Youth
Theater Group Sets The Summer Stage: Curtain Going Up On
Local Productions
Shoreline Publishing
- 7/13/2006
By
Danielle Sherry
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Lee
Rummel (l) works with Sarah Brookes
(r) of Niantic on
auditioning techniques.
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New London - The names Lee and Liz
Rummel have become synonymous over the years with local
children's theater.
The husband and wife
have been active participants in the East Lyme Children's
Theater for years, have directed and produced various high
school plays and musicals, and even started the Brenda Kerr
Theater group as a tribute to Lee's theatrical mother.
But
for the Rummels, the challenge has been finding children from
around the entire region to participate.
“Most of our
work has taken place exclusively on the shoreline,” Lee
Rummel said. “So we decided to rename and reinvent our group
dynamic in the hopes of attracting kids from around the
area.”
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| Just under a year ago
the couple founded the Southeastern Connecticut Regional
Youth Theater. |
| The
new group held auditions last Monday at Mitchell College,
and judging from the turnout, the group is off to a smashing
success.
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| Karen
Loeffler's two children have participated in various theater
projects under the direction of the Rummels for nearly two
years.
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| “My kids just
love to act and perform on stage,” she said. “And when I
told my sister in Georgia about the new group, she brought
her kids up to participate too.”
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Molly Ladd
(l) and Michelle Giroux
(r) of Norwich learn choreography
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For
the next month of rehearsals Loeffler's sister, Angel, and
her two children will be staying in Preston and soaking up
the Rummel theater experience.
“It
was a great opportunity for all of our kids to do something
creative together,” Angel Franklin said. “At first both
my girls were upset at having to leave their friends for
half the summer – but that only lasted about a day. Now
you can't peel the smile off their faces.”
Loeffler is also taking charge of the costumes for the play that the
group will be performing at the end of the month.
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| “The
hardest part is trying to match Lee's vision with what is
actually feasible,” she said.
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| But
if anyone is qualified for the job it's Loeffler, whose
mother has owned a professional costuming company in
Kentucky for decades.
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| “Both
my sister and I have worked for our mother on and off over
the years,” Loeffler said. “It wouldn't be uncommon to
receive a last-minute phone call from her begging us to sew
up 25 pirate costumes ASAP.”
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| This
year's play is bound to have some dynamic costumes.
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| The
play, “Once on This Island Junior,” is loosely based on
the Hans Christian Anderson “Little Mermaid” tale.
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| For
the children taking part in the summer theater group, the
choice to participate was an easy one.
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| “I
would rather be here than on the beach,” 12-year-old Sarah
Brookes of East Lyme said. “The singing is my favorite,
but everything we do here is fun.”
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| Aside
from the Franklin family which hails from southern Georgia,
children from around the region are participating in the
summer group.
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| “We
have kids here from Groton, East Lyme, Preston, New London,
and even New York,” Liz Rummel said. “And that was
really the type of broad sampling we were looking for.”
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| The
auditions on Monday were like theatrical boot camp, with
Gary Sullivan acting as the voice coach, Lee Rummel as the
acting coach and son Logan Rummel heading up the dance
instruction.
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| Three
groups of 10 or 11 kids were trained in the areas of acting,
singing and dance – only to be tested in front of an
audience a mere three hours later.
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| Although
daunted at first, the performers soon relaxed.
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| “It
really wasn't that bad – it was kind of funny to see
everybody get messed up on the dance,” 12-year-old Hannah
Franklin said.
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| The
ages of the group ranged from 8 to 15.
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For the next few weeks the group will train
daily, until the stage performances begin July 26 and run
through July 30. |
| “I'd
rather be here than anyplace else this summer,” Lee Rummel
said. “Besides – I don't look that great in a bathing
suit.”
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| For
information about the Southeastern Connecticut Regional
Youth Theater or ticketing information, please contact them
at (860) 884-5412.
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