Village Theatre project completes annual retreat, prepares for season

Village Theatre Project's members focused on Commedia dell'Arte characters in physicality and mask work, as well as exploration of the Linklater acting techniques.

Members of Village Theatre Project's professional performing ensemble gathered in Ashby center recently for the new theatre company's second annual retreat.

The yearly summer event is an intensive focused on the development of new plays, as well as on development of the company members themselves through workshops and master class-like sessions.

In July 2005, Village Theatre Project's first retreat brought together 15 actors, directors and playwrights to work collaboratively through rehearsals on three promising new scripts.

"It couldn't have been a bigger success," recalls Artistic Director Troy Siebels.

"One of the three, Shawn Sturnick's farce 'Better Off Dead,' was such a great piece that we ended up doing a fully staged production of the play in April, in Groton. Another, 'Theresa at Home,' will be staged and produced in April 2007 in partnership with Boston Playwrights Theatre and will play both in Boston and in Groton."

This summer's retreat brought together members of the performing company in workshops to focus on Commedia dell'Arte characters in physicality and mask work, as well as exploration of the Linklater acting techniques. Another major focus of the retreat was a new script based on the life and writings of Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jewish girl who grew up in Amsterdam and died in Auschwitz in 1942.

Company member Anne Gottlieb led a team of artistic collaborators in furthering the script, currently titled "The Etty Project," which has been under development for over a year. Village Theatre Project anticipates a Boston area production of the piece in spring 2008.

Village Theatre Project's 2006-2007 performance season begins in late September at the Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center in Groton. Play selections and performance dates will be announced in mid-August. For more information, or to join the theatre company's mailing list, please call (978) 456-7898 or e-mail info@villagetheatreproject. org.

- Submitted to The Journal