WE WON!!!!!!
TROJAN WOMEN WON AT FTC!!!!!!!!!!
press release: A. W. Dreyfoos, Jr. School of Art THEATRE DEPARTMENT 501 South Sapodilla Avenue West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dennis Sims, 802-6048 OR Beverly Blanchette, 802-6061 Dreyfoos Theatre Students Beat all Odds! Even Hurricane Wilma didn’t keep the Dreyfoos School of Arts Theatre students from winning the Florida Theatre Conference Secondary School One-Act Play Festival and beating 25 schools to represent the state at the national competition! Out of school for two weeks due to the aftermath of the hurricane, all after-school activities had been cancelled and the Dreyfoos Thespians could not rehearse their play for the pre-planned fieldtrip. Having been told that all fieldtrips had also been cancelled for the week, the group cancelled their registration at the Florida Theatre Conference in Lakeland, as well as their hotel and bus reservations on Wednesday, November 2. But then a surprise phonecall from principal, Ellen Vanarsdale, on Thursday brought news from School Superindent Dr. Art Johnson that the fieldtrip could take place as planned. With registration and reservations re-instated, the group of 54 students and six chaperones left for Lakeland at 5:00am on November 4 with an expected 8:00 curtain for their play Euripides’ The Trojan Women. Arriving at the Lakeland Civic Center, the enthusiastic group quickly went into rehearsal in a parking lot. Makeshift costumes were coordinated and last minute touches to an unfinished set were applied. Luckily for the troupe of actors, another school cancelled its Saturday performance and that timeslot opened up allowing one more rehearsal day. Students and teachers were surprised at the Awards Banquet Saturday night that the play was chosen as Best Play and the state representative to the Southeastern Theatre Conference to be held in Orlando this March! Along with that honor, the play also received straight superior ratings and two All-Star Cast Awards to Katherine Huth (senior) and Samantha Hoecherl (sophomore). Also receiving awards were Daniel Kopystanski (sophomore) for Best Scenic Design, Travis Chinick (senior) for Best Overall Design for his Trojan Women costume design, and Andrew Farmer (senior) for the FTC Fran Walker Scholarship of $1,000.00. The Dreyfoos Theatre Department has been invited to perform a play at SETC five times in the past ten years (Nine Armenians 2003, Into the Woods 1998, Kindertransport 1997, Patient A 1995) and they are looking forward to representing the state this year. The trip will cost the group $20,000.00. Donations may be made by sending a check (made payable to Dreyfoos School of Arts) to: DSOA Theatre Department, 501 South Sapodilla Avenue, West Palm Beach, 33401. All donations are tax deductible. The full-length version of the Greek tragedy The Trojan Women will be performed at the school on November 17 at 7:00pm, November 18 and 19 at 8:00pm and November 20 at 2:00pm. All profits will benefit the trip to SETC. Tickets may be purchased by calling 802-6052 or at the Box Office 10:00am to 4:00pm weekdays or one hour before curtain. The Dreyfoos Theatre is located one block north of the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Tamarind Avenue. For more information, contact above.