DURANGO HIGH SCHOOL/AUGUST ISSUE/2016/”LOOKS CAN BE DECIEVING”

“SOMETHING YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS”Grace Wolf-Cartier, Troupe President

Hello Everyone!For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Grace and I am your current Troupe

1096 President. I hope that summer brought good things for each and every one of you as well as provoked thoughts about theatre this coming year. We have a

fantastic line up of shows this year starting off with our musical, Beauty and the Beast. The auditions and technical crew interviews for this show will be held on

Monday August 29th and Tuesday the 30th after school. This is a fantastic opportunity for current theatre students as well as potential new ones! This

production involves a massive amount of technical planning and the chorus is very large so be sure to tell your friends. Last year was incredibly successful and tough at the same time, we let go of our loved directors and did our best to welcome the new

with open hearts. Throughout the past year I hope everyone has gotten the chance to take direction and sit and chat with Mr. Mattson. I have certainly grown to love him and everything he offers this program… which is a LOT. He directed three incredibly successful shows within Durango and beyond. Legally Blonde saw multiple Bobby G nominations and Curtis Salinger won the Bobby G for Best Male Lead and was given the opportunity to go to New York and work with Broadway stars. We also had a very successful trip to Lincoln, Nebraska for the International Thespian Festival over the summer where eleven students competed in individual events and five took home

superior scores. We plan to continue this streak throughout this year and we definitely need full Troupe Participation. As an individual in this group it is important that you always feel amazed and passionate about the art you’re creating. So use your power and your drive to not only continue to make your own art but to help

others with theirs because at one time or another we have all felt alone and vulnerable and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing it always feels good to know

someone is there. I am so incredibly excited for this year and can’t wait for the experiences that I get to share with all of you! Thank you.

Troupe 1096 at Colorado Thespian Conference 2015

BACKSTAGE PASSTROUPE 1096

“THE UPCOMING YEAR”Rebekah Fowler, Troupe Historian

As Troupe 1096 enters its 2016-17 year, thespians, patrons, and the Durango theatre community can anticipate everything from the family-friendly fun of Beauty and the Beast to the dark intensity of A Streetcar Named Desire. When the board decided on Beauty and the Beast, it took everything I had not to spill the secret

before the induction ceremony. It’s a dream show of mine, so the mere thought that Belle, Beast, and company will be coming to life on our own stage excites me. The

troupe is eager to reach out to a broad audience with this production; Beauty and the Beast is loved by young children watching Disney musicals for the first time, adults

who have known the story and music for years, and everyone in between.Our spring production, Drop Dead, while lesser-known, will put a comedic

twist on some of the more serious tones of this year’s season. It’s a murder mystery comedy that, as a play about a play, is hilariously self-aware. Last, but most certainly not least, our upperclassmen will be performing A Streetcar Named Desire this May.

A more intense show than Beauty or Drop Dead, Streetcar will be a challenge in terms of both acting and tech, but a welcome one. Not only is it a show the

community will recognize, but many Durango High School students will already be familiar with the material, as Streetcar is required reading in some sophomore

English courses.All in all, I can’t wait for the upcoming season, and I know the rest of the

troupe feels the same way. Preparations for Beauty and the Beast have already kindled our passion for the coming year. We’re excited for all of you to “be our guest” and come support 1096 as we proudly present three uniquely engaging productions.

“OPPORTUNITY KNOCKED”Curtis Salinger, Troupe Junior Representative

Hello troupe patrons, parents, and participants! My name is Curtis Salinger and I am the Junior Representative for the officer board this year. As this year’s school year kicks off, we are asked daily about how our summer went and what we did. I was

fortunate enough to spend my summer doing what I love: Theatre. For those of you who may or may not know, I was given the award of, “Best Actor in a Leading Role” at the Bobby G awards last year for my role as Emmett Forrest. Jenna Szczech and Matti Guillette were nominated for the “Rising Star” award, and Tilly Leeder was

nominated for “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” along while Senora Robinson who won the award. As part of winning the award, I went to the National High School

Musical Theatre Awards. I got the chance to work with 30 other males who won their regional awards programs and 31 females who won as well. The work that the sixty-two of us did was incredible. We worked one on one with vocal coaches straight from Broadway including: Jose Llana “Putnam County Spelling Bee” “The King and I” Karen

Olivo “West Side Story” “In the Heights” Gavin Creel “Thoroughly Modern Millie” “Book of Mormon” and many more. I also met Zachary Levi and the world famous

composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. This whole process culminated in a performance on the Minskoff Stage which The Lion King performs on, which was attended by more

stars including Daveed Diggs, Sara Bareilles. I had the honor of winning two awards there. The first was a special recognition award, and the second was a six-week pre college theatre intensive at Carnegie Mellon University. I will be attending this next summer. This experience was absolutely the most amazing experience in my life so far. The whole time I couldn’t help but think of the things that got me there. I only

landed with one answer: The Troupe. The support, security, emotional safety, dependability, and the teamwork that comes with the Troupe is unrivaled. I want to

cordially thank all of my peers, all of the parents, and all of our patrons for supporting

me and the rest of the theatre as we pursue the art of performance and theatre that we have a passion for. If there is one thing I want my experience to show us all, it is

that the countless hours we spend, and the devotion we have is not purposeless. Theatre is not a dead end. It’s allowed me to do things I thought I’d only ever dream

of and it improves the lives of all who participate. Thank you all so much for supporting me on my adventure, and thank you for supporting all of us.

Curtis Salinger at the Bobby G Awards

“PARENT BOARD”Baylee Peterson, Troupe Secretary

This year our troupe will be starting a Parent Board to help with the responsibilities such as fundraising, marketing, and being a patron liaison as well as, mentoring each of the tech crews (sound, lighting, set, paint, props, and costumes). Forming the Parent Board would allow the troupe to open a

501c3 which is a non-profit status. This would allow us to attract more businesses that can only donate to 501c3 programs, helping our program to

continue to update our technology. The 501c3 also gives the troupe an opportunity to open an account for solely the theatre to help online ticketing.

If you have any questions about the parent board you can contact Gracie Bubna Parker at coparkers@yahoo.com and 970-903-7376.

“NATIONALS”Tori Byam, Troupe Vice President

Nationals in Lincoln, Nebraska this past June was a life changing experience. The 15 students who were able to attend got amazing opportunities: one on one interviews with colleges, being able to compete against some of the most talented actors and technicians in the nation, and seeing shows put up by some extremely talented students from across the US. As a troupe we had 6 students score a superior (the highest rating possible!) on their individual events, 4 students do university auditions and had 4 more be recognized in the closing showcase. Tilly Leeder was chosen out of all female performers to showcase her monologues, Ana Koshevoy played a part in performing in a student written musical piece, and Will Barney and Mia Irwin were acknowledged for their

superior tech abilities and got scholarships to recognise their accomplishments. The opportunity to attend nationals was priceless, and as a troupe we can not thank you all enough for all the support for helping us get there!

“THANK YOU PATRONS”Nathan Brinkley, Troupe Treasurer

Dear Patrons,Thank you for any previous patron tickets and donations made to our Troupe. Patron sales and ticket sales cover show expenses and updates to our facility,

and to cover our participation in Bobby G's and Nationals, we had to raise over $20,000 from the community last year. As well as last year, we are entering our musical, Beauty and the Beast, for Bobby G's and we are

planning on taking many students to Thespian Conference and Nationals. Please consider donating money to help jump-start our fundraising this year by sending a check with the word "Donation" in the memo when sending in

your patron form. Thank you so much for all your help.