Read Our Newsletters | EDITION 8
Chickenshed NYC Newsletter
Spring 2023 Edition
Ever After
Witty, clever, and fun, Ever After entertained sold-out audiences this past December. With characters such as Rumpelstiltskin (on stilts no less) and the Central Park pigeons – John, Ringo, Paul, and George – we laughed at the antics of writing blocked Grimm siblings, while Hansel and Gretel conspired to prevent their stepmother from ruining the park's ecosystem. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for staging a heartwarming and original story. Make some popcorn and click here to watch the show!
Building Community
Thank you to the Mulligan family for hosting our first-ever community event. Celebrity baker, Salvatore LoBuglio, from Little Cupcake Bakeshop, entertained us all with how to properly ice and eat a cupcake! While the adults chatted over wine and canapés, the Players rewrote the lyrics to a song and performed "Party at Chickenshed" with a few ASL signs and dance moves thrown in for good measure. Double click on the photo to see what they created. Everyone had a great time. We can't wait for the next one!
Behind Closed Doors
Ever wonder what happens during a workshop? If you were a fly on the wall, you might see... Players greeting each other in a circle with their own signature "move" and being greeted back by the others with that same move; older Players contributing ideas for preventing food waste while the younger ones hop to opposite walls depending on whether they like carrots or celery; a theatre practitioner giving private attention to a Player struggling to learn a dance; small groups brainstorming a scene tableau and getting feedback from the others; a Player looking out a window for a few minutes before being gently redirected to the group; a Player questioning how to make the sign for a word in a song; and a Player keeping the beat on a box while others are dancing to Don't Stop Believin’ . There is time for expression, time for learning, and time for sharing.
Meet Our Players
For one of our new families, Chickenshed is indeed a family affair. Caroline, the youngest, loves Chickenshed because everyone is so friendly. Caroline is a bubbly seven year-old who can spell her name in ASL. While she admits she has made both friends and enemies (her mom got a giggle out of this admission!), she says, "Chickenshed is the fun in my life – my dream hobby. It is the funnest thing I have ever done. I hope there is no age limit, so I can do it all my life."
Maggie, aged 10, also likes the friendly atmosphere at Chickenshed. She is designing the poster for Don't Stop Believin’ on her iPad, thinking of ways to represent that pollution and fast fashion are bad while incorporating the benefits of the billion-oyster project. Quite the challenge! Maggie excels at math and is beginning harp lessons. She likes walking to main street with her mom to get cookies and playing games with her family. The best part of being in Ever After was teasing her brother about how many times he said, "Father!"
Ben, the eldest, played Hansel in Ever After. He was surprised at being selected for such a big part since he was so new. It was a challenge to learn all the lines and credits his friend and mentor, Evelyn (Gretel), for his success. Ben describes himself as being on the autistic spectrum or neurodiverse. He is interested in doing animation and loves to read. At Chickenshed, he enjoyed the visit from the marine biologist and thought the clams were both adorable and disgusting. Ben likes the people at Chickenshed but also how it is organized. He says, "It is orderly enough to not be chaos, but flexible enough to be freeing." Well said, Ben.
Lisa, their mom, thinks Chickenshed manages the different needs of each of her children very well. They were all in Ever After and always came out of rehearsals in good spirits. While she practiced lines with Ben, she was "blown away" by how professional the show was. In fact, they invited Ben's entire class to see it. The other parents enjoyed themselves too and appreciated the clever script. Lisa said, "Chickenshed sees each child for who they are. They walk in happy and leave happier – something very special".
What a gift this family is to our Chickenshed community! Welcome!
Build The Shed 2023
Like all non-profit arts organization, our tuition and ticket sales do not cover the costs of delivering programming. We rely heavily on the generosity of donors for several reasons:
- Our high staff to student ratio provides each Player with the attention they deserve and the opportunity to shine.
- Lower than market fees and generous financial assistance allow everyone to access our programming.
- Staging professional theatre productions is expensive.
If you believe that anyone and everyone should experience the joy and rewards of theatrical expression, please consider contributing to our annual campaign to Build The Shed!
DONATE HERE
Copyright (C) 2023 Chickenshed NYC. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in Chickenshed NYC programming.
Chickenshed NYC Newsletter
Spring 2023 Edition
Ever After
Witty, clever, and fun, Ever After entertained sold-out audiences this past December. With characters such as Rumpelstiltskin (on stilts no less) and the Central Park pigeons – John, Ringo, Paul, and George – we laughed at the antics of writing blocked Grimm siblings, while Hansel and Gretel conspired to prevent their stepmother from ruining the park's ecosystem. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for staging a heartwarming and original story. Make some popcorn and click here to watch the show!
Building Community
Thank you to the Mulligan family for hosting our first-ever community event. Celebrity baker, Salvatore LoBuglio, from Little Cupcake Bakeshop, entertained us all with how to properly ice and eat a cupcake! While the adults chatted over wine and canapés, the Players rewrote the lyrics to a song and performed "Party at Chickenshed" with a few ASL signs and dance moves thrown in for good measure. Double click on the photo to see what they created. Everyone had a great time. We can't wait for the next one!
Behind Closed Doors
Ever wonder what happens during a workshop? If you were a fly on the wall, you might see... Players greeting each other in a circle with their own signature "move" and being greeted back by the others with that same move; older Players contributing ideas for preventing food waste while the younger ones hop to opposite walls depending on whether they like carrots or celery; a theatre practitioner giving private attention to a Player struggling to learn a dance; small groups brainstorming a scene tableau and getting feedback from the others; a Player looking out a window for a few minutes before being gently redirected to the group; a Player questioning how to make the sign for a word in a song; and a Player keeping the beat on a box while others are dancing to Don't Stop Believin’ . There is time for expression, time for learning, and time for sharing.
Meet Our Players
For one of our new families, Chickenshed is indeed a family affair. Caroline, the youngest, loves Chickenshed because everyone is so friendly. Caroline is a bubbly seven year-old who can spell her name in ASL. While she admits she has made both friends and enemies (her mom got a giggle out of this admission!), she says, "Chickenshed is the fun in my life – my dream hobby. It is the funnest thing I have ever done. I hope there is no age limit, so I can do it all my life."
Maggie, aged 10, also likes the friendly atmosphere at Chickenshed. She is designing the poster for Don't Stop Believin’ on her iPad, thinking of ways to represent that pollution and fast fashion are bad while incorporating the benefits of the billion-oyster project. Quite the challenge! Maggie excels at math and is beginning harp lessons. She likes walking to main street with her mom to get cookies and playing games with her family. The best part of being in Ever After was teasing her brother about how many times he said, "Father!"
Ben, the eldest, played Hansel in Ever After. He was surprised at being selected for such a big part since he was so new. It was a challenge to learn all the lines and credits his friend and mentor, Evelyn (Gretel), for his success. Ben describes himself as being on the autistic spectrum or neurodiverse. He is interested in doing animation and loves to read. At Chickenshed, he enjoyed the visit from the marine biologist and thought the clams were both adorable and disgusting. Ben likes the people at Chickenshed but also how it is organized. He says, "It is orderly enough to not be chaos, but flexible enough to be freeing." Well said, Ben.
Lisa, their mom, thinks Chickenshed manages the different needs of each of her children very well. They were all in Ever After and always came out of rehearsals in good spirits. While she practiced lines with Ben, she was "blown away" by how professional the show was. In fact, they invited Ben's entire class to see it. The other parents enjoyed themselves too and appreciated the clever script. Lisa said, "Chickenshed sees each child for who they are. They walk in happy and leave happier – something very special".
What a gift this family is to our Chickenshed community! Welcome!
Build The Shed 2023
Like all non-profit arts organization, our tuition and ticket sales do not cover the costs of delivering programming. We rely heavily on the generosity of donors for several reasons:
- Our high staff to student ratio provides each Player with the attention they deserve and the opportunity to shine.
- Lower than market fees and generous financial assistance allow everyone to access our programming.
- Staging professional theatre productions is expensive.
If you believe that anyone and everyone should experience the joy and rewards of theatrical expression, please consider contributing to our annual campaign to Build The Shed!
DONATE HERE
Copyright (C) 2023 Chickenshed NYC. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in Chickenshed NYC programming.