No More Posts Available.

No more pages to load.

    • Source: Arlington Friends of the Drama


      • History


      Arlington Friends of the Drama, also known as AFD Theatre, is located in Arlington, Massachusetts. Founded in 1923, it is one of the ten oldest continually operating community theaters in the United States. Incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the early 1930s, Arlington Friends of the Drama outbid the Odd Fellows in 1933 to purchase the St. John's Episcopal Church building, which had outgrown the space and was building a new church one block away. Originally purchased for $8200, the building has since served as the organization's theater, and is part of the Arlington Center Historic District. The church pews served as seats until the theater was given a gift of used theater seats in 1947. In 1998 the theater underwent renovations to expand the lobby and make the building handicap accessible.
      The opening season, the theater first produced an evening of one-act plays. Though founded by ladies of the Arlington Woman's Club, by 1924 men were allowed to join and take part in the productions. The first major musical produced by the theater was Iolanthe in 1935. Currently the theater produces four shows per year, usually including a major musical, a comedy, a drama and a smaller musical. The theater provides members of the community experience in all aspects of theater arts through hands-on experience, mentorship, and workshops. In addition, every year the Denis M. Fitzpatrick Scholarship is awarded to a graduating Arlington High School senior, chosen by the high school, who has demonstrated excellence in some aspect of theater arts and wishes to continue their studies at the college level. The theater is a member of EMACT, the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters, as well as AACT, the American Association of Community Theatre.
      The theater was subject of the book The Stuff of Dreams: Behind the Scenes of an American Community Theater, by Leah Hager Cohen, and is mentioned frequently in Images of America: Greater Boston Community Theater by Judson Lee Pierce.


      Awards


      Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters (EMACT), New England Theater Competition:

      K2 – 1990
      The Elephant Man – 1993
      A Piece of My Heart – 1995
      M Butterfly – 1999
      How I Learned to Drive – 2008
      Moss Hart Award:

      The Crucible – 1967
      Fiddler on the Roof – 1972
      The Secret Garden – 1997
      M Butterfly – 1999
      Wit – 2006
      Moss Hart Honorable Mention: Into the Woods 2002, Rabbit Hole 2009
      EMACT Distinguished Achievement Awards:

      The Laramie Project (Best Play 2004)
      Titanic (Best Musical 2004)
      Kiss of the Spider Woman (Best Musical 2005)
      West Side Story (Best Musical 2006)
      How I Learned to Drive (Best Play 2008)


      External links


      Arlington Friends of the Drama http://www.afdtheatre.org
      Leah Hager Cohen http://www.leahhagercohen.com
      American Association of Community Theatre http://www.aact.org
      Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres http://www.emact.org


      References

    Kata Kunci Pencarian: