THIS SUMMER, LOFTIES PAST AND PRESENT unleashed their ERHS-honed theater prowess on local productions, including WCT’s Les Miserables and Tartan’s Addams Family.  From student directing to house managing, from set designing to scene stealing, Loft Stage students and alums sure know how to bring down the house.  Way to represent, Lofties!  Check out the familiar faces below (Les Mis cast members Ben Gotz, Mark May, Tony May and Garrett Hildebrandt; Grace Ramey surrounded by Loftie pals after an Addams Family show; Joe Johnson gets creative for WCT; Pari Cariaga gets some love after Les Mis; Katherine Spicuzza prepares to bite it onstage–again; Josh Hoehne and Alex Berger, behind-the-scenes wizards for Les Mis)

    

August Arts Opportunities for Youth Shine bright with us in these great arts opportunities for youth! Improv Workshop! Workshop: August 18-20, 2015 – 9am to 12pm each day Performance: August 20, 2015 – 7pm Age: 8th-12th grade Cost: $100 Learn the basic art of improvisation from two college improv troupes! Discover the power of “Yes and,” listening and spontaneity. Gain performance experience. Learn the secrets of a classic performance technique! Open to those who have completed 8th-12th grades. Workshop and performance will take place at The Black Box at East Ridge High School. Co-Leaders: Ben Gotz & Kajsa Jones MORE INFO & REGISTER HERE Filmmaking & Video Production Career Immersion – FREE!! Event: August 10-11, 2015 – 9am to 8pm each day Age: Current high school sophomores, juniors or seniors Registration Deadline: August 7, 2015 Cost: FREE In partnership with Century College – for current high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. It’s a Film Race to make a music video from start to finish. Hands-on, creative and fun! Cameras, storyboard drawings, lights, Final Cut Pro X digital workflow, and great food. Includes dinner each day and world premiere of your completed music videos!  MORE INFO & REGISTER HERE

Academic All Star Amanda Hestwood on  THE STATE OF THE LOFT, 2015 Edition.  Plus when she’d pass the buck to Jimmy.  Literally.

Q:  This has been another year of immense theatrical success for the Loft Stage at ERHS.  What’s your secret?

A:  I really don’t think there is a secret to our success. A simple formula of talented and hardworking kids, combined with talented and hardworking staff and supportive and hardworking parents equals unstoppable success.

Q:  The winds of change are blowing. How challenging will it be to continue to offer student experiences and to stage productions of this caliber?

A:  The winds of change are blowing and the hard part is not knowing what will change, when it will change or how it will change. We have been well supported since day one. I for one am hoping this will not change under the new administration.

Q:  What are your biggest hopes and fears regarding the future of the Loft at ERHS?

A:  I hope they will recognize what we are doing and leave us alone to do it.  Let’s stay with hopes for now and not dwell on the fear of the unknown.

Q:  What does District 833 leadership/administration need to know about the Loft’s educational theater program?

A:  Our program is student centered. Know what that means and come and see it in action. Ask questions! Know what you are making decisions about before you change what is not just working, but working really well.

Q:  What can we as a theater community do to help?

A:  Share your pride. Talk about what we are doing. Show pictures. Invite people to participate as appropriate. Continue to lend yourself to the continuous improvement we all strive for.

Q:  What would you do if you were handed a million dollars?

A:  I am sure Jimmy has a list. 🙂

The 2015 – 2016 LoftPAC Officers:

Keepers of close ties, high hopes, and big dreams.

BRENDAN FINN  Hey everyone! I am so excited to be co-president for the LoftPAC 2015-2016 season! My main goal for the LoftPAC this year is to celebrate each other’s artistic spirit through kindness, love, and empathy. Every single Loftie has something amazing to offer to the program, so, we need to embrace each other to make our program something that we will remember and cherish for years to come! If we can all come together and work hard, we can make this year the best the program has ever had! Who’s with me!?! (Team puts hands in, does a sporting cheer, goes to the scoreboard…Sports? Theatre? How does that work…?) <3

MAGGIE ECKBERG  I am beyond excited to be a co-president this year! This will be my second year as a LoftPAC officer and I am so proud of what we accomplished last year and I am looking forward to seeing what more we will accomplish this year! This year I would like to continue working towards extending the community of LoftPAC and The Loft Stage not only to actors, techies, and orchestra members, but also to our other sister schools, Woodbury and Park. I also would like to increase Loftie attendance at the MN Thespian Festival and at other Loftie outings! I hope the rest of the LoftPAC officers and I make the new freshman feel welcome next year and continue to build the community of our LoftPAC! Let’s have a great year Lofties!

BRENNA MASGAI  As LoftPAC communications officer, my hope/dream for the Loft and all of its members this year is for everybody to really feel connected like a family. Of course my other dream is always to create amazing, wonderful shows that the Loft has always been known for–I just hope we make this year one that nobody will forget!

CALI YEE  I am so happy to be a part of this year’s LoftPAC officers! As historian, I want to capture all of the wonderful memories that happen on the stage and backstage! I hope to ensure that everyone feels welcome and that we keep the positivity going throughout this year at the Loft Stage!  I want to guarantee that we reach out to the Woodbury community and to other schools throughout this area. Lastly, I hope that we can not only be a part of what goes on onstage but also a part of what goes on backstage, whether that be tech, set construction, or costuming! This is going to be such an awesome year!! 🙂

ERIN FOY  Hello!! I’m Erin Foy, the 2015-16 Community Building LoftPAC Officer, and I am supremely excited for the coming year at the Loft Stage. I hope to continue strengthening the bonds of the East Ridge theater family, keep up the positive and welcoming atmosphere that we all know and love, and give the Lofties a noticeable presence in our community, from involvement in more community events, to the full support of the other high schools in the area, to the continued fostering of the next generation of Lofties in elementary and middle school, along with many more opportunities. I cannot wait to get started.

ISABELLA WURM  This year I hope that we can expand what we already do with Community Outreach. I think that through community outreach projects and events we can not only benefit organizations and reach people outside of the Loft, but also help bring together all Lofties, whether they be orchestra members, techies, actors, etc. As someone who’s in Pit and works on ‘behind the scene’ type things, I want to help bridge the gap between people who participate in various roles in theater, and I think that community outreach is a great way to do so!  Both community outreach and our theater program are very important to me and so I’m very excited to be able to combine those two things!