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Out Of The Home
And Onto The Theater Stage
The Norwich Bulletin - March 27, 2004
Sophia Chang-Reporter/Khoi Ton-Photographer
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Mallory Walker as the Hare and
Audrey Rummel as the Tortoise
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NORWICH - School plays
are a rite of passage for many students, with enthusiastic
amateur productions of classics such as "Our Town"
filling black-box theaters and auditoriums every year.
For students who are home schooled, however, participating in
such group activities can be difficult unless there is an
organization like the Brenda Kerr Theater's Home School
Theater Program, which provides these kids with opportunities
to produce a play.
The theater's ensemble is performing twice this weekend at the
Spirit of Broadway Theater on Chestnut Street.
Lee Rummel, founder of the Kerr Theater, set out programs for
a dress rehearsal which was open to family members. "One
man's family is another man's audience," he said. |
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Rummel, a 9-11 emergency dispatcher based in Groton, has
volunteered with the East Lyme Children's Theater for eight
years. While maintaining his directing duties in East Lyme, he
also started his own children's theater three years ago, named
for his mother who was active in New London's community
theater. |
| He began the
home-school component three years ago with his wife Liz, who
is the producer of both theaters. Liz Rummel home-schooled
their four children, with the older two, Logan and Audrey,
performing in the plays this weekend. |
| "A lot of
homeschool moms came up to me and said, you need to start
something," Liz Rummel said. |
| She broke off to
listen to her headset, and she crisply reminded the children
backstage they were about to start the performance with
professional theatrical directions --- "five minutes,
thank you." |
| "Home-school
kids needed an opportunity, so we started to do programs for
them," Lee Rummel said. He said he hopes his theater will
ultimately serve "all kids in southeastern Connecticut.
We're committed to doing this for all the youth." |
| The ensemble,
comprised of 12 children, ranging in age from 6 to 16, will
perform a double bill of "Aesop's (Oh So Slightly
Updated) Fables" and "The Liberated Cinderella (or
the return of the Godfather)." Both productions are
humorous and updated versions of the old tales that will
resonate with children and their parents. |
| "The two things
we're doing this weekend, the humor appeals to kids and
adults," Rummel said. "It's all G-rated, but the
adults can laugh as hard as the kids." |
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