“Hannah’s Dance” — The Performance

a workshopped production of

HANNAH’S DANCE

Andy’s Summer Playhouse

Wilton Center, New Hampshire

2019 SUMMER OF REBELLION

SIX DAYS OF DEVISING

FOURTEEN KIDS

ONE PERFORMANCE

After a productive year of planning and anticipating, we launched HANNAH’S DANCE as a Greenhouse Initiative at Andy’s Summer Playhouse up in Wilton Center, New Hampshire.

The Jüdische Kulturbund Project and Andy’s Summer Playhouse teams shared an extraordinary week there in late June 2019.

Psyched, elated, awed, amazed, and inspired are some of the ways we were affected by our time with a cast of talented, smart, and beautiful kids, ages 8 to 16, devising a movement and dance performance for HANNAH’S DANCE.  We discovered so much together.  A real take away:  kids love being a part of the creative and production process in devising a new performance.  They told us this was a great way for them to learn about history, feel connected to Hannah (the real person about whom this performance is being created), bond deeply with each other, and the professional artists who are driving the production forward.

We are very excited about the plans in the pipeline for HANNAH’S DANCE.  We will bring a full production to stage and lead more devising workshops with new kids so they can enjoy the same inspiration as the professional artists and audience at The Greenhouses Initiative at Andy’s Summer Playhouse.

Below is a visual journal of our week incubating HANNAH’S DANCE, which we hope provides an idea of all that was accomplished.

THE CAST

Amaya Adair

Zoe Adair

Hailey Bolduc

Holland Calcutt

Elliot Davis

Carolyn Hornor

Hadley Hornor

Siraj Husainy

Anna Lyndon

Jacob Lyndon

Elena Orrego

Danika Stratton

Gus Summer

Greta Topping

 

THE GUEST ARTISTS

Thanks to this generous invitation from Andy’s Summer Playhouse, our team used this opportunity to create with kids a story through movement. It meant that every day, our artists worked with Andy’s kids, brainstorming and trying different ideas to dramatically tell HANNAH’S DANCE relying on the sounds of music and choreographed movements, led by music composer Dylan Glatthorn and choreographer Asya Zlatina. Evelyn Summer, Hannah’s daughter, shared a wealth of archival materials from her mother’s collection.

Sitting on the back porch of SereniTea in Wilton Center, New Hampshire, choreographer Asya Zlatina and Music Composer/Sound Designer Dylan Glatthorn talk about Hannah Kroner’s story as they prepare to work with the cast of The Greenhouse Initiative.

Educator Evelyn Summer (left) and choreographer Asya Zlatina (right) talk about Evelyn’s mother Hannah and the history of the Jewish Kulturbund.

Producer Mark Haney, producing artistic director Jared Mezzocchi, and choreographer Asya Zlatina work out plans for devising HANNAH’S DANCE through the week.

 

DEVISING

We had no idea how the daily sessions of devising dramatic movement vignettes would unfold through the week. What would HANNAH’S DANCE look like? How would the audience respond to a story that relied only on movement? Led by choreographer Asya Zlatina, and 14 of Andy’s kids, we accomplished what seemed nearly impossible. Here’s how the process unfolded.

Warm up: Choreographer Asya Zlatina leads a warm up with the cast outside the Keller’s barn where the initiative rehearsals take place.

Warm up: Movement exercises inside the barn.

Scene: Hannah’s family’s home. “Hannah’s father” (Gus Summer, right) listens as “Greta” (Elena Orrego, center) tells “Hannah” (Amaya Adair, left) because she is Jewish, they can no longer be friends.

Scene: “Hannah” (Greta Topping) and other dancers hide from the watchful eyes of the Nazis so they can continue to practice.  (Right to left: Anna Lydon, Greta Topping, Hadley Hornor, Greta Topping, and Holland Calcutt.)

Scene: “Hannah” (Greta Topping) and other Jews line up to apply for their visas.  (Right to left: Hadley Hornor, Elliot Davis, Carolyn Hornor, Greta Topping, Danika Stratton, and Jacob Lydon.)

Asya directs the cast in the final scene, “Leaving for America”.

Scene: “Susanna” (Carolyn Hornor) is unable to obtain her visa and join her best friend “Hannah” and her family. (Right to left: Jacob Lydon, Carolyn Hornor, and Greta Topping.)

Epilogue: Evelyn and the cast.

 

WE DID IT!

SIX DAYS OF DEVISING

FOURTEEN KIDS

ONE PERFORMANCE


CREDITS

Cast

Amaya Adair
Zoe Adair
Hailey Bolduc
Holland Calcutt
Elliot Davis
Carolyn Hornor
Hadley Hornor
Siraj Husainy
Anna Lydon
Jacob Lydon
Elena Orrego
Danika Stratton
Gus Summer
Greta Topping

Andy’s Summer Playhouse

Jared Mezzocchi, Producing Artistic Director
Raven Bartlett, Associate Artistic Director
Katerina Klavon, Administrative Director
Tori Schuchmann, Production Manager
Paula Kingsbury-Evans, Box Office Manager & Administrative Associate
Pete Bascom, Programs Manager & Assistant Technical Director
Aidan Harper, Workshop Associate

The Jüdische Kulturbund Project

Gail Prensky, Creator, Executive Producer, Director
Mark Haney, Associate Producer and Associate Director
Evelyn Summer, Educator and Hannah’s daughter
Asya Zlatina, Choreographer
Dylan Glatthorn, Music Composer and Sound Designer
Aria Sardella, Sound Designer

SPECIAL THANKS

New Hampshire State Council on the Arts
Robert and Christina Keller
SereniTea Bed & Breakfast
The Wilton, New Hampshire Community

 

“Hannah’s Dance” — The Performance