The PART Hosts "A Night of Improv" Fundraiser Event

Visit thepart.org/improv for more information! The PART is excited to be hosting our first-ever improv night! Created as a way to reunite our growing number of alumni members and as a fundraiser for the ESM Theatre Department, this event will feature a buffet-style dinner, a chance to meet up with your theatre family and a "Who's Line Is It Anyway" style improv show featuring performances from different generations of alumni.

Proceeds from the event will be used to support ESM's theatre program and provide the funds necessary to put on mainstage productions now that the budget has been reduced by the school district.

For more information and information on how to purchase tickets, click here. 

Update on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 11:24AM by John Burke

Updated Ticket Purchase Information

We have been receiving a large amount of pre-order ticket requests and Barbara Stanco would like to pass along a few important reminders:

• A check must be submitted to Barbara ahead of time for your tickets to be held. These funds are needed to pay for the venue and dinner expenses. 
• When mailing your check, please make sure to include who the tickets are being purchased for so the check can be matched to an order. 
• Your tickets will be held at the door and available for pickup. 
• If you provide an email address, you will receive an email confirmation when your order has been fulfilled.

Alumni Performing In New Musical Comedy

Alumni Taylor Sorice ('09) is performing in a new musical comedy titled “He's Not Himself”.

Sponsored by The Planet Connections Off Broadway Theatre Festival, the production benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Written by Marc Silverberg and
 directed by Michael Pantone, character 

Gene has a problem. He is living a double life, involved in a diamond heist, wanted as a fugitive, and has no idea that any of this is happening!

If you want to see Taylor, head on over to the Robert Moss Theatre (440 Lafayette Street, NY - between Astor Place & 4th St). The final performances will be held on Sunday, June 12th at 4:00PM and on Friday, June 17th at 6:00PM.

To purchase tickets, click here or order by phone 1-866-811-4111.

ESM Hosts First Annual Chalk Festival

The ESM theatre program is hosting their first fundraising event! On Sunday, June 12th from 12PM to 3PM, they will be holding their First Annual Chalk Festival at the ESM High School. This event is open to everyone in the community. For a $15 donation, you will be given a "sidewalk square" and be tasked with creating the coolest designs possible!

Additionally, there will be food, music and other gaming events throughout the day. Prizes will be awarded by the Manorville Chamber of Commerce to different grade categories. It's sure to be an exciting and fun day! 

Click here to download your registration form and bring it with you to the event. 

Update on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 6:32PM by John Burke

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook here. 

We're On LinkedIn!

The PART is constantly looking for new ways to connect with and engage alumni. We want to make sure you have all the resources you need to be successful and one of those resources is the ability to connect to others.

While we now require all alumni to register on our website to become PART members, there's other websites out there that you can use to find work, re-connect and get noticed. With over 100,000,000 members, LinkedIn is one of these great resources. 

Join us on LinkedIn today! 

Submit Your Own Articles & News!

Today we're excited to be rolling out a new feature (one of many to come) on our website! You can now submit your own content to our blog. We want to feature the opinions, news and articles submitted by our membership and leverage the wide variety of experiences from our growing membership. 

To submit a post, visit this page and type up your thoughts. Once submitted, your article will be reviewed and set to publish as needed. 

Some ideas of posts we are looking for include:

• Projects you're working on now
• Tips on auditioning and working in theatre
• Job spotlights - what do you do
• A day in the life of...

Alumni Needs Support To Rekindle Your Fear of the Dark

Eric Striffler, graduate of Eastport South Manor and an active member of the theatre department is looking to frighten huge crowds once again with the second iteration of Nyctophobia. So what is Nyctophobia you might ask? Nyctophobia Haunted House is a brand new Halloween experience that tests the limits of how long you can last alone in the dark. No animatronics, no chainsaws, no cheap scares, and no friends to hold onto. You're on your own.

Last year one of my dreams came true when I was able to open my own haunted house called Nyctophobia; a one-at-a-time experience that forces you to travel through the dark all by yourself. I funded the entire event myself and decided not to charge admission, so I didn't make any money but it was well worth it to see my dream become a reality. I had faith that I would be able to charge admission in 2011 and turn it into an event that can fund itself year after year. Unfortunately I can't afford to pay for it myself again this year, so I need your help to open Nyctophobia to the public this October!

But Eric needs your help! In order for Nyctophobia to happen again, he needs the financial support of all those interested in seeing this masterpiece come to life again. Eric has created a support page over on Kickstarter where he hopes to raise $25,000 to fund the location, supplies and other expenses associated with running your own haunted house. So far, Eric has raised over $7,000 from the contributions of 250 "backers". Whether it's $1 or much more, every little bit helps. 

In addition to being an amazing experience for Eric, Nyctophobia has seen the involvement of a large number of other alumni members and ESM students including Candice DiLavore, Joe Sergio, AJ Lebenns, Ryan Little, Max Fehr and Eric's sister Jillian. The haunted house even saw the involvement of Mr. Minutillo, who starred in a promotional trailer that was featured in Island 16 cinemas in the weeks leading up to the opening.

Eric also created a video documenting the creation of Nyctophobia.  

More information and donation links can be found here. You can also follow the progress and get more information by visiting their Facebook and Twitter pages. 

Update on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 7:11PM by John Burke

Eric's ambitious venture was also highlighted by Newsday. Click here to view the article and show your support! 

2011 Scholarship Information

The PART is fortunate enough to be able to award a scholarship to selected graduating seniors of ESM. The PART scholarship was established by ESM theatre alumni to support the efforts and aspirations of theatre students at the high school level as they progress into higher education. 

Each year, one or more scholarships are awarded to graduating ESM theatre students who demonstrate outstanding talent, dedication, drive, leadership, a "spirit of ensemble" and professionalism in theatre arts. In addition, applicants must intend to pursue the study of theatre at the college level after graduating from ESM. 

To view more information about the scholarship including past recipients, click here. 

If you are graduating this year and interested in applying, click here to complete our online application. All applications must be submitted by May 6th, 2011 to be considered. 

Some Facts Regarding ESM's Budget Issue

We are very grateful for the huge support we have received with this issue. The PART is dedicated to helping ESM get through this budget issue and thank everyone for their dedication to support the arts. That being said, we hope to clarify some of what we know regarding the budget, including what we can realistically expect and what is not true. 

• The current status of the economy mixed with a lack of state funding means that budget cuts are inevitable. Everyone involved respects and understands this. 
• ESM is hoping to be able to choose where the cuts to the theatre program are made. We want to see the "roots" of the program (theatre and stagecraft classes) left intact and add back to the program when funding becomes available. 
• In order to save the classes, we suggest that the main stage productions be cut instead of classes. The PART will try to support this endeavor whenever possible. 

The budget of ESM has not yet been approved or ratified by the board. Additionally, more details of the actual budget will not be made available until tonight. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support and ask that everyone approaches tonight's board meeting with an open mind and with due regard and respect to ESM, the board of education and the theatre program as a whole. Anyone going to voice their opinion is representing all of us and we wish to communicate respectively and with factual details to support our concerns. 

As a reminder, the board meeting will be held TONIGHT (Wednesday, March 16th) at 7:30PM at ESM High School (543 Moriches Middle-Island Road, Manorville NY) in the HS cafeteria.