Founder of Youth Theatre Recognition Program Welcomes New Additions; Sister Councils
 
Riverhead, NY —The East End Arts Council, founder of the groundbreaking high school theatre recognition program fondly known as the Teeny Awards© (modeled after the Tony Awards) kicks off its seventh year with new additions and welcomed expansion.  The EEAC is proud of the varied ways in which the program is growing: Thanks to the EEAC’s Development Director, Catherine Gerardi, new sponsors have joined longtime supporters, including Target®, in recognizing the value of the program and what it can mean to its participants. As one of the first recipients, this is what Rob DiSario of Westhampton Beach High School had to say, “Winning two Teeny Awards really made me feel like I could do anything, made all the work seem worthwhile.  I hope you continue to make young actors and actresses feel as great as you made me feel.”

There are two new Teeny Awards© co-coordinators, Bob Kaplan and Kathleen Furey, who are making inroads with judges’ training and college partnership programs.

“We are working hard to take advantage of the momentum the Teeny Awards© has gained since it started, so we can make this program available to as many students, teachers and communities as possible,” said Bob Kaplan.

The Teeny Awards© has also expanded to include two Long Island arts councils and their constituent areas.  The Greater Port Jefferson Northern Brookhaven Arts Council (GPJNB) came on board for the 2007-08 school year, implementing the EEAC’s Teeny Awards© framework for a successful season and ceremony. The EEAC now welcomes the Islip Arts Council, which will continue to uphold the high standards of the Teeny Awards© for the 2008-09 fall and spring high school theatre seasons.

The East End Arts Council is excited that its own season is getting underway; the 20 volunteer judges met on October 7 for training and school show assignments for the fall productions. 

“I love it when the cooler weather hits; it signals the beginning of the high school plays,” said one volunteer judge (judges remain anonymous to ensure objectivity). “Since the Teeny Awards© inception, the level of quality of these performances has really gone through the roof.  It’s an inexpensive treat to take the kids to these great shows, and more educationally valuable than taking them to see another action movie.”

The EEAC will send judges to the following schools over the next four months, and then again for the spring musical season:

• East Hampton HS—Big
• Eastport-South Manor HS—Noises Off
• Hampton Bays HS—A Christmas Carol
• McGann-Mercy HS—Oh, Promise Me
• Pierson HS—Skin of Our Teeth
• Riverhead HS—Pippin
• Ross School—One Acts
• Shoreham-Wading River HS—Once Upon a Mattress
• Southold HS—Dearly Departed
• Westhampton Beach HS—Lost in Yonkers

For more information on the Teeny Awards©, please contact the East End Arts Council at 631-727-0900. To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, contact EEAC Development Director Catherine Gerardi at 631-727-0900.
 
About the Teeny Awards©
A collaborative project of East End Arts Council and Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, the Teeny Awards© was established in 2002 to provide recognition and encouragement to high school theatre students and to raise awareness in the community of the importance of theatre arts in education. The Teeny Awards program is made possible by its sponsors, including Target® and Bridgehampton National Bank.

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Arts for Everyone

Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900