Local Teens in the News!
In a surprising twist, local teens on a field trip to see the play "The Last American Newspaper" ended up in the news themselves!
The trip was sponsored and led by the Elizabethtown Social Center, in partnership with the Boquet Valley School.
As described in the article by Marlene McTigue of the Columbia Paper, the play chronicles the challenges of running a newspaper:
"The Last American Newspaper," written by longtime Post-Star editor Ken Tingley and adapted from his memoir, brings the life of a local newsroom into sharp, sometimes painful focus... There is the urgency of breaking news, the persistence required to pursue a difficult story, and the responsibility of deciding how to tell it."
In an audience of mostly retired people, the writer was thrilled to see a group of about 25 youth. The article even features a quote from her interview with Keenan Duso, on of the Social Center's Teen Recreation members. Link to the full article
Background:
Several times a year, the Elizabethtown Social Center partners with the Boquet Valley School to bring youth to see plays, musical theater and museums in the Albany Region.
For the trip to see "The Last American Newspaper" at the Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, we met the editor, Ken Tingley and other actors. Teens even got Ken's autograph on their ticket or their Playbill for a fun keepsake! Before the play we visited the USS Slater, a historic Cannon-class destroyer escort and the last surviving World War II destroyer escort afloat in the United States in its original configuration. Teens loved touring the ship, where they were able to see what it was like to live on the ship! All trips end at the ever-popular Golden Corral restaurant - the teens favorite!
Last Spring the teens saw a few musical theater productions at Proctors, The Sound of Music & The Outsiders. After the musical, we attended the Theater Talk where the students got to ask the actors questions! Beforehand, we visited the miSci Museum, an interactive science and technology museum where the teens perform scientific experiments, play with the hands-on exhibits, and watch a show in the planetarium.
We are thrilled to report that we receive compliments on the teen's exemplary behavior every year on our theater field trips.
