HOWARD ARONSON METRO SCHOLARS
21/22 Season Updates
The Howard Aronson Metro Scholars is a competitive program that gives high school juniors the opportunity to learn how a regional theater operates through workshops, performances, and assistantship opportunities. This season, twelve students are attending our productions and meeting in a hybrid setting that include both online and in-person workshops as well as projects with our artistic, administrative, and production departments. Our students have been hard at work this season with a variety of workshops that were all made possible by YOU! Here is an update as to what they have been up to this season.
WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN UP TO?
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
November 7, 2021 marked the orientation of the Howard Aronson Metro Scholars. Students participated in a few “Get-to-Know-Me” games, learned about Two River’s history and the inner-workings of a not-for-profit regional theater, and went over the program’s activities and expectations. Following the orientation, students and their parents/guardians attended a matinee production of August Wilson’s Radio Golf. On November 21, students gathered again at the theater for an in-depth tour of the Radio Golf set and a workshop about planning a theatrical season and casting for shows. The workshop was led by Director of Education Kate Cordaro.
Marketing Crash Course
On February 5, students participated in a virtual workshop where former Two River Theater Multimedia Manager, Alycia Yerves led the students through a Marketing Case Study of our 2015 world premiere production of Be More Chill and the continued impact of the musical to Off-Broadway, Broadway and beyond. The workshop culminated in students brainstorming how they could utilize these marketing techniques with the shows they were working on at school and in their communities.
TEXTILE TOUR
On February 19, they participated in a workshop and tour of Two River’s costume shop with Costume Shop Supervisor Lesley Sorensen. Lesley also gave the students a project where they picked a non-human Disney character and created a costume design for that character in a stage production. They took inspiration from fabric swatches and accessories in the shop’s costume inventory. Check out some photos of their work below!
Playwriting & Production BTS
In March, students attended a performance of The Hombres by Tony Meneses which is enjoying its world premiere in our black-box Marion Huber Theater. On March 26, the students participated in a set tour led by Master Carpenter Duane Noch and a playwriting class led by Tony Meneses.
PHOTOS
Costume Workshop
Set Tour & Playwriting Workshop
WHAT'S NEXT?
MAY / 2022
In May, students will collaborate with the Development department to plan for and execute our spring fundraising event which is celebrating the tenure of our leaders Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst as they are moving on this summer. The event will feature a cocktail reception, a benefit concert of Radiant Baby a new musical about the life of visual artist Keith Haring, and a sponsor dinner and live appeal. All proceeds will support the newly established Dias/Hurst New Musicals Fund which will ensure that Two River continues the development and production of new musicals for years to come.
JUNE / 2022
In June, the students will attend the last show of our season: Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, translated by Madeleine George, directed by Sara Holdren. We are currently in the process of finalizing our set tour and workshop in conjunction with this production. June 15 marks the last day of our program and will also include a Q & A session with Patricia Decker, Director of Recruitment for NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts on “How to Not Freak Out About College.” Patricia has held this Q&A with Metro Scholars for several years and it always proves to be a highlight!
Thanks to generous support from you and the Aronson, Tenenbaum, and Kean Families, the Howard Aronson Metro Scholars are receiving a wide assortment of opportunities to engage with theater professionals while opening their eyes to the different opportunities that the theater can provide.
WHAT DO OUR METRO SCHOLARS HAVE TO SAY?
“Metros is honestly a dream come true. I never really grasped just how many people it took to put on a professional show, but that changed within the first few meetings we had. From one of our first meetings we toured around the set of Radio Golf. Kate explained every small detail in the set that we didn’t even notice when watching. Every small detail that goes into a show turns it from a script to a living breathing entity. Through the Metros program, we’ve have seen the bones of a show, and everything behind the scenes that the audience isn’t thinking about. This has been a truly eye-opening experience.
I knew I wanted to work behind the scenes in some capacity and through this program I’ve started seeing all the different odd jobs that could land me in a theater. We’ve had workshops about casting directors, publicity, and costuming. I knew you needed someone to cast a show and someone to help promote it, but I didn’t think about what exactly their job was. It is one thing to read about the people needed to put on a show, but we got to talk to these people and see them actively working on a show.
I am so excited to see the last show of the season Three Sisters. We had a workshop with the wonderful costume shop supervisor and see the beginnings of the design process for Three Sisters. Seeing the final product in June will be an amazing insight into how designs may change and morph into the final costumes. In the short-term, I am excited to continue having these wonderful workshops with the other amazing Metros. For the long-term, this program will stay with me as I decide what I want to pursue as a career. I am beyond grateful that I get to participate in this program and share my love and passion for theater with like-minded peers.”