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From
out of Shadowland, a Shining Light for Ellenville
By M.R. Smith
CONTINUE....
Shadowland’s
impact has gone beyond just consistently great performances. As
the only Equity house in the Mid-Hudson Valley, it provides a great
environment for young people to get their start in the theatre arts,
working alongside Equity professionals. Notes Burke: “Kids
start hanging around here at the age of 12, and they start out at
concessions, and handing out playbills; eventually they decide to
go into another department, such as lighting, set design, stage
managing. Now, some of these kids are at Purchase, NYU, SUNY New
Paltz, and some are even interning for Broadway shows.” Shadowland
even has direct relations with regional university programs at SUNY
New Paltz, via lighting designer and professor Jack Wade, and Lehigh
University, courtesy of resident set designer Drew Francis. For
those who are still not quite Equity-eligible, Shadowland allows
EMC (Equity membership candidacy) points, on top of a modest stipend,
paving the way for professional status. Burke has the unenviable
task of winnowing down over 2,000 applicants to 16, but that’s
just how the business is.
But, even more important is how the theatre is assisting the revitalization
of Ellenville. The local business community enthusiastically supports
Shadowland. “I’ve never seen anything like the sense
of community here. If there’s a problem, they’re only
2 or 3 phone calls away,” Burke says, with a grin. When extra
space was needed to construct set pieces for upcoming shows, a local
hardware store leased them space down the street, for $1.
The
board of directors, which includes publisher Martin Rabkin and musi-cian/producer
John Simon, are truly committed to seeing their hometown thrive,
and they’re getting results.
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