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March 21, 2 pm
March 25, 26, and 27, 7:30 pmIchabod Crane High School Auditorium
Director: Gail Nadeem Helfer
Musical Director: Jodie JacqueChoreographer: Deborah Langenfeld
Reserved Seating
Tickets
$12 Adults - $10 Seniors/StudentsBox Office Hours
Mon. through Fri. 6:30-8:30 pm
Crane Acting Troupe members rehearse for the Wizard of Oz
The Crane Acting Troupe's production of The Wizard of Oz is an ambitious undertaking with a cast of 57 students in grades 7 through 12 and 20 second graders. The musicians consist of 12 students, three faculty members, and one Crane Acting Troupe alum. Accompanist Catherine Dexter has been with the Acting Troupe since its formation in 1994. Director and Ichabod Crane teacher, Gail Nadeem Helfer, encourages the participation of community members in all phases of the production. This year, more than 35 community members, students, and alumni have volunteered to work behind the scenes and assist the performers with the many hours of preparation, including special effects, elaborate scenery, and constant surprises that are the hallmark of the Crane productions.
Mrs. Helfer has dedicated this production to the creativity found in children. "This imagination took Dorothy from the parched Kansas prairie to a world of color and wonder and in the journey discovered that what exists in each of us needs to be found and nurtured. Children are capable of great things if they are taught the wonder of themselves as individuals. This cast has captured that belief," according to Mrs. Helfer.
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Members of Crane Acting Troupe visit
New York City and see the play. "Grease."
Scenes from the 2005 production of Beauty and the Beast Director and Producer: Gail Nadeem Helfer ~ Musical Director: Dianne Rieck
Presented to sold out audiences on March 31, April 1, and 2, 2005
in the newly renovated Ichabod Crane High School Auditorium
About the Crane Acting Troupe
The Crane Acting Troupe was organized after two successful seasons of summer musical productions at Ichabod Crane. The Troupe is a self-supporting co-curricular activity open to students in grades 7 through 12 under the advisement of music and theatre teacher Gail Nadeem Helfer. Each year students in the Acting Troupe have the opportunity to attend workshops on auditioning skills, costuming, make-up, and stage crafts. Members of the Crane Acting Troupe are not only performers, but also technical staff and crew members interested in the many tasks associated with theatre, both onstage and backstage. The first musical produced by the summer theatre group was Oklahoma! in 1994. The cast size was approximately 40 students with limited crew assistance. Over the years, cast and crew membership has increased. The 1996 production, South Pacific, included 45 students, teachers and administrators; 50 members produced Grease in 1997; involvement jumped to 65 in Guys and Dolls in 1998; 65 students and adults were in Oklahoma! in 1999; and in 2000, the production of Wizard of Oz utilized a cast of more than 75, including 30 second grade students. Cinderella was presented in 2001 through the efforts of a cast of 60 with a technical crew of 30. The Acting Troupe performed Hello Dolly to sold-out performances and featured more than 80 people, including 16 seniors, 3 administrators, 2 faculty members and 3 alumni. Other productions include Beauty and the Beast in 2005, Fiddler on the Roof in 2006, 42nd Street in 2007, Anything Goes in 2008, and Grease in 2009.Community assistance is welcome and has been growing over the years, which provides an opportunity for the expertise of adults to be shared with the students.The International Theatre Festival has nominated the Crane Acting Troupe to represent New York State at the Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland at the summer competition in 2003. Seniors have received the New York State Theatre Education Association's 'Certificates of Excellence' in theatre. Several seniors have served as interns at the New York State Theatre Institute. Alumni of the Crane Acting Troupe have continued their studies in theatre, musical theatre, dance, arts administration, stage management, technical theatre, and scenic design. Recent graduates of these programs have obtained employment as scenic painter for the Barter Theatre, stage manager for a national tour of Ragtime, stage manager for the Goodspeed Opera House, and ensemble member in the national tour of Ragtime.
For more information, contact Gail Helfer, Ichabod Crane Central School, 2910 Route 9, Valatie, NY 12184; (518) 758-7676 or (518) 758-7577.
Ichabod Crane graduate and Acting Troupe member, Edward Helfer Jr. (Class of 1999), was featured in the off-Broadway musical production of "A Stoop on Orchard Street" in 2003. Under the stage name of 'Edward Anthony,' he is shown above (photo left, top row) and in photo on right shaking hands with members of the Crane Acting Troupe during a special trip to New York City to view the production and participate in an interactive after-show discussion. Web site designed and formatted by Ichabod Crane Central School
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