EbzB's YouTube Channel - Watch Demos and Behind The Scenes Fun.

EbzB's YouTube Channel - Watch Demos and Behind The Scenes Fun. https://www.youtube.com/user/ebzbebzb/featured

#ebzb #youtube #presenters #theater #artsineducation

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

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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

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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.

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

EbzB Leads Corporate Workshop for United Arts Council Board Members

On Wednesday, September 14, 2016, EbzB Productions leads a sample of their corporate workshop for the United Arts Council Board of Directors in Raleigh, NC. The workshop, entitled United Arts Superheroes, will empower board members to advocate for truth, justice and the United Arts Council!

Using the tools of dramatic art in the corporate world stimulates engagement and creativity for employees.  Problem solving and communication skills are enhanced by the art form. Comfort with public speaking, articulating ideas, and collaboration all benefit from an awareness of the tools used by an actor. Using dramatic art in the business setting is yet another way the arts are proving vital to our daily lives and bottom lines.

EbzB Productions has been asked to develop their popular Arts-In-Education workshops for use in the corporate sector by the United Arts Council of Raleigh. Human resource directors will be able to choose programs to enhance the lives of their employees and benefit the morale and productivity of their workers.  Topics addressed by the workshop may include: diversity training, family programming, public speaking, sales skills, sensitivity training, and workplace cultural history.  EbzB Productions is well-known for tailoring their workshops to the needs of the organization.  For more information, visit http://www.unitedarts.org/

EbzB Arts in Education Residencies and NC Arts Council Grants

EbzB Arts in Education Residencies and NC Arts Council Grants

EbzB Productions Arts in Education Residences are now available for the 2016-2017 school year.
Please share the following information.

The North Carolina Arts Council is offering Arts-In-Education Grants that may assist you in bringing an EbzB residency to your students. This program provides students with arts learning experiences that spark creativity, imagination, and innovation. These residency grants support artists working in schools or after school programs for 10 days or more. The NCAC Arts in Education (AIE) program provides support to schools and nonprofit organizations to strengthen the use of the arts in pre K-€“12 settings. It gives priority to funding fees for professional artists to work in educational settings and collaborations between arts organizations and schools.

EbzB Teaching Artists have been trained by The Lincoln Center Institute, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Center For Creative Aging. Residencies and Workshops for students and professional development are tailored specifically to the needs of the school or district. EbzB is a professional touring theatre with an outstanding national reputation. Our teaching artists develop works to promote integrity, self-discovery and positive transformation of artists, audiences, individuals, and communities. We have offerings available for all grade levels which include direct connections to Common Core State and North Carolina Essential Standards. Please visit: http://www.ebzb.org/educator-tool-kit.html

For more information on the NCAC grants, please contact

Sharon Hill
NCAC Arts in Education Program Director
(919) 807-6502
sharon.hill@ncdcr.gov
http://www.ncarts.org/Grants/Grants-for-Organizations/Arts-in-Education-Grants


For information on EbzB Productions, please contact

David zum Brunnen
EbzB Productions
(919) 387-4616
www.ebzb.org

We hope you will consider EbzB Productions as you plan your school's cultural events and AIE residencies for 2016 -2017. All EbzB Productions incorporate Common Core State and North Carolina Essential Standards. Study Guides are also available. EbzB Residencies can include the performances listed below.


Grades K - 8

THE WRIGHTS OF PASSAGE (Only available for the spring of 2017)100+ years of flight history with the Wright Brothers.
Standards - 4th and 8th Grade North Carolina History/Social Studies
(Originally commissioned by North Carolina Association of Educators)


Grades 4 - 12
WAR BONDS: THE SONGS AND LETTERS OF WORLD WAR II
A musical journey through the war that redefined the world.
Standards - Language Arts, History/Social Studies

NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens scholar, Dr. Elliot Engel
Charles Dickens reveals his sources while creating his ghostly classic.
Standards - Language Arts, History/Social Studies

LIFE IS SO GOOD by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
The true story of an African-American man who learned to read at the age of 98.
Standards - Language Arts, History/Social Studies
Featuring Mike Wiley and David zum Brunnen


Grades 8 -12

IN ONE ERA AND OUT THE OTHER
A patriotic, interactive history of 20th Century America presented through headlines, pop-music and pop-culture.
Standards - Language Arts, History/Social Studies, North Carolina History, US History
(Aligned with Advanced Placement United States History standards while providing an anti-bullying message.)


Grades 9 - 12

1969 SEASONSFrom the Vietnam to Woodstock, with a James Brown groove and a piece of Janis Joplin's heart, '69 SEASONS visits Richard Nixon's oval office and Manson's jail cell. An exploration of 1969 in the United States with its triumphs (Moonshot) and tragedies (My Lai Massacre) which puts "The Star Spangled Banner" in a whole new perspective.
Standards - Language Arts, History/Social Studies


Grades 3 - 12

ARTS-IN-EDUCATION RESIDENCIES AND WORKSHOPS
EbzB Teaching Artists have been trained by The Lincoln Center Institute, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Center For Creative Aging. Residencies and Workshops for students and professional development are tailored specifically to the needs of the school or district.



EbzB is recognized by the North Carolina Arts Council Touring Artist Directory and in the South Carolina Arts Commission Arts In Education Roster of Approved Artists. EbzB is the recipient of the North Carolina Theatre Conference's Constance Welsh Theatre For Youth Award for providing quality entertainment and educational opportunities through theater to North Carolina's youth.





EbzB Productions: Your World Is Our Stage!
www.ebzb.org





Thank you for all you do to make our children the best that they can be.

-Serena Ebhardt and David zum Brunnen
EbzB Productions

Serena Ebhardt directs World Premiere Of New Johnny Johnson Musical With Book by Paul Green and Music by Kurt Weill

Contact:

David Navalinsky
UNC Department of Dramatic Art (919) 962­1557

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 6, 2014

Kenan Theatre Company Presents World Premiere Of New Johnny Johnson Musical With Book by Paul Green and Music by Kurt Weill

Chapel Hill, NC — The world premiere of the new edition of Johnny Johnson by Paul Green and Kurt Weill, with text and music not heard since 1937, will be staged at the University of North Carolina. Performances will take place in the Kenan Theatre, Center for Dramatic Art on Thursday, November 20th at 8pm, Friday, November 21st at 8pm (post­show discussion), Saturday, November 22nd at 8pm (pre­show symposium), Sunday, November 23rd at 2pm, and Monday, November 24th at 5pm. Tickets are $10, $5 for students. For reservations and information, please visit http://drama.unc.edu/johnnyjohnson/

It is World War I. The United States of America, having pledged to remain neutral, is pulled into the fight in order to make the world safe for democracy “over there.” Lowly American tombstone cutter, Johnny Johnson, has been persuaded to enlist in the U.S. army both by his sweetheart, Minny Belle Tompkins, and by President Woodrow Wilson’s promise of “a war to end all wars.” But confronted by the horrors of the trenches in France, he is outraged at the absurdity of it all, and by dint of laughing­gas, he fools the Allied generals into calling a cease­fire. Johnny is arrested, shipped back to America, and locked up in a lunatic asylum for his “peace monomania.” Released some twenty years later, he makes a living selling handmade toys as the trumpets of war once more sound in the distance.

This premiere features modern dance created by choreographer Heather Tatreau from UNC’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science. Additionally the flexible set design by Julia Warren is saturated with archival photos projected onto non­traditional surfaces and curated by Cameron Kania. Director Serena Ebhardt’s vision reveals the context of Johnny Johnson’s journey by including relevant historical and cultural events of the time period not mentioned in
the text — from silent film stars to lynchings to women’s suffrage. The cast is composed of UNC Students, 18 ­ 22 years­old, the same age of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the “war to end all wars” one ­hundred years ago.

When the German­Jewish composer Kurt Weill sought exile in the United States in September 1935, he wanted to continue his work in musical theater begun by way of his collaborations in Berlin in the late 1920s with Bertholt Brecht, including Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) and Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny). These were hard­hitting political works that used music in new theatrical ways to support a radical political agenda.

In New York, Weill teamed up with the left­wing Group Theatre, who put him in contact with the prominent North Carolina playwright, Paul Green, who at that time was on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Group’s first production (in 1931) had been Green’s The House of Connelly, and his interests in theatrical music were well known. Weill visited Chapel Hill in May 1936 (staying at the Carolina Inn), and during the summer he and Green worked together with the Group on Johnny Johnson, which opened on Broadway on 19 November, 1936 (Lee Strasberg was the director). It was intended to be the first of three collaborations between the composer and
playwright; in 1937, Green asked Weill to write the music for The Lost Colony (1937), and that same year they worked on a historical pageant celebrating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. constitution—but neither came to fruition, and The Lost Colony’s music was instead written mostly by the North Carolina composer Lamar Stringfield.

Johnny Johnson was picked up with some enthusiasm by the Federal Theatre Project, with productions in Boston and Los Angeles in May 1937. Here Green and Weill sought to restore some of the drastic cuts to the work that the Group Theatre had made in the run up to the premiere: given that the Group was committed to Stanislavski’s acting “method,” it had grown more and more nervous about the music. However, that more complete FTP version of Johnny Johnson has since lain hidden in the archives; those few productions of the work since 1936–37 were based on an incomplete, inadequate text.

Some of this archival material survives in the Southern Historical Collection in UNC’s Wilson Library, some in the National Archives (College Park, MD), and some in the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library at Yale University. These newly uncovered sources provided the basis for the critical edition of Johnny Johnson prepared by Tim Carter, David G. Frey Distinguished Professor of Music at UNC and recently issued by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music. This edition won the Claude V. Palisca Award of the American Musicological Society for an outstanding scholarly edition or translation in the field of musicology published during 2012.

The world premiere of the new Johnny Johnson is led by a dedicated production team. Serena Ebhardt, Paul & Elizabeth Green Scholar and UNC alumna, serves as director. Dr. Louise Toppin, professor and chair of the UNC music department, serves as musical director. Heather Tatreau serves as choreographer. Dr. Evan Feldman serves as conductor. David Navalinsky, director of undergraduate productions of the UNC Department of Dramatic Art serves as producer.

Johnny Johnson is a major collaboration between UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art and Department of Music and is part a year­long conversation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during 2014­2015 focused on the legacy of World War I. The World War I Centenary Project features undergraduate and graduate courses, seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, dramatic performances, music and dance events, and workshops for K­12 teachers. For more information, visit www.iah.unc.edu/WWI.

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Kenan Theatre Company http://drama.unc.edu/ktc/

Facebook ­ Kenan Theatre Company https://www.facebook.com/KenanTheatreCompany

War Bonds: Advent Christian Village, Florida

WAR BONDS: The Songs and Letters of World War II


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Friday, Nov. 8, 2013


5:30 p.m. dinner, 7:15 p.m. show • 
Rumph Dining Room

WAR BONDS: The Songs and Letters of World War II is a musical journey through a war that redefined the world. The show's light hearted, popular tunes of the time are interspersed with personal letters from the front and headline news of the period: a warm reminiscence and a harrowing reminder of a time when the whole world seemed upside down. Come at 5:30 to enjoy a '40s theme dinner at the 1940's Home Front Canteen and stay for the show.

Award winning artists David zum Brunnen and Serena Ebhardt fill the stage with wartime memories and tunes. Actual veterans’ stories create a sentimental journey back through the days when blackouts and rationing were a small sacrifice in order to obtain freedom. A time when Rosie the Riveter discovered she could take care of herself; a time when African-Americans, who were segregated at home, integrated abroad to became heroes; and when a man's only wish was to be home for Christmas. War Bonds: The Songs and Letters of World War II explores the dark side of war and the strange juxtaposition of the lighthearted, popular tunes of the time. Musical Director Julie Florin recreates a nostalgic score of familiar tunes. Twenty-two songs of the period lift the mood—even as the atrocities of war are described. This family show allows the "greatest generation" to celebrate, as the next greatest generation contemplates.
Whether you remember WWII, you’re sure to enjoy the evening.
Live! at Dowling Park Artist Series season ticket holders are admitted free to both the dinner and the show with their season ticket. Those who need tickets for this event may purchase them from the ACV Cashier's Office or at the event, as space permits. ACV member price: $25; non-member price: $35 (prices include dinner and show). Call for 386-658-5557 for student/child pricing.

Ticket Information

Season Tickets offer an overall savings on admission to all nine events plus the reciprocity bonus.* ACV members and staff may purchase season tickets for $75. Non-members may purchase season tickets for $90. The price for season tickets for students and children are $35 and $25, respectively.
Individual event tickets may be purchased at the door, as space allows, or at the locations listed below. Regular evening events are $10 for ACV members and staff and $12 for non-members. Events that include dinner are $25 for ACV members and staff and $35 for non-members. The matinee (A Land Remembered) is $8 and $10. Student admission is $7 per event. ** Children are $5 and children under age 5 are free. Tickets may be purchased at Advent Christian Village Cashier, The Music Center in Live Oak, or at Live Oak Chamber of Commerce.
*Reciprocity bonus: ACV Season Ticket subscribers may attend performances of North Florida Community College Artist Series (NFCC) and Community Concerts of Lake City, Inc. at no extra charge. (NFCC requests that reciprocity subscribers please call 850-973-1653 at least one week prior to each event to reserve seating.)
**Call 386-658-5557 for student/child pricing for dinner events.

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