Thirty-three Crofton High School students attended Theatre Camp on Thursday, August 4th at the Crofton Elementary gym stage.
The Crofton One-Act Play Production program hosted the second annual camp with support from Crofton Schools.
T. Adam Goos, Managing Director of the Little Red Hen theatre, was the camp’s guest artist and workshop leader.
Goos guided the students through a variety of activities and games to be utilized throughout the year. The night included ensemble games, focus games, warm-up 101, and character analysis and actor preparation through body, voice, and emotion.
Holly Wortmann, Crofton Play Production Coach and One-Act Director says of the evening, “Adam was so great with the kids! He was able to pull characters out of them, which was astounding. We laughed so hard one minute and felt emotion and awe the next. He stretched comfort zones, and helped this group really feel like a team. Every single person got a chance to show off their individuality. It was an inclusive night with everyone all-in. I’m excited to bring these tools into our One-Act season!”
The evening ended with Wortmann and Assistant Director, Nancy Schieffer, announcing this year’s One-Act play. “We’re going to pull an oldie that many of our community members will hopefully love. We’re putting M*A*S*H on stage! A Crofton student brought this play idea to us last year. So we researched a one-act version, found it in the depths of a publishing company, and will try to do it justice on the live stage. I told the kids to go home and watch re-runs with their parents and grandparents!”
The Crofton One-Act program will hold auditions at the end of August and the performance competition season late this fall. If you’d like to help with the program in the areas of set design or costuming, please get in touch with Wortmann or Schieffer.
A native of Wakefield, Goos was in the inaugural productions of the Little Red Hen when it was founded in the early 90s. It was his involvement at the Little Red Hen that sparked an interest in pursuing a career in the fine and performing arts. He holds an MFA from the Theatre Conservatory of the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and a BS of Theater and Music Performance from Wayne State College.
Goos worked as an actor in Chicago for several years that included performances with the Court Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, White Horse Theater Company, and Emerald City Theater Company among others. He also worked as an arts educator, specializing in arts and academic integration. While performing, he also pursued a career in non-profit arts administration in Chicago, working for both Creative Directions and in the business and development offices for the Goodman Theatre.
For the last 15 years, Goos has primarily worked in positions that allowed him to blend his talents and skills for the artistic and the administrative. He worked at the Omaha Symphony for over 10 years, serving as the Vice President of Education and Community Engagement as well as the General Manager.
In his time at the symphony Goos wrote original scripts and developed a series of educational concerts that blended the live concert experience with learning opportunities in both music and other academic content areas. Many of these educational concerts are still in use by the Omaha Symphony and have also been performed regionally by the Lincoln Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, as well as the Arizona Symphony. He continues to work as an independent contractor and has consulted with symphonies on several projects as both a director, programmer, and arts education consultant
In his work at the Little Red Hen theatre he is responsible for directing the mainstage productions, creating and executing a production design, developing educational classes, booking various cultural and community offerings, as well as recruiting and organizing a small army of volunteers to make it all happen. T. Adam Goos also serves as a teaching artist on the Nebraska Arts Councils AISC roster.