Christopher Schraufnagel, the speech and theatre teacher at Greeley, gave out the drama awards, meant for students who have demonstrated over the last four years commitment and dedication to, and most importantly, talent for the art of theatre.
Melissa J. Rubin Award for Outstanding Creativity in Theatre
The Melissa J. Rubin Award is funded by her family in memory “M.J.”
It is said that truly gifted artists need to be keen observers of life and nature. For an actor, he or she must be a keen observer of human behavior. I believe this to be true of our first award recipient. Unlike many actors, he does not feel the need to star in the “me show” while not on stage. I have even heard some teachers and other students describe him as quiet or introspective. I believe this is true because he is carefully observing and studying why people do what they do. It is when he is on stage that he brings all of this life and knowledge to the surface. On stage he is at his most dynamic. If anyone has seen any of his performances, especially that of Billy in “Carousel” last year, they know this to be true. In addition, he has the amazing talent of growing facial hair, which is a dream for a director working solely with teenagers. And so, for all these reasons, the first recipient of the Melissa J. Rubin Award for Outstanding Creativity in Theatre goes to Ted Caywood.
It is also said that strong actors make strong, bold choices. The next recipient has never been scared to take these risks, either emotionally or physically; if you saw his portrayal of John Merrick in “The Elephant Man,” you know what I’m talking about. In four years he has allowed me to dye his hair, shave his head, soak him with water causing him to freeze on stage, have his fellow actors pummel him with metal engine parts, and he even allowed me to behead him. This, in addition to playwriting, producing, directing, and being the art director and business manager of the Theatre Company, has made for four busy years. And so the second recipient of the Melissa J. Rubin Award goes to one of the most honest and genuine students I have ever known, A.J. Perlin.
Greeley Theatre Company Award for Outstanding Contribution in Technical Theatre
In terms of shop safety, there are a few rules to which one must abide. Two of these are don’t let anything impair your vision, like long, unkempt hair that Eckhaus cuts once every six months, or wear loose clothing that might either get caught in tools or simply just fall off. However, our next award recipient did not let these two failings get in the way of being a fantastic technical director of the Greeley Theatre Company this year. Unlike most students, Jake Watson had a seven day school week, eight out of the ten months of this year. His Saturdays and Sundays were spent, lifting, cutting, drilling, router-ing, gluing, building, hanging, cleaning, and all after making sure to pick up coffee and donuts on the way in. Through all of this, he seemed to keep his, and everyone’s, spirits up by mixing dedication with a great deal of humor and just the right amount of sketch. So the first recipient of the Greeley Theatre Company Award for Outstanding Contribution in Technical Theatre goes to Jacob Izraeli Watson.
If you happened to be passing through the halls of B Building during tech week, more affectionately known as Hell Week, and heard the cries of the sweat shop labor and witnessed children cutting fabric and sewing costumes, our next recipient was responsible. Clearly, she is a strong leader; this was also apparent from her role as Producer of SpringFest this past week. However, unlike real sweatshops, these children wanted to help her. Because they respect her, and because of her good-hearted nature, her friends were more than willing to help. And maybe it is also because they knew she was responsible for how good or horrendous they were going to look on stage. She is truly a gifted costume designer, and so our next recipient for Outstanding Contribution in Technical Theatre is Kate Fulop.
A very well renowned acting teacher once asked our class why we did this – this thing called theatre. One student, thankfully not me, responded “because we love it.” The teacher responded by saying that love is not enough. You do it because you have to, because you need to. You do it because you can’t see yourself doing anything else. In the past four years the next student has given up friends, family functions, social functions, and many other things that most teenagers take for granted; not because she wanted to, but because she had to. In doing this she has become the first true stage manager that I have seen here in the past five years. She is truly dedicated and takes pride in her work. Otherwise why would she choose to spend so much time with yours truly. And so, the final recipient of the Technical Theatre Awards goes to Emily Suskin.
Greeley Theatre Company Award for Outstanding Leadership in Theatre
A couple of words to describe our final award recipient might include loud, fun, dedicated, loud, committed, talented . . . did I mention loud? In fact a student recently came into my office and asked “Is Ryan here?” to which another student responded “Do you hear him?” To his credit though, Ryan might be loud, but has also found a voice that commands attention and demands respect. As the Assistant Producer and Director of the Greeley Theatre Company, he came to know what I expected from him, and how to communicate those expectations to the cast and crew. In addition, he was able to live up to his titles – he got things done. Whether it was raising money, organizing ads, procuring props or scenery, or making sure I had eaten, Ryan was the go-to guy and was able make it all happen. And so, the award for Leadership in the Theatre goes to Ryan Tunick.
One final comment to all the award winners: Constantine Stanislavski said that dramatic art, like all other arts which hold a mirror up to life, requires talent, study and self- perfection. Whether as a member of the Greeley Theatre Company or Senior Musical, now that was fun, you have proven your talent and your desire to study, so now I wish you all the best on your paths to self-perfection.
Copyright 2008 NewCastleNOW.org