Greetings to all members of the Creative Theatre Experience family!!!

We have now put the wraps on a very successful 2002 summer season. Our three summer workshop performances – The Class Act, Annie and The Laughing Box – were a tremendous success, both artistically and financially! For the first time in several years, CTE ended the summer without significant financial concerns and a stable core of staff and students ready to go for next summer. Thanks again to all our parents, students and volunteers for all your heartfelt and generous support.

Staff Changes for the 2003 Summer Season!

As you know, Jorge Vega and Tyra Sampson will not be returning next season as Artistic Directors. Jorge has returned to New York to begin a new career in the computer industry and is planning on becoming a father. Tyra is pursuing her master’s degree in social work at Columbia University. We wish both of them much success and happiness in their future plans.

After much discussion and consultation, the CTE Board of Directors has selected Kathy Dorgan to become our new Artistic Director. Kathy directed our wonderful production of Annie this past summer and has been the drama teacher at Olympia High School for several years. In addition to being our Artistic Director, Kathy will also serve as Director of our Intensive Workshop Program, which is similar to the responsibilities handled by Jorge Vega the past two seasons. We are thrilled to have Kathy at the helm of CTE for the 2003 summer season.

In addition, Bree Osgood, our Music Director the past two summers, has been selected to also serve as our Arts Festival Workshop Director. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University with a degree in Music Education, Bree is currently student teaching at Olympia High School. Bree has been part of the CTE family for many years as a student, intern and faculty member.

Our Showcase Workshop Director will be Jason Haws, a fifth grade teacher at Hansen Elementary School and a local actor. Jason began his career with the Colorado Springs Children’s Theatre. Some of his directing credits include School House Rock Jr., the musical version of The Lorax and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. As an actor, Jason has appeared in several Harlequin Productions in Olympia including Brendan in The Weir last February. Welcome aboard Jason!

One of the biggest challenges CTE faces next year is providing more comprehensive training for our interns – particularly our four new interns who were selected this past summer. Because of this, we have created a new position of Intern Education Coordinator to conduct a number of workshops during the winter to prepare our interns to teach classes next summer. Shannon McKee, who has been our Dance Director the past two seasons has been selected for this position and has already conducted her first training workshop on November 10^th.

Mimi Williams will return as our Visual Arts Director for the 2003 summer season. Mimi has been a wonderful addition to the CTE family the past two summers and we know Kathy has even bigger plans for her next year. We are hoping that Kelly Walsh will be able to fill the position of Dance Director for next summer, having served as Assistant Dance Director this past season. She will make her decision shortly after the first of the year.

The only faculty position not yet filled in Technical and Production Team Workshop Director. Paul Purvine, who ably served in this capacity last summer has relocated to Bellingham. Kathy Dorgan is currently interviewing candidates for this position and we hope to announce our new Tech/PT Workshop Director in the next CTE newsletter.

Meet the 2003 CTE Interns!

Melissa Williams has been involved with CTE since 1993. This will be her fifth year as an Intern. She is a senior at Olympia High School. Melissa has also been selected as the Intern Representative to the CTE Board of Directors.

Meghan Ochoa has been involved with CTE since 1999. This will be her second year as an Intern. She is a junior at Olympia High School.

Joseph Sherer has been involved with CTE since 1993. This will be his second year as an Intern. He is also a junior at Olympia High.

Derek Rutter has been involved with CTE since 1995. This will be his second year as an Intern. He is a sophomore at North Thurston High School.

Caitlin O’Malley has been involved with CTE since 1997. This will be her first year as an intern. She is a freshman at Black Hills High School.

Dan Walsh has been involved with CTE since 1994. This will be his first year as an intern. He is a sophomore at North Thurston High School.

Sam Johnston has been a student in CTE since 1999. He's a junior at Saint John's Preparatory High School in Massachusetts.

Mandie Jensen has been involved with CTE since 1998. This is her first year as an intern. She is a freshman at Black Hills High School.

CTE Board of Director Changes

We would like to welcome the following new CTE board members: Teresa Board; Marilyn Heikkila; Jennifer Isley; Carol Isley-Finch; Lynne McGuire; and, Melissa Williams

We would also like to acknowledge the retirement of three CTE board members:

Karen Cunniff will leave the CTE Board of Directors after four years as a board member and more than a decade of service as a parent volunteer. The last two summers, Karen has also served as our on-site administrative assistant. Karen has been a tireless worker who provided much of the “glue” that kept CTE running the past several years. With her relentlessly positive attitude and belief in the power of CTE, Karen leaves a wonderful legacy.
Maureen Fitzgerald-Krupke has decided to leave the board after five years as a CTE board member (including a stint as Treasurer and Vice President), and eight years as a CTE parent. Maureen was instrumental in helping CTE through a difficult transition period following the departure of our founding artistic directors in 1998. Her gentle spirit, wise counsel and dedication to the core values of our program will be missed.
Stephen Purvine has also decided to leave the board after four years as a board member and five years as a CTE parent. Stephen’s willingness to perform “any task at any time” was much appreciated by all of us on the board during a period when we were literally learning on the job. Stephen’s good humor and passion for the kids will mark his tenure.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS -- 2003 Summer Workshop DATES!

Arts Festival Workshop – Wednesday June 25^th through Saturday July 19^th

ü Hours of workshop: 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. with early drop-off at 8:00 a.m.

ü Performance dates: Wednesday July 16^th through Saturday July 19^that 7:30 pm.

Showcase Workshop – Monday June 30^th through Saturday August 2^nd

ü Hours of workshop: 12:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Sorry, early drop-off is not available.

ü Performance dates: Wednesday July 30^th through Saturday August 2^nd at 7:30 p.m. with a Saturday 2:00 p.m. matinee.

Intensive Workshop – Thursday July 31 through Saturday August 16^th ; half-day workshops Saturday May 17^th and June 28^th

ü Hours of workshop: 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. beginning July 31^st. Hours of workshop on May 17^th and June 28^th TBD.

ü Performance dates: Thursday August 14^th through Saturday August 16^th at 7:30 p.m.

Production Team – Wednesday June 25^th through Saturday August 2^nd

ü Hours of Workshop: 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Some additional evening and weekend work may be required.

Announcements!

CTE PIZZA FEED!!! Please join other CTE friends and family for our annual Winter Pizza Feed to be held Monday December 30th at 6:00 p.m. at The Old Pizza and Mining Company in the Lacey Fred Meyer shopping complex (right next to Howard’s Cleaners). This is a great time to renew those summer friendships and catch up with old friends. Several CTE faculty, interns and board members will be present to answer questions about plans for the 2003 summer season. Families are responsible for purchasing their own food and beverages.

WorkSHOP!!! CTE will host a Mid Winter Workshop (a.k.a. Funbreak) on Saturday, Jan. 11th, 9 am to 3 pm in downtown Olympia. Join your CTE friends and invite new friends for a fun filled day of CTE magic. There will be workshops in Acting, Dancing, Singing and Visual Arts. Parents are invited to join the students at 2:30 p.m. for a fun extravaganza of talent! And we will be announcing the Summer Shows!! It's open to all kids ages 5 to 18 - - - the cost is $45 for the full day, including pizza for lunch! Watch your mail for registration information coming soon.

CTE KIDS PERFORMING!!! Be sure to visit www.creativetheatre.org to see where our kids are currently performing!

TAX NOTE: For those of you eligible to take a childcare tax credit, your paid summer tuition IS deductible. Any open, unpaid balance may not be claimed as a tax credit for 2002. CTE's Federal ID number is 91-1452663. If you need a receipt showing this tax number, please contact Diana Purvine, Treasurer at 360-456-6975 or by e-mail at purvine@aol.com by December 31st. If you use e-mail, be sure to enter the subject line as "CTE ID NUMBER NEEDED". Pick up your requested receipt at the Pizza Feed on the 30th of December or for receipt requests received after Dec. 29th pick it up at the CTE Winter Workshop on January 11th

Fundraising Opportunities!

Wal-Mart just contributed $250! They will also give an additional $100 per quarter for each Wal-Mart employee that is a CTE volunteer. So if you work for Wal-Mart, please let them know if you are a volunteer for CTE.

STORMAN Card is enclosed. Just show it at Ralph's and Bayview Thriftway each time you make a purchase. The card will be scanned and a small rebate will be sent to CTE.

CFD - you can contribute through your work's Combined Fund Drive. Simply write in the name.

Direct - you may also donate directly to CTE. Donations are tax-deductible and checks may be written to "CTE". They can be sent to P.O. Box 2192, Olympia, WA 98507-2192.

Keep up on the CTE News!!!

To save costs, we would like to send all future newsletters and announcement via email. Send your email address to cteisgreat@cteboard.org and you will be added to our YahooGroups CTE Newsletter Distribution list. Note: If you do not have e-mail, and can only receive items by snail mail, please let us know.