Remarks to the NC Historical and Literary Association upon EbzB Productions Receiving The Hardee-Rives Award for Dramatic Art, 2017

Remarks to the NC Historical and Literary Association upon EbzB Productions Receiving 

The Hardee-Rives Award for Dramatic Art, 2017

by Serena Ebhardt



Thank you.  Friends, I hope you will allow me this moment to address my son, Carlton.

Carlton, 

Dad and I want you to know that this award is not for being the “best” in our art form.  Instead, this honor is bestowed by our peers, the most esteemed in our state, who have also made mistakes, faced rejection, and suffered frustrations.  Through those difficulties, they have perfected the wisdom that enriches their work.

Receiving this honor confirms that our efforts, just like yours, do not go unnoticed.  And, while it could be viewed as a feather in our cap, we prefer to think of it as a meaningful nudge to continue our difficult work 

We have had to ask for a lot of help on our journey.  We share this honor with our entire company— all of the artists who have contributed to EbzB.  Especially you, Carlton, who as a company member of EbzB plans our travel, proofreads our materials, translates portions of our scripts into Spanish and Chinese, and accommodates our crazy schedule.  Just like all of the parents and teachers who are here tonight, we know that we do this for you, our children, because YOU are the history of our future.


Carlton, please persist.  It does matter.

EBZB PRODUCTIONS HONORED BY NORTH CAROLINA LITERARY AND HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION WITH THE 2017 HARDEE-RIVES AWARD FOR DRAMATIC ARTS

November 13, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EBZB PRODUCTIONS HONORED BY NORTH CAROLINA LITERARY AND HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION WITH THE 2017 HARDEE-RIVES AWARD FOR DRAMATIC ARTS 


[Raleigh, NC]   EbzB Productions, Inc, has been chosen by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, North Carolina’s venerated and oldest civic organization, as the winner of the 2017 Hardee-Rives Award For Dramatic Arts. This award is presented in recognition of “excellent, exemplary work in and significant contribution and service to the dramatic arts in North Carolina.”  

Founded in 1998, EbzB Productions, Inc. strives to develop original, touring theatrical productions to promote integrity and authenticity, self-discovery and positive transformation of individuals, artists, audiences, and communities.  Past recipients of the Hardee-Rives Award For Dramatic Arts include Bo Thorpe, Bland Simpson, William Ivey Long, the Roanoke Island Historical Association, Samm-Art Williams, Terrance Mann, Manbites Dog Theater, and National Black Theater Festival.

The awards ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2017, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brownstone-University Hotel, 1701 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27605. It will feature a keynote address, “From Slavery to Civil Rights: An Aural History Tour,” by Mary D. Williams from the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies. EbzB Productions, represented by co-founders Serena Ebhardt and David zum Brunnen, will be present to accept the Hardee-Rives Award for Dramatic Arts on behalf of their company. 

EbzB Productions is extremely grateful for the contributions of their artistic associates since the company’s inception, including Matthew Addison, Rachael Z. Alley, Robert Bartusch, Aaron Bittikofer, Derek Boehmler, Albert Boulus, Jerry Bowers, Julie Bradley, Sean A. Brosnahan, Ed Butler, Donna Campbell, Judy Chang,  Alisha Coleman, Howard Craft, Bertron Curtis, Marc Davis, Mike Davis, Scott H. Davis, Christa Devitt, Greg Dixon, Steve Dubay, Serena Ebhardt, Charlie Elliott, Dr. Elliot Engel, Daniel Erickson, Demetrice Everett,  Georgann Eubanks, Gil Faison, Wade Dansby Ferguson III, Larry R. Ferguson, Jr., Ian L. Finley, Greg Florin, Julie Florin, Paul Frellick, Warren Gentry, Mark Gloden, Stephon Goodwin, Michael Goolsby, Wycliffe Gordon, Gabrieal Griego, John R. Harris, Mimi Herman, Danny Infante, Rasool Jahan, Sean Michael Jaenicke, David K. Johnston, Wayne Leechford, Gordon Lewis, Bob Lightfoot, Drew Lile, J. Mardrice, Andrew Marks, John McIlwee, Voyce McGinley III, Brian McKinney, David Moyer, Brenton Northern, Mike Palter, Diane Petteway, Jeff Raab, Clarence Tre Raeford III, Paul Rogers, Hilary Russo, Josh Rzepka, David Sebren, Josh Shapiro, Nic Slaton, Al Strong, Devra Thomas, Alex Thompson, Jonathon D. Tillotson, Marley Toben, Ramona Traynor, Stephen Wall, Kit Weinert, Nancy Whelan, Michael Whitman, Quentin Whidbee, Mike Wiley, Kevin Wilson, Thurman Woods, Carlton zum Brunnen, and David zum Brunnen.

~

To learn more about NCLHA and the Hardee-Rives Award For Dramatic Arts, please visit:


For more information on EbzB Productions, please visit:


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October 23, 2017

Dear Ms. Ebhardt and Mr. zum Brunnen:

I am very pleased to inform you that EbzB Productions has been chosen by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, North Carolina’s oldest civic organization, as the winner of the 2017 Hardee-Rives Dramatic Arts Award. This award is presented in recognition of “excellent, exemplary work in and significant contribution and service to the dramatic arts in North Carolina.” Past recipients include Bo Thorpe, Bland Simpson, William Ivey Long, the Roanoke Island Historical Association, Samm-Art Williams, Terrance Mann, and the National Black Theater Festival. 

The dinner and awards ceremony will be held on Friday, November 17, 2017, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brownstone-University Hotel, 1701 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27605. The dinner will commence at 6:00 P.M. with a preceding social hour beginning at 5:00. 

If you would like to learn more about our Association, please visit our website at: https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/lit-and-hist .

Congratulations on this well-deserved award. 
Sincerely,

Parker Backstrom
Assistant Secretary-Treasurer
Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary
Office of Archives and History
NC Department of Cultural Resources 


EbzB at ArtsMarket 2017

Dear Presenters,

Want to make an impact on your community?

Please bring your curiosity to EbzB Productions at ArtsMarket Booth #131 and attend our showcase of Native.  This production is sure to be a conversation starter.

Native

A powerful play based on the collaboration between Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Green and controversial author Richard Wright.
Open your theatre to a much needed community conversation.
Showcase on Wednesday, November 8
9:25 am ~ Carolina Theatre

“The performance [Native] was even more than we had anticipated... masterfully written and beautifully performed.  It touched the adults— and even more importantly, the students in a way that they will cary out into the world - which was what we so wanted!”
 - Kathryn Talton,
Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities,
Southern Pines, NC

“I was there, and I can attest to the importance and power of the evening.  I hope that EbzB can take this brilliant theatre piece all over the state and the country.”
-Glenn Sumner
Patron
Hillsborough, NC

EbzB Productions

Visit www.ebzb.org
for a menu of offerings and demos, including:
Native
In One Era And Out The Other
'69 Seasons: A Rockin' War
Night Before Christmas Carol
War Bonds: Songs and Letters of World War II
The Art Of Love
Wrights of Passage
Arts-In-Education

50 to 55 minute versions of EBZB plays are available for schools or special events.  Study guides, audience etiquette tip-sheets, and lesson plans are available for download. Workshops and residencies  are also available in tandem with a performance, or as a stand-alone. Special Rates apply.

And, while you could watch all of our demos online, we'd much rather visit with you in person. So, please stop by and greet us at ArtsMarket Booth #131.


Native Showcase at ArtsMarket!

Native at ArtsMarket ~ Booth #131

November  6 - 8, 2017.

 

We can't wait to see old friends and make new ones in Durham in November! ArtsMarket is the biannual statewide performing arts conference, hosted by NC Presenters Consortium and The North Carolina Arts Council.

EbzB's ArtsMarket showcase of Native is at 9:25 a.m. on Wednesday, November 8th at Carolina Theatre, 309 W. Morgan St, Durham, NC 27701.

EbzB Productions' booth in the exhibition hall is #131 and we'll be there throughout the entire ArtsMarket Conference: Monday, Nov. 6th - Wednesday, Nov. 8th.  Please visit and say hello. While there you may inquire about Native and the EbzB Roster including: War Bonds, '69 Seasons, Life Is So Good, In One Era and Out The Other, Night Before Christmas Carol, and more.

Information at www.ebzb.org

James "T" Thomas Honored at Mars Hill University with Black Box Theatre Dedication

James "T" Thomas

10/20/17

James "T" Thomas, founder of Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, is  honored at Mars Hill University with the dedication of the new Black Box Theatre.

Keynote speaker David zum Brunnen of EbzB Productions talks about Jim Thomas' tremendous influence on our theater community. The dedication takes place on October 20 as part of Mars Hill University's homecoming events.

https://www.mhu.edu/event/dedication-black-box-theatre/



Compliment: Native [Hillsborough, NC]

10/16/17

David,

It was so nice to meet you and the EbzB crew. Thank you for bringing Native to us and more importantly working it up as a production that you could bring it to us.

  • Very professionally done!!!!!!!!!!
  • Loved the set and the music and image enhancements.
  • Loved that you essentially brought everything you needed.
  • Loved your upbeat and personable energy.
  • Loved that Serena found my earring before I realized I had lost it.
  • So grateful that Devra brought you to our attention.
  • You and J. Mardrice were amazing in your parts.
Although not part of the stage production having audience members respond as a spontaneous chorus was very effective in underlining the truths that the character of Richard Wright was witnessing to. It validated two strong messages of the play: the assertion that it matters who tells the story, and the notion that freedom of choice is no freedom if, choice is not equally attainable or realizable for all.

The play modeled conversation about our sad state of race relations. We don’t often see this conversation around us. The conversation just does not start, or it abruptly ends in anger or fear.  Or, we hear the two positions talking to their home team but not talking to each other; talking at but not to or with. The two characters were respectful of each other to the end, even when it got hard. Both said I didn’t know that. Both learned something new and internalized that information. There was resolution but not reconciliation. Not a happy ending but one that explored both the loss and gain of their struggle. It serves as a silent challenge for all of us to dig deeper.

All the best,
 
Mary Rocap
Faith and The Arts
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
Hillsborough, NC 

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Wonderful! I want to know where you will be doing it again.
-Sara Caskie, Patron

=========================================

I was there and can attest to the importance and power of the evening. I hope that EbzB can take this brilliant theatre piece all over the state & country.

-Glen Sumner

=========================================

I went to the Hillsborough production [of Native] and it was so powerful.

-Debra Kaufman 

 

Compliment: Native [Hillsborough, NC]

POWERFUL...............GRIPPING...........RIVETING
There are so many adjectives that could be used to describe the performance of Native, a play by High School drama teacher Ian Finley and directed by Serena Ebhardt and starring David zum Brunnen as Paul Green and Josh Henderson as Richard Wright and produced by EbzB Productions, that this review would just be too long. 

Set in 1941 before America enters WWII in a hotel in New York City between the Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Paul Green and the author of "Native Son" Richard Wright to finalize the script adaptation of Wright's book into a Broadway play the story starts off placidly, but quickly escalates between the two men as to how the final scene should end. Flashbacks of childhood and into the heart of the story of Native Son are interspersed to bring the audience into the minds of the men and their backgrounds. One a well-known southern professor and playwright, the other a black author born poor in Mississippi and later raised in the Chicago slums. Although the setting is 1941 it could just as easily be 2017. Both actors give strong performances to pull the audience in to their struggle to present the Truth about the villain/hero of the play they are finishing and how the final scene should answer that question. When the performance ends there are so many questions left with the audience to answer for themselves as to who we are as a people and who we are as Americans. Have we really improved as a nation over the last 75 years and can we do better?  The performance that I saw was at St. Matthew's church in Hillsborough, NC as part of their Faith and the Arts series. What better place to see this play that questions man's morality than in a holy space.

What an incredibly powerful play and performances by great actors. If Native is showing anywhere near you it is worth the trip to see this.


-Charles Thomas, Patron

EbzB Recommends Emily Post's Audience Etiquette Advice

EbzB Recommends Emily Post's Audience Etiquette Advice

http://emilypost.com/advice/audience-etiquette/

Manners at a Performance
Today, there’s a wealth of entertainment offered in widely differing settings, but the following fundamentals of good audience behavior are adaptable to virtually any situation:
  • No talking, unless audience participation is requested by the performers. If something must be said, whisper it quickly. Excessively shushing a talkative neighbor can be just as disturbing.
  • Use good posture. Auditorium seating is often arranged so that the person in the seat behind can see between the two seats in front, so slumping sideways or lounging on a partner’s shoulder blocks the view.
  • Remove hats. Ladies, if your hat is part of your outfit, you can keep it on as long as it doesn’t block anyone’s view.
  • Noises off. Turn off cell phones, beepers, audible watches, and any other sound-making gadgets before any performance.
  • Lights out.  Don’t forget, the screen on your mobile device can be a distraction too.
  • Snap, crackle, pop. No rattling of candy boxes or ice in cups, shaking popcorn containers, or slurping drinks.
  • Control coughing. Muffle coughs and sneezes with a handkerchief. Cough drops and mints may be helpful, but leave if you can’t stop the attack.
  • Avoid other sounds that can disturb the people around you and the performers. Munching noisily, smacking or cracking gum, rattling the pages of programs, tapping feet or drumming fingers, humming or singing along, rummaging in purses—these are just a few of the things that can annoy those around you.
  • Smoke only in designated areas. Leave and find a place outside if you must smoke.
  • Don’t take flash photos or shoot video during live performances. The point is to do nothing that will distract the performers or disturb others in the audience.
  • Dispose of trash, including chewed gum, in waste containers. Tell an user or attendant if anything was spilled, as a courtesy to the next person who has your seat.


Outdoor Etiquette

Many outdoor performances have a relaxed atmosphere, but a little consideration will make the experience enjoyable for all.
  • Keep it down, please. Unless the performers encourage you to, don’t sing along or repeat dialogue.
  • Keep charge of children and pets (if they’re allowed). Know where they are at all times. Sit near the edge of the crowd in case you need to take your daughter or your dog for a walk.
  • Use common sense about outdoor seating. Seating and accessories that can block others’ view or cause congestion should be placed as far from the center of the crowd as possible.
  • Be careful with food and drinks. Wipe up spills, especially on surfaces where others may sit or eat.
  • Smoke away from the crowd. Head for the fringes where the smoke is less bothersome and you’re unlikely to bump a lighted cigarette into someone.
  • Clean up. Obviously, it’s disrespectful to leave a mess.

Before Charlottesville, Before Charleston, Before Ferguson: Native

Before Charlottesville, Before Charleston, Before Ferguson: Native
Drama allows opportunity to gain understanding.


NOW BOOKING:

Native dramatizes the friendship and collaboration between Paul Green and Richard Wright. The authors are brought together to adapt Wright’s novel, Native Son for Broadway. 

In 1941 Paul Green is a UNC professor and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright who is also known for The Lost Colony. Richard Wright is the controversial author of Native Son, a groundbreaking work on the systemic discrimination of African-Americans. 

Green and Wright forge a deep respect for each other.  Yet, in a heated discussion over a single page of their Broadway script, they argue about who has the right to tell the story of race, politics and social class.  Ultimately the revelations dissolve their friendship in spite of their common goal to affect social change.

EbzB Productions’ Native is based on the true story of Green and Wright’s collaboration.  This event hopes to inspire audiences to gain understanding and to discuss differing viewpoints of systemic discrimination which continues to challenge us today.  Venues may offer post-show discussions with the cast to allow patrons an opportunity to share and process their reactions to the performance.

EbzB Productions, Inc. is a professional theatre company developing original, touring theatrical productions to promote integrity and authenticity, self-discovery and positive transformation of individuals, artists, audiences, and communities.  www.ebzb.org

# # #

If you would like photos, media or more information, please visit EbzB’s website at www.ebzb.org


North Carolina Presenters Consortium - 2017 Showcases

EbzB Productions showcases Native at ArtsMarket

We are pleased to announce the showcasing artists for ArtsMarket 2017, taking place November 6-8 in Durham, NC! Showcases are scheduled throughout the three days at the historic Carolina Theatre of Durham. Artists were selected through a highly competitive application process, and will each present a 15-minute showcase performance at one of the venues. 
 

EbzB Productions will showcase their new play: Native
Wednesday, November 8, 2017. 
Showcase "E" at the Carolina Theatre of Durham

EbzB on Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County's Artist inSchools Directory


We are excited to inform you that the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County’s new website has officially launched.  For the first time, we now have our Artists in Schools Directory as a searchable, online database.  We hope that this will make it easier for educators to find artists that suit their needs, and hopefully will also mean increased participation in the program. 

2017-2018 Artists in Schools Rostered Artists include EbzB Productions.  See link below...


http://www.theartscouncil.com/artist/ebzb-productions

EbzB Productions joins the Creative Arts in Public & Private Schools(CAPS) program

EbzB is delighted to be a featured artist in the 2017 -2018 Durham County Arts Council's Online Artists' Directory.  Click the link below to view our listing...

https://durhamartscouncilcaps.com/theatre-arts/ebzb-productions/

Compliment: Standing On Their Shoulders at Virginia Cross Elementary

Our Arts Integration Residency at Virginia Cross Elementary was inspirational.  Students taught EbzB and their audience about unsung heroes who have pioneered projects in science, engineering, medicine, space exploration, writing, sports and entertainment.  

Together we created a piece of devised theater, using simple glow-sticks as our only props. Parents, Chatham County leaders, and VCE students in grades 1 - 4 enjoyed the performance. A post-show discussion explained the process of creation to the engaged audience.

Special thanks to Chatham County resident Mary Delores Nettles who allowed us to interview her to create a portion of the script.  Ms. Nettles is the first female and African-American to chair a political party in Chatham County, NC.

Chatham County Arts Council and private donors made this successful residency possible. 
David and Serena,
You guys are awesome!  The two of you are truly some of the most over-the-top genuinely sincere people I've met.  Your efforts with the students the last couple of years has broadened their minds and exposed them to things that they may never get to experience again.  Thank you for your passion, excitement and caring nature.  I hope this experience can continue next year!


Chris Bowling
Assistant Principal 
Virginia Cross Elementary
David and Serena,
We cannot thank you enough for your work with our students over the last few years.  Our students have benefited tremendously from the opportunities that you have provided for them.
Allison Buckner
Principal 
Virginia Cross Elementary


David and Serena,

We want to thank you for bringing this fantastic opportunity to our students. They really did enjoy themselves and learned a ton. This is an experience I am sure they will hold near their hearts for the rest of their lives. You two work so wonderfully with the students and they love you so much as do Liz and I. 
Susan Overman
5th Grade Teacher
Virginia Cross Elementary

Compliment: This Is Why We Are Teaching Artists

The Thank You notes you see below are the main reason we are Teaching Artists. 

Students from North Chatham Elementary created a play called War Is Never Civil.
 These students now have knowledge about Dramatic Art and The US Civil War.
They know it all - from Fort Sumter, South Carolina to Andrew Johnson and Reconstruction.
We are so proud of them!




North Chatham Elementary fifth-graders engage with Civil War

North Chatham Elementary fifth-graders engage with Civil War



PITTSBORO — North Chatham Elementary School fifth-graders absorbed the Civil War through a distinctly Chatham County filter. 
Artists in residence David zum Brunnen and Serena Ebhardt, both of Apex-based EbzB Productions, guided the students in an oral-history project that was several weeks in the making. The students learned how to document the past and turn the material into presentations. They pulled it all together for an April 28 production at North Chatham Elementary.  Students heard Civil War perspectives from Chatham County Board of Education member Del Turner, retired North Carolina judge Wade Barber, former Chatham County commissioner Carl Thompson and former Pittsboro commissioner Gene Brooks, who is regarded as the dean of Chatham County history.

The project was a partnership between Chatham County Schools and the Chatham Artists in Schools Initiative, an offshoot of the Chatham Arts Council.
 
Alessia Iacono on the Civil War
 
Meredith Bean on the Civil War
 
Dustin Balkaran on the Civil War 

Alessia Iacono, Meredith Bean and Dustin Balkaran explored the Civil War through oral history.

 
 
 
 

Compliment: Arts Integration Residency on The Civil War

David,
It was a wonderful experience. I never imagined that one could create such a wonderful educational and enjoyable history program for 5th graders.
Thank you for including me.
Best wishes,
Wade Barber
BARBER & BARBER, PLLC

=============================================

David and Serena,

What a great report!
I am so proud of the students and to be part (even though I wasn't there) of the whole experience.  One of the bus drivers came back this afternoon, and shared that today was a perfect day for him!  He was impressed with the entire event! 

Thank you all for working so hard to make this event happen!  I look forward to seeing footage/photos and more. 

Thank you all!

Carla Murry
Principal
North Chatham Elementary School

Native - Inspired Theater For Relevant Discussions

Native - Inspired Theater For Relevant Discussions:

Native Notes


Can theatre illuminate social justice conversations? Can theatre open minds and promote positive change in our world? We believe it can.

EbzB Productions explores how history prepares us for discussions about race, class, politics, responsibility, and opportunities to evolve.  Our newest production, Native, is another example of
relevant historical material that will inspire a conversation for today's world.

Welcome to Native Notes. We hope these updates will help you to use
theatre in your community to foster dialogue and bring people together. We'll share examples and information on social justice inspired projects -- cultural and artistic.

Our own social justice inspired project is a new drama called 
Native, about North Carolina native, Paul Green and Native Son author Richard Wright.

Native details the transformative debate between Paul Green and Richard Wright. The writers were brought together by the Mercury Theatre to adapt Wright’s novel, Native Son for the stage. Green, a white southern professor, and Wright, a self-educated African-American with communist sympathies, forge a deep respect for each other as they explore systemic discrimination of African-Americans. They start their collaboration in Chapel Hill, NC like a “house on fire.” Then in 1941, with World War II on the horizon, the two authors meet again in New York for rewrites. Orson Welles’ Broadway production is already in rehearsal. Differences over a single page of the script create an impasse between Green and Wright. A life-changing dialogue about who has the right to tell the story of race, politics and social class ensues. In spite of their common goal to affect social change, the scintillating revelations dissolve the friendship of the two influential social justice authors.

EbzB's hope is to program this production as part of social justice community events. Our work has been seen internationally, at performing arts centers, colleges, high schools, churches, community festivals, and more. Check out 
excerpts of the production on our website.

EbzB Productions, Inc. is a professional theatre company striving to develop original, touring theatrical productions to promote integrity, self-discovery and positive transformation of individuals, artists, audiences, and communities.

Thank you for the work you do to promote justice, education and the arts. Please let us know how we may help you.

Serena Ebhardt and David zum Brunnen
~EbzB Productions

www.ebzb.org

*Please share this information with other organizations who might partner with you on social justice programming!

EbzB Productions Launches Native By Ian Finley


Native, a new play by Ian Finley is now available for booking at venues across the United States.  Native is a relevant and powerful production based on the true story of the collaboration between Pulitzer Prize winner, Paul Green, and the prodigy author of Native Son, Richard Wright. Produced by EbzB Productions, Native features David zum Brunnen as Paul Green and J. Mardrice as Richard Wright. Serena Ebhardt directs.  For information, demo reel, rates and availability, please visit www.ebzb.org or contact: EbzB Productions: 919-387-4616.

Native details the metamorphic debate between Paul Green and Richard Wright. The authors were originally brought together by the Mercury Theatre to adapt Wright’s novel, Native Son for the stage. Green, a white southern professor, and Wright, a self-educated African-American with communist sympathies,  forge a deep respect for each other as they discuss systemic discrimination of African-Americans.  They start their collaboration in Chapel Hill, NC like a “house on fire.” 

Then in 1941, with World War II on the horizon, the two authors meet again in New York for rewrites.  Orson Welles’ Broadway production is already in rehearsal.  Differences over a single page of the script create an impasse between Green and Wright.  A life-changing dialogue about who has the right to tell the story of race, politics and social class ensues.  In spite of their common goal to affect social change, the scintillating revelations dissolve the friendship of the two influential social justice authors.

Native is written by Ian Finley, a playwright and educator who served as the NC Piedmont Laureate in 2012. He received the Harry Kondoleon Award for playwriting while earning his MFA at New York University's Tisch School of Performing Arts. His plays include a two-part musical adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure for Burning Coal Theatre Company in Raleigh, Up From the Ground for the Piedmont Laureate program, and two ten-minute plays for the Ackland Art Museum. He also serves as Head of Drama at Research Triangle High School.

    EBZB Productions, Inc. is a professional theatre company striving to develop original, touring theatrical productions to promote integrity, self-discovery and positive transformation of individuals, artists, audiences, and communities.  

Workshop: February 24, 2017. The Play’s The Thing: Catch The Conscious Of Your Students With Arts Integration

Professional Development Workshop:   
The Play’s The Thing: Catch The Conscious Of Your Students With Arts Integration. New Hanover County Schools, Wilmington, NC

Find new ways to meet:
  • ESL standards
  • Common Core standards
  • Core Arts Standards of Create, Perform, Respond
On February 24, 2017 you are invited to participate in a professional development workshop for K - 8 educators.  You must wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to play!

All you have to do to make an “A”  in this class-- Open your mind and participate.  This arts integration workshop, led by Serena Ebhardt of EbzB Productions, will inspire you to use dramatic art as a teaching tool in your classroom.  You will leave the workshop with materials to recreate the experience for your own students. You will also discuss modifying the technique to serve any curriculum. 

Ebhardt explains and models arts integration for educators. She uses visual art, music, found-objects, text, speech and movement to create a devised dramatic presentation which incorporates curriculum standards. Participants are asked to mindfully and physically engage with the lesson; to synthesize personal connections to the material; and to work as an ensemble. Activities inspire inclusiveness and self-esteem.  Physicalization and vocalization enhance memory— useful for recall on tests.  Ebhardt also incorporates the basic tools of an actor (Breath, Body, Eyes, Face  and Voice),  which will serve you and your students for effective everyday communication.

Trained in the models of The John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts “Artists as Educators:  Planning Effective Workshops” for Arts in Education; The Lincoln Center Institute’s International Educator Workshop; and the National Center for Creative Aging, Ebhardt has extensive experience working with students, teachers, elders, and business professionals in on-site residencies and workshops.  For more information on EbzB Productions and Serena Ebhardt, visit www.ebzb.org


The Play’s The Thing: Catch The Conscious Of Your Students With Arts Integration.

Date:  February 24, 2017

Time: 1 - 4 p.m.

Location:  Roland Grise Middle School Auditorium, 4412 Lake Avenue, Wilmington, NC  28403

Contact: R. Timothy McCoy
Fine and Performing Arts Supervisor
New Hanover County Schools
910-254-4290

The Art Of Love

A New Cabaret by EbzB

The Art of Love - http://ebzb.org/the-art-of-love-love-notes.html
Premieres February 18, 2017 at Davie County Arts Council, NC

@newhopefilm April 2024: The Problem of the Hero at New Hope Film Festival, New Hope, PA.

via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/C2itUo_LrwZ/