SEMBACH, Germany -- Installation Management Command Europe Army Entertainment presented the 2021 One Page Play Festival and YouthFEST ’21 Talent Showcase Oct. 8-10 at KMC Onstage in Kaiserslautern. The event was the 26th annual U.S. Army Europe Entertainment festival and has been held on Columbus Day weekend since 1995.
Army Europe Entertainment staff and volunteers from Italy, Belgium and Germany gathered to participate in the festival. Professional adjudicators and workshop leaders from the U.S., the U.K., Norway and Austria were brought in for the festival.
The festival is presented each year to recognize outstanding achievements in garrison entertainment programs; provide learning opportunities for Army Entertainment staff and volunteers; and to thank program participants for countless hours of volunteerism supporting their community theaters.
“This was an exceptionally event-packed year,” said Dane Winters, IMCOM Europe entertainment program manager. “Along with the one page play writing workshop, we also presented youth workshops, a monologue competition, a youth talent showcase, a professional guest show presentation and a special volunteer recognition ceremony.”
“The one page play writing workshop is such a unique opportunity for our volunteers,” explained Alan Buxkemper, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart entertainment director. “It gives them a chance to meet, collaborate and create with Army Entertainment staff and volunteers from across Europe. They also have an opportunity to interact with and learn from professional directors, actors and judges from around the world.”
“Every year, I am so amazed at the new plays created over the weekend,” said Victoria Hanrahan, USAG Ansbach entertainment director. “It is astonishing that such creative and entertaining plays didn’t exist a few hours before.”
This year, 12 new plays - only one page long - were written, cast, rehearsed and produced in only two days. Outstanding achievement awards were presented by IMCOM Europe Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Truchon at an awards ceremony Oct. 10.
“The productions I saw were very entertaining, and the dedication of the actors, writers and production crew members to their crafts was readily apparent,” Truchon said.
The YouthFEST ’21 Talent Showcase was presented for the first time this year at the festival.
“The new YouthFEST program gave young people in our communities an opportunity to show off their talents,” Winters said. “The interaction with the professional adjudicators also provided them insights on how to continue to grow and learn as artists.”
Youth workshops in jazz dance, musical theatre dance, acting and auditioning provided talent development and learning opportunities for the young participants.
U.S. Army Europe Entertainment “Hero” Recognition Awards were also presented at the festival. The awards were presented to program volunteers who went above and beyond to help the Army Entertainment programs continue to serve their garrison communities during the pandemic lockdown.
“Like theaters all over the world, our theaters, as we say in the business, ‘went dark,’” said Jerry Brees, USAG Italy
Vicenza entertainment director. “However, we still had a mandate to continue to serve our communities. Through their creativity, talent and generosity, volunteers helped us be there for our communities in a dark time.”
At all garrison entertainment programs, volunteers created, presented and helped the entertainment programs produce online performances, workshops and other events.
“Our Entertainment ‘Hero’ awards were our way of recognizing the impact our volunteers had our communities and to thank them for all they did,” Winters said.
This year’s festival also included a professional guest show presentation from the U.K.
“I, AMDRAM” was written and performed by Hannah Maxwell, a professional performance artist based in London.
“It isn’t every year we are able to host a guest show,” said Winters. “This was a perfect show for our participants.”
AmDram or Amateur Dramatics is what the British call their community theater. Maxwell’s entire family was part of the local community theater for over 90 years.
“Hannah left that small town stage to become a performance artist in London,” Winters said. “Her wonderful, one-woman show looks at the journey from community theatre to a professional career and a moving voyage of self-discovery. It really resonated with our participants.”
Festival events, awards and a photo gallery will be available at www.ArmyEuropeEntertainment.com or www.armymwr.com/ArmyEuropeEntertainment.
Social Sharing