notic ed the ra ng e of d isa b ilities rep resented ( som e visib le, som e not) a nd the hig h level of a c hievem ent of ea c h a thlete a s they c om p eted for g old .

In rec ent yea rs, c ountless injustic es ha ve op ened our eyes; the senseless killing of Bla c k folks, the ha te c rim es a g a inst the LGBTQ c om m unity a nd Asia n c om m unities throug hout the p a nd em ic , a nd the hea lthc a re d isp a rities tha t ha ve left p eop le of c olor a nd ind ivid ua ls with d isa b ilities the ha rd est hit b y the p a nd em ic ha ve m a d e it q uite c lea r tha t ineq uities d o still exist in our world . Whether d ista nt thoug hts or p a inful rea lities, these issues touc h us a ll. I rea d a n a rtic le the other d a y a b out the strug g les of a white a c tor

who is d ea f, la ud ed a s one of the b est a c tors of our tim e, b ut who is la rg ely unknown d ue to his d isa b ility.

Art ha s a lwa ys b een a voic e a nd reflec tion of the p eop le. PVTC ha s step p ed forwa rd to a sk how it c a n use its voic e to a d d ress issues of inc lusion, d iversity, eq uity, a nd a c c essib ility to up lift a nd a ffirm ALL in our c om m unity.

As a m em b er of t h e I.D.E.A. c om m it t ee, I in v it e y ou t o join m e in m a k in g PVTC a m ore in c lu siv e sp a c e.

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During Mula n JR, stud ents a nd interns worked with sp ec ia lists to exp lore the orig ina l Chinese m yth of Mula n, a s well a s Chinese c ulture a nd m a rtia l a rts

Ca m p ers eng a g e in a c onversa tion a b out inc lusivity

W h a t is t h e I.D.E.A. Com m it t ee?

The b oa rd of d irec tors of PVTC form ed a n I.D.E.A ( Inc lusion, Diversity, Eq uity, a nd Ac c essib ility) c om m ittee in 2020 d ed ic a ted to initia tives tha t m a ke a ll p eop le feel welc om e a nd inc lud ed . Its g oa ls a re to b uild on PVTC streng ths of p rom oting em p a thy a nd resp ec t - to c ontinue to invest in p rog ra m m ing tha t m a kes us la ug h a nd c ry, tha t m a y c ha lleng e us to think b ut will a lwa ys ha ve the g oa l of touc hing our hea rts. PVTC is d ed ic a ted to c rea ting a sa fe sp a c e for stud ents, interns, a d ult a c tors, a nd a rtistic sta ff to exp ress them selves freely throug h a rt.

W h a t d oes I.D.E.A. look lik e a t PVTC? It m ea ns rec ruiting d iverse a rtistic sta ff for shows a nd workshop s, welc om ing a ll stud ents into our c la sses a nd c a m p s, ta iloring p rog ra m m ing to reflec t our c om m unity, a nd ha ving no tolera nc e for intolera nc e of a ny kind in our sp a c e.

Sc a n the QR cod e on the rig ht to com p lete the survey Guests from Op en Mind Sc hool enjoys a n a c c ess p review in 2019

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W h a t 's n ext for PVTC? PVTC would like to b etter und ersta nd the c om m unities we serve. To tha t end we ha ve c rea ted a n a nonym ous d em og ra p h ic su rv ey , d elving into q uestions of ra c e, g end er id entity, sexua l orienta tion, a nd d isa b ility. It is m ea nt to c a p ture a sna p shot of the c urrent d iversity of our c om m unity.

This inform a tion will b e used to g uid e future p rog ra m m ing , to a p p ly for g ra nts, to rep resent a ll voic es in our c om m unity a nd to c eleb ra te us a ll. I invite you a nd ALL m em b ers of your household who ha ve ever eng a g ed with PVTC to ta ke two m inutes to fill out this survey.

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Crea ting a BRAVE Sp a c e

BY M A D D IE RO STA M I Sisterhood . Friend ship . These a re two of m y fa vorite typ es of love stories, a nd yet they?re a lm ost never onsta g e. She Kills Monsters ha s long b een one of m y m ost c herished p la ys b ec a use it b ring s them to the front a nd c enter.

At the p la y?s sta rt, young er sister Tilly p a sses a wa y in a tra g ic b ike a c c id ent; when old er sister Ag nes find s Tilly?s hom esp un DnD m od ule, it?s the only wa y she c a n think to c onnec t with her. So Ag nes b eg ins to p la y, d iving hea d first into the world of Dung eons a nd Dra g ons. At first, she d oesn?t know wha t to exp ec t. Nerd s a nd m onsters, p erha p s? But the journey q uic kly g rows a s Tilly ( a ka Tillius the Pa la d in) d ra g s Ag nes a long for a n ep ic q uest to

q ueer id entity; in hig h sc hool ( a nd in life!) , our

rec la im the Lost Soul of Athens from a terrifying

und ersta nd ing a b out id entity is ever- c ha ng ing ,

five- hea d ed d ra g on c a lled Tia m a t. Ag nes lea rns

a nd I love tha t this story em b ra c es this fluid ity. The

a b out the friend s a nd c om m unity tha t kep t her

whole PVTC tea m is end lessly p roud of this c a st of

Tog ether a s a n ensem b le, we strove to c rea te a b ra ve sp a c e: a n environm ent where we c ould g row a nd lea rn from the uniq ue p ersp ec tives of the g roup . young er sister g oing : d ung eon m a ster Chuc k,

teena g ers. From d a y one, this g roup d ove into

wa rrior elf Ka lliop e, d em on overlord Orc us, a nd

d yna m ic c onversa tions a b out inc lusion a nd

d em on q ueen Lillith. And tog ether this DnD p a rty

exc lusion in the world a round us. We then used this

ta kes on the forc es of evil: a violent fa iry, suc c ub i

b ra instorm ing in a c ting exerc ises tha t g round ed

who resem b le c heerlea d ers, g ela tinous c ub es, a nd

these c ha ra c ters in the som etim es ha rsh rea lities

floa ting eyeb a lls. Ad d in som e TikTok d a nc e b a ttles,

of hig h sc hool.

som e wild fig ht c horeog ra p hy, a nd som e serious fun a nd She Kills Monsters is a n ep ic rid e from sta rt to finish.

She Kills Monsters a lso d ives into q uestions a b out

Pa g e 16

Tog ether a s a n ensem b le, we strove to c rea te a b ra ve sp a c e: a n environm ent where we c ould g row a nd lea rn from the uniq ue p ersp ec tives of the g roup . When our a c tors ha d c onc erns over

Roll the

Ca m era s

She Kills Monsters: Virtua l Rea lm s m a rks PVTC?s first- ever show live- strea m ed from La ne Fa m ily Ha ll. All a c tors were fully va c c ina ted a nd rec eived neg a tive COVID tests b efore unm a sking for p erform a nc es.

la ng ua g e in the show, they a p p roa c hed

them wa s the g rea test g ift.

c onversa tions with c a re, a d voc a ting for their

But it?s not just these a c tors - - every sing le tea m

p oint of view a nd ta king c a re of their fellow c a st

m em b er g a ve their a ll. Ea rly on, we d ove into

m em b ers. I c ontinue to lea rn from these

p la nning for a n a ll- Zoom p erform a nc e with every

stud ents every d a y - - to b e in this p roc ess with

a c tor on their own c om p uter, a c ting to a sc reen. As c irc um sta nc es b eg a n to shift a nd it b ec a m e c lea r

Ma d d ie Rosta m i lea d s a c onversa tion with the c a st of She Kills Monsters: Virtua l Rea lm s

tha t we m ig ht b e in- p erson this sum m er, our tea m p ivoted tim e a nd tim e a g a in to b ring the story to life in La ne Ha ll for our first- ever live strea m ed p erform a nc e. It wa s suc h a joy to c olla b ora te At the end of She Kills Monsters, Tilly a sks Ag nes: ?Did you ha ve fun? Tha t?s the p oint in a ll this. Did you ha ve fun??

I ha d nothing b ut fun g etting to p la y with the She Kills Monsters tea m over the c ourse of 2021, a nd I look forwa rd to seeing the exc iting m a teria l our hig h sc hool stud ents will ta c kle next!

Pa g e 17

A Hop e of Purp le Sum m er How COVID- 19 im p a c ted one c a st m em b er of Spring Awa kening, the Ma inSta g e p rod uc tion PVTC wa s rehea rsing when the p a nd em ic shut d own a ll live thea tre

BY M IC HA EL SA C C O In the sec ond ha lf of Ma rc h 2020, I rec eived a n em a il. We would ha ve

fun a nd exc iting c a st to p la y a long sid e. My c ha ra c ter, Moritz Stiefel, strug g les with d ep ression, a nxiety, a nd p a renta l exp ec ta tions, thing s tha t I, too, d ea l with. The b urd en of d oing c ha ra c ter work a t hom e wa s a lot on m e when we p ivoted to online rehea rsa ls, b ut I knew tha t I ha d a d eep c onnec tion with Moritz, so I p ersisted . The whole c a st showed up ea c h week a nd p lug g ed a wa y on Zoom , d oing a s m uc h c ha ra c ter resea rc h a s we c ould .

But the p a nd em ic ra g ed on with no end in sig ht. By Ma y 2020, PVTC p a used the p rojec t ind efinitely.

to tem p ora rily susp end rehea rsa ls for PVTC?s Ma inSta g e p rod uc tion of Spring Awa kening d ue to COVID- 19. The whole c a st a nd c rew ( a nd the whole world ) thoug ht we would only b e a wa y from our norm a l for two weeks, so we p ivoted to Zoom rehea rsa ls a nd d ove into c ha ra c ter resea rc h.

Spring Awa kening wa s m y d eb ut p rojec t with this wond erful c om p a ny ( I ha ve sinc e worked a s a n a ssista nt m usic a l d irec tor on three of their sum m er c a m p s) , a nd I c ould n?t ha ve a sked for a m ore

Pa g e 18

Fa st forwa rd to Ma y of 2021, over a yea r sinc e our orig ina l p erform a nc e d a tes. Som e c a st- m a tes a nd I rea c hed out to the PVTC tea m a sking if there wa s a ny wa y to finish wha t we sta rted b efore our seniors went off to c olleg e. With sa fety p rotoc ol still b eing esta b lished for live thea tre, we were una b le to d o the full show a t tha t tim e. Luc kily, Dra g on Thea tre, who ha d b een a n orig ina l p a rtner for Spring Awa kening, p resented a n op p ortunity to p erform a fifteen m inute set for their sum m er "d rive- in" series. We

g a thered a s m uc h of our orig ina l c a st a s p ossib le a nd set out rehea rsing .

It felt so surrea l to fina lly p erform live tog ether in front of other p eop le- - even if they were sea ted in their c a rs. The nig ht of the p erform a nc e wa s everything I c ould ?ve hop ed for a nd m ore. After the p erform a nc e, I told Noelle tha t tha t p erform a nc e d id n?t seem like the end ing of the show, a nd she a g reed with m e, sa ying tha t it felt a lm ost like a b eg inning .

Of c ourse I c a n only sp ea k for m yself when I sa y this, b ut the c onnec tion I ha d with this

Mic ha el running sound a s the Assista nt Voc a l Direc tor for Broa dwa y Drea m s

show- - a ll the c ha lleng ing top ic s it exp lores a long sid e the m ost m esm erizing , ha unting , p owerful roc k m usic - - wa s inc red ib le. I love the c a st a nd c rew with m y entire b eing , a nd would g ive a lm ost a nything to b e a b le to p la y with the show a g a in.

Ro c kin?Out

Spring Awa kening end s with the b a lla d ?Purp le Sum m er.? It?s a song of hop e for the future. If c irc um sta nc es a llow, I hop e this wond erful p rod uc tion rec eives a c ha nc e a t its ?Purp le Sum m er? in 2022 a nd tha t if it d oes, you c a n join us.

PVTC?s Ma inSta g e p rod uc tion of Spring Awa kening wa s p ostp oned ind efinitely in sp ring of 2020, b ut the c a st reunited for a sp ec ia l d rive- in p erform a nc e p rod uc ed b y Dra g on Thea tre a t the Port of Red wood City in June

IN THE PARKING LOT "Where it ha p p ened " Th is fa ll, PVTC p a rt n ered w it h Sa n Ca rlos Ch ild ren ?s Th ea t re for a sp ec ia l Ha m ilton w ork sh op . W e a sk ed p a rt ic ip a n t Joh n n y t o t ell u s a b ou t h is exp erien c e w ork in g w it h p rofession a l a c t or Ch rist op h er Hen ry You n g : The Ha m ilton Workshop wa s suc h a n a m a zing exp erienc e! Chris is suc h a g rea t tea c her a nd it wa s fun ta king a c loser step insid e Ha m ilton.

I rea lly felt like I wa s p a rt of the show ? lea rning the the d a nc e routine to ?My Shot" from som eone who is a c tua lly in the show, m a d e m e feel c loser to the lyric s a nd the song . While ?My Shot? ha sn?t typ ic a lly b een m y g o- to song , a fter working with Chris, it?s now one of m y fa vorites!

- Johnny Cla rk

Johnny lea rning the c horeog ra p hy to "My Shot"

SF Ha m ilton Tour c a st m em b er Christop her Henry Young tea c hes 50 stud ents m oves from the m usic a l

Pa g e 19

Firesid e Room Cha t A Messa g e from Alum a nd Boa rd Mem b er Ala nna Mc Na ug hton Chec k out this throwb a c k p hoto of Ala nna a s Na ta lie in PVTC?s 2012 p rod uc tion of Distra cted

In c a se we ha ve yet to b e introd uc ed a round c a m p us, m y na m e is Ala nna Mc Na ug hton, a nd I?m a PVTC a lum . You m a y ha ve seen m e in a Ma inSta g e p rod uc tion or d irec ting stud ents d uring sum m er c a m p . This yea r, I took on a new role a nd joined the b oa rd a s the ina ug ura l a lum ni rep resenta tive, serving on our Inc lusion, Diversity, Eq uity, a nd Ac c essib ility ( I.D.E.A.) a nd fund ra ising c om m ittees, a nd looking for new wa ys to eng a g e other form er stud ents a nd a c tors like m e in new p rog ra m m ing . I g rew up on the Peninsula , a nd thoug h I?m now b a sed in Wa shing ton, DC, I will a lwa ys c a ll the Ba y Area , a nd PVTC, m y hom e.

Let m e tell you, wha t a n exc iting tim e to join the b oa rd ! I a m in a we of our c a m p ers a nd sta ff this sum m er a s they a p p roa c hed storytelling in new wa ys a nd ha d the op p ortunity to b e tog ether in p erson onc e a g a in. It wa s esp ec ia lly

fun for m e to visit c a m p us a nd see stud ents tha t I ha d worked with not too long a g o on sta g e a s c a m p ers now serving in lea d ership roles a s interns a c ross c a m p us.

Tha t is the uniq ue c om m unity tha t PVTC ha s c rea ted , tha t ha s b roug ht m e a nd your stud ents b a c k a g a in a nd a g a in. As a n a lum b oa rd rep resenta tive, I a m exc it ed a b ou t d eep en in g t h ose c on n ec t ion s in n ew w a y s t h a t in c lu d e n et w ork in g ev en t s, soc ia l a c t iv it ies, a n d m en t orsh ip op p ort u n it ies. We wa nt your inp ut into how to m a ke our thea tre b etter a nd eng a g e with the work we d o yea r- round .

I'll b e b a c k in town this winter rea c hing out to you ( or your stud ents) with c ha nc es to g et tog ether a nd p rovid e feed b a c k a b out the b est wa ys to rea c h you, wha t you?re m ost exc ited a b out

- Ala nna Mc Na ug hton

If y ou h a v e id ea s for a lu m s, life u p d a t es, or st ories t o sh a re, y ou c a n c on t a c t Ala n n a a t a lu m n i@p v t c - c a .org Pa g e 20

BEHIND THE CURTAIN Mea n in g fu l Milest on es for Two PVTC Roc ksta rs

JESS

2021m a rks 5 y ea rs on sta ff for c onserva tory a ssoc ia te Jessic a Sa ra h Ben n et t , who insp ires stud ents with her p a ssion for p erform ing a rts a nd d elig hts Ma inSta g e a ud ienc es with her im p ressive c om ed ic c hop s.

STACIE Ma na g ing d irec tor St a c ie Doh ert y ha s worn p retty m uc h every ha t tha t one c a n a t PVTC, b oth litera l a nd fig ura tive. In Aug ust, she c eleb ra ted her 10t h a n n iv ersa ry of keep ing PVTC c onnec ted , org a nized , a nd a lwa ys m oving forwa rd !

Pa g e 21

t o ev ery on e w h o m a d e 2021 p ossib le a t PVTC Th e St u d en t s & Fa m ilies who sta yed involved with PVTC p rog ra m m ing throug h COVID- 19 Ou r Gen erou s Don ors & Va lley Presb y t eria n Ch u rc h PVTC would not ha ve survived the COVID- 19 p a nd em ic if not for the g enerosity of this c om m unity who g a ve to keep us a floa t.

A Very Sp ec ia l Th a n k You to our Giving Tuesd a y d onors who c ollec tively g a ve $9,075.00 towa rd s PVTC?s sc hola rship p rog ra m , whic h sup p orted 19 sc hola rship stud ents a c ross a ll p rog ra m s in 2021!

PVTC St a ff

Tea c h in g Art ist s

Colleg e St a ff

In t ern s

Jess Bennett Sta c ie Doherty Fred Eira s Noëlle GM Gib ss Ma d d ie Rosta m i Susa n Strehlow Hila ry Stevens

Drew Atkinson Eliza b eth Berg Cla ire Chia ra va lle Bria n Hernd on Sa ra h Ja m es Cha rlynn Knig hton Alic ia Kot Ra fa el Ornes Lisa Rozm a n Lind sa y Sa ier Da wn Troup e Cla ra Wa lker Ma d eline Zd eb lic k

Alex Ka stelein Alex Morg a n Mic ha el Sa c c o Ma ya Seg a l

Asher Allen Anna lise Bowm a n Meg a n Bra tton Sea n Bra tton Johnny Cla rk Ca rolina Cua d ros Julia Dic kerson Sop hie Dud a La uren Hoc ka d a y Annie Hop kins Yum e Ishid a Lena Kip nis Ta vi Kip nis Na na Ka wa shim a Na yeon Kim

Gu est Art ist s And rew Breitha up t Alex Doherty Brooke Joha nsen Chip Kra uskop f John Pa renic a Sa ra Perkins Thor Wa ld son

Na ta lia Kula sooriya Anna b elle Ji Luc ie Lin Riley Minkowski Stefa n Minkowski Alessa nd ra Molna r Ma tthew Nowell Ha nna Pa rker Josie Plea sa nts Dyla n Proc tor CC Sha w Julia Seg a l Mira b el Stouta m ire Na om i Wa g ner Kellyn Zirn

W e a re n ot ou t of t h e w ood s y et .

Tha nk you for your c ontinued sup p ort a nd wa tc h for a n up c om ing m a iling a b out our d rea m s for 2022!

Interns & c a st m em b ers of The Outdoor Office g a ther for a p ost- show sna p

Pa g e 22

MEET PVTC's BOARD OF DIRECTORS PVTC's Boa rd of Direc tors p rovid es va lue,d lea d ership , a nd d irec tion to the thea tre c onserva tory. Meet PVTC's c urrent b oa rd m em b ers.

Bra d Tu rn er

Ja son Kip n is

Jen n y Red o

Boa rd Cha ir

Trea surer

Sec reta ry

Gin g er Holt

Don Gu st a fson

Gra c e Lee

Ala n n a Mc Na u g h t on

Ja n een Pou t re

Terry Rom ero

Ally son Sp en c e

Kim b erly Ya rn a ll

Noëlle GM Gib b s

With hea rtfelt gra titude, we bid goodbye to two dedica ted boa rd m em bers, Rich Tincher a nd Da rlene Ba tchelder. Both rolled off the boa rd ea rlier in 2021 a fter m a ny yea rs of va lued service. Tha nk you, both!

Wa nt to g et involved in lea d ership a t PVTC? Em a il noelle@p vtc - c a .org Pa Paggee 23 23

?PVTC is extension of home, love, acceptance, compassion, and warmth?

- 2021 Summer Camper

STAY CONNECTED! @p vtc _ c a fa c eb ook.c om / p vthea tre

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