1. art and entertainment
2. theatre

KISS Theatre Company
December
2013
Kids Innovating Stage and Sound
Kiss & Tell Newsletter
It’s the Holiday Season!
Another year has come and gone. Where is
the time going?! Shows are flying by faster
than we can count them!! 2014 is bringing a
whole new batch of shows. We are so
excited to take on the challenge of
programs such as Grease and Titanic!
As far as our Master’s classes go, our
Children of Eden cast blew us all away.
Congratulations, guys! Do you have
post-show depression now? No worries!
Jekyll & Hyde The Musical starts on
January 5th! The show will go up in the
beginning of April. After Jekyll & Hyde, be
sure to sign up for Titanic! Titanic is being
directed by Dave Reynolds and will open in
late July! For more information, please visit
our website!
16 will be directed by Lori Colacito. In May,
ages 12-16 will have the opportunity to
participate in 13. 13 is a new musical about
finding out what “being cool” really is. Finally,
in June ages 7-12 will have the opportunity to
participate in Honk! Jr.. Honk! Jr. is about an
ugly duck searching for acceptance. For
additional information on all of these
workshops, please visit our website.
Next month, our Little’s will be performing The
Aristocats Kids! Children ages 4-10 worked
very hard under the direction of Mason Riepert and Ashley Jevin. Tickets are on sale now!
Registration is now open for Sleeping Beauty
Kids which begins in March! Finally, in August
our Littles will have the opportunity to register
for Dinosaurs Before Dark Kids! For more information, please visit our website!
My Son Pinocchio opens this weekend!
Under the direction of Christa Manning and Thank you to all who came out and supported
Ashley Jevin, the kids have worked
our 6th Annual Silent Auction! It was a huge
tirelessly to put on the best performance
success! We are always in need of small
possible! After My Son Pinocchio closes,
donations such as toilet paper and batteries.
our Middles have a bunch of great shows
Thank you for all your support!
coming up! Starting in January, we have
Merry KISSmas!
Grease School Edition! We have it
separated into two age groups. Ages 7-12
will be directed by Alice Lyons and ages 12-
Our KISS kids did a wonderful
job providing entertainment at
our 6th Annual Silent Auction. In
this picture, Skyler Makuch leads
our older kids in “The God’s Love
Nubia” from Aida.
KISSmas Giving Tree
We decided to do something a little different for Christmas this
year! As you all know, Kiss is in need of some supplies. These things
range from pencils and pens to three hole punches and filing
cabinet. We have set up a KISSmas Giving Tree in the lobby at Kiss.
On the tree we placed multiple tags with items we need donated.
Please feel free to chose an ornament from the tree and donate the
item written on it. We ask that everyone brings their donation to the
KISSmas party on December 28th. As usual, we thank you all in
advance for your incredible support. Kiss would not be possible
without the generous people we are so lucky to have.
KISSmas Party
We will be holding our annual KISSmas party on Saturday,
December 28th at 1:00 PM this year! We will have lots of
food, music, and fun for the whole family! We ask that all
families bring a small dish to share with everyone at the
party. In the past, things such as meatballs, chili, cookies,
and cakes have been brought! Due to several allergies
amongst the staff and children, we ask that you reframe
from bringing any items that contain peanuts or peanut
products. In lieu of bringing gifts for the kids, we are asking
that everyone take a tag off of the KISSmas Giving Tree in
the lobby. There are items on each tag that we ask everyone
bring to the party. If you have any questions or concerns,
please feel free to contact us. We hope to see everyone
there!!
Dance Classes
Kiss will now be offering dance classes with Ashley Jevin on
Mondays and Thursdays. She will be teaching Jazz on Mondays
and Tap on Thursdays from 4:45-5:45. Each class will be $50 for
6 weeks. We are offering this to all kids ages 8-16. Everyone
interested in registering MUST preregister before classes begin. If
you are interested, please contact the box office for more
information.
ShurSave Community Rewards!
ShurSave Supermarkets have an exciting community rewards program that benefits
local non-profit groups, like KISS Theatre Co., by providing the opportunity to earn
$.03 (or even $.06!) CASH for EVERY Shurfine and/or Western Family product
purchased by registered Gold Card members. A full list of supermarkets can be
found online but include Gerrity’s, Schiel’s, Carone’s, Ray’s, Quinn’s, Gould’s.....
Simply register your Gold Card online at www.mycommunityrewards.com/
shursave/goldcard/login.asp , it only takes a minute and starts immediately! The
program runs continuously, all you need to do is register your Gold Card once and
start your grocery shopping! The more Shurfine and/or Western Family products
you buy, the more $$$ donated to KISS by ShurSave Supermarkets! Also, watch for
details for the chance to earn $.06 ‘Double Your Rewards’ for KISS Theatre. Please
see the ShurSave website above for full details and all participating stores, and feel
free to call KISS Theatre at 570-829-1901 with any questions or help registering.
Shop on and earn $$$$ for KISS Theatre!
A Successful Silent Auction
On November 23, KISS held our 6th Annual Silent Auction at
Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs. This years event was sponsored by Golden
Technologies and co-sponsored by McDermott and
McDermott
and Fortis Institute. Over 100 people attended. We
showcased over
90 items - from gift certificates to holiday decor. The evening was a
success with wonderful food, great entertainment (thanks to our KISS
Kids) and fun for everyone! A special thanks to the Silent Auction
Committee - Amanda Davies, Paul Serkosky, Sherry Zwiebel, David
Parmelee, Judy Fried, Judy Vodzak, Kim Cowing, Eric Fitzgerald,
Glynis Koehler and Christa Manning! Also, thanks to Joe Sheridan for
the 'groovy' panels that graced the entryway. We are
truly thankful
for the generosity and enthusiasm that parents and supporters graciously contribute to our organization!
Paul Serkosky
For the past 20 years I have
been the chief Structural
Engineer at Mountain
Productions designing
structures for the
entertainment industry.
From rock concerts, to
Superbowl halftime shows,
to Broadway theaters and tours, to Presidents and Popes, I
have worked on hundreds of shows and events creating
structures to act, sing, speak, and perform on. Some
theatrical shows that I have worked on include Wicked, Book
of Mormon, Disney’s Lion King and the Addams Family.
I am a Professional Engineer licensed in 40 states and have
traveled as far as the Philippines to install a structure where
the Thrilla in Manila was held. If you’ve ever seen a concert
outdoors there is a good chance you are looking at a structure
I designed built by Mountain Productions.
I graduated from Wilkes University with a Bachelor’s Degree
in Mechanical Engineering in 1996. My wife Jennifer and I
have four children, Mia, Alivia, and Isabella who are involved
with KISS, and our new little guy Benjamin who wants to be
like his older sisters.
My children were in a few shows when Christa was looking
for a bridge for a workshop. I helped her out and then ended
up hanging the house curtains and a cyclorama on the stage.
It felt like a good fit and I gave more of my time in whatever I
could help with. Currently I am on the Executive Board of
Directors at KISS as the Technical Director providing
technical support whenever needed.
I am excited to be in the Family Workshop of the upcoming
production of “A Pirate’s Life For Me” with my daughter
Alivia. I have been on stage many times before in rock
bands, playing guitar, keyboards and singing, and I have
been behind the scenes on hundreds of productions before,
but I have never been on-stage in a theater production, and
dancing, well that will take some practice!
Angie
Hughes
Hi. My name is
Angie Hughes
and I run the
sound at Kiss
Theatre. My family and I have
lived in Mountain Top for 5
years. I have two children, Thomas who is 20 and Amber who is
14. I have been
employed in Motorworld for the
last 10 and a half years as a
warranty administrator. I
started running sound at Kiss in
September 2012. My first show
was Beauty and the Beast. I
really enjoy working at Kiss. I
like being able to see how the
shows come together and also
how hard the kids work. I love
working with the other staff
members. They make me feel
like part of a family. I got
involved with Kiss because my
daughter, Amber, is involved
here. She got involved in 2010.
Kiss is such a great thing for
these kids. It gives them
something to do and in today’s
world, that’s important! I see
how hard these kids work and
their confidence levels are so
high. I give them a lot of credit
because I would never be able to
do what they do.
We asked our My Son Pinocchio cast:
“What funny lie did you tell when you were
little?”
er myw all ov
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IN THE
SPOT LIGHT
Sarah Denion
My name is Sarah Denion and
I am 16 years old. I'm a
sophomore at Wyoming
Seminary and this is my first
year as a student at Wyoming
Seminary. I am a field hockey
player and I started six years
ago and I also play lacrosse for
the first time this year! My first show at Kiss Theatre was
Sweeney Todd in January of 2012 and it was an amazing
way to start my Kiss experience. Over the past almost two
years I've also done Footloose, Les Misables, Romeo and
Juliet in which I got my first lead role as Juliet, and finally
Children of Eden which we just finished a few weeks ago. I
will soon be starting to work on Jekyll and Hyde in the
spring, and I also help with the littles currently with
Aristocats. I'm looking forward to everything coming up
for Kiss and the amazing experiences they have to offer!
Tate Elliott
Hi. My name is Tate Elliott. I am six
years old. I am in first grade and I
am home schooled. I love being
home schooled! I’ve been involved
with Kiss for almost a year now. My
first show was Annie. I think my
favorite show would actually have to
be My Son Pinocchio because I
watch the Pinocchio video and I just love it. I have also
been in Jungle Book and Cinderella. My favorite part was
when I was saying my lines in Cinderella after she runs
away. When I’m not at theatre, I take karate lessons. I’m a
yellow belt. My family likes to travel. My favorite place
that we went was Las Vegas. My special talent is doing all
kinds of tricks. I love Kiss Theatre because I like learning
lines and songs. I like Kiss because it’s a good place be
and I’m always happy here. It’s really easy to think about
who I like best! It’s Christa.
Will Davies
Hi, I’m Will
Davies. I am 14
years old and I’ll
be 15 in February. I
joined KISS last
year, when I began
rehearsals for
Joseph and the
Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat. At first, I
didn’t want to do it, but when it started
I had a great time. I was cast as
Benjamin and found out that that I love
to be on the stage, singing and dancing.
After that, I did Aladdin, Guys and
Dolls, and Children of Eden. I am
currently in My Son Pinocchio Jr.
(come see it!), and A Pirate’s Life for
Me. I’d have to say that Children of
Eden is my favorite show so far, as it
was a much larger show than all of the
others I have done. It’s hard to choose a
favorite show, though, because I love
them all for different reasons. Besides
KISS, I like to read, play piano, and
learn software programming. I’m also a
black belt in Tae-Kwon Do. I love KISS
because it is a place where I can have
fun and meet new friends, then work
together with them to create great
shows and memories. KISS inspires me
to be creative, and I call it my “happy
place” because I always have a good
time when I’m there. I want to thank
the KISS staff, directors, and music
directors who have taught me so much
about musical theatre. I look forward to
doing many more KISS shows!
On the Flip Side: Forbidden Broadway Comes to KISS
AND THE KIDS ARE
TAKING OVER!
By Megan Milford and Michael Sullin
Forbidden Broadway is a wonderful
production our lovely theatre has chosen to
execute, but it’s not just its parodies of
Broadway’s finest show tunes that have set it
apart from every other performance we have put on. The tables have turned
now at KISS theatre, putting students in command of this large project. As
only sophomores in high school, we were given an incredible opportunity to
take on the role of directors. Both of us, having been interested in the arts
for as long as we can remember, are not only ecstatic to finally take charge of our own show, but are also
overjoyed to be able to share the experience with so many talented and gifted people. There’s a whole
different perspective and a completely different respect you get from sitting in the director’s seat. It
really is all the behind the scenes efforts that makes theatre really special. You hear talk about these
actions all the time, but it’s not until you can actually say you’ve taken part in them that you finally
understand all the work that really does go into making a show look good. However, the young staff does
not stop with us! We have Aaron Eldred and Matthew Zwiebel as co-music directors, Alyssa Reed as
choreographer, DJ Elliot as stage manager, Victoria Stasukinas as costumer, Seth Toole as set designer,
as well as Eric Fitzgerald and Shannon Allabaugh on light and sound. Our production staff runs from
grade 8 until grade 12, with more than its fair share of talented individuals. Also, our cast, only being a
few rehearsals in, is certainly proving themselves as well! It really is fortunate that we have been granted
an impressive bunch! We both agree that there really is no better way for KISS to earn money than
through this production. Every single person in this staff is doing what they love for the place they love
most. This performance is honestly just a fantastic way of getting everyone in this theatre company to
come together whether it be in the staff, cast, or even simply supporting from the audience.
Come out February 7th and 8th to see our show!
BROADWAY BUS TRIPS
Winner of a
record-breaking
seven Olivier Awards
including Best
Musical, Matilda is
more than a show,
it’s a phenomenon.
Based on the beloved
novel by Roald Dahl,
Matilda is the story
of an extraordinary girl who dares to take a stand
and change her destiny. The trip will be May
31st, 2014. Tickets are $90 and a $50 non
refundable deposit is required when booking the
trip, with the remaining balance due on or before
January 15th, 2014.
Winner of over 50 major awards
including a Grammy
Award and three Tony Awards®,
WICKED is the untold story of the
witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy
drops in, two other girls meet in the
land of Oz. One, born with
emerald-green skin, is smart,
fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful,
ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of
their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely
friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West
and Glinda the Good. Our tickets are for July 12th,
2014 at a cost of $125. A $50 non refundable deposit
is required when booking the trip, with the
remaining balance due on or before March 1st, 2014.
If you are interested in going please on any of these trips please contact Christa Manning at 570-956-1982, via facebook, or
through email at [email protected] as soon as possible. Please note that all cheques or money orders are to
be made payable to Christa Manning.