We need your help!

Hello from Madrona,

My name is Sheree Gibson and I am a parent at Madrona K-8, located in the Edmonds neighborhood. I am coordinating the MCT Silent Auction that will be held during our run of performances of “The Boyfriend” at the Mountlake Terrace High School Theatre.

We hope you will consider contributing to our Silent Auction, as we feel strongly that this offers you the opportunity to reach new customers while simultaneously supporting your community and raising funds for a neighborhood school - a win-win scenario for all!

The Silent Auction will take place during all performances of “The Boyfriend” March 24th-27th, 2011. All proceeds from the event go directly to support Madrona K-8 students’ vital Art, Drama and Music programs that build character and confidence in our students. By donating to our cause, your business will be featured in a catalog on our Bear Facts website, viewed by the families of our 650+ students. Additionally, more than 400 viewers will be at each of the six performances, resulting in the exposure of more than 2400 individuals to your products or services.

There are several ways for you to make a contribution:
• Donate a product or sample of your products to be auctioned at our school event
• Donate a service or a mini session of all of your services to be auctioned at our school event
• Donate an “unforgettable experience,” which would remind our parents to patronize your business, to be auctioned at our school event
• Think outside the box: What could you donate that would draw families to your business or firm? We’d be happy to discuss creative ways to make a donation that
would be meaningful to your business.

Residents and families living throughout the Greater Seattle Area attend our performances and Silent Auction each year - think of the exposure to all these potential customers that a donation would bring! In addition, Madrona families are even more motivated to patronize sponsors like you, fully appreciating that your auction donations fund our school programs.

Should you be interested in supporting our school, please visit our School Web Site to download the Procurement Letter, Auction Donation Form, and information. We respectfully request that all contributions be received by March 1, 2011.

Even if you don't represent a business, I hope you all take some time and stick those procurement forms in your car when you’re out shopping or stopping by your favorite coffee shop. It only takes a minute to give them the forms; you don’t even have to say much - everything is included in the Procurement Letter.

Ideally, I would like all items procured by March 1st. If there items that trickle in after that of course that’s okay. But I would like most in by March 1st so we can assess, organize and pretty them up for the auction and raffle.

After the auction, we will mail you a Statement of Donation for tax-related purposes. All donations are tax deductible our ID number is 91-1423509.

Without the generous support from our business and family communities, these supplemental programs would not be sustainable for our students.


Thank you for your consideration!

Sheree Gibson
Parent of two students
shereegibson@frontier.com
425-678-8506

Promotional Photos from The Boy Friend!

Take a sneak peak of some of the stars of both casts of
The Boy Friend, opening March 24th, 2011!
Photography by Michael Bury

Duncan and Rachel
as Tony & Polly

Aidan and Emily
as Percival Wright and Madame Dubonnet

Amber and Liz
as Maisie and Bobby

Amber and Cassidy
as Maisie and Lord Brockhurst

Cassidy as Lord Brockhurst
Amber as Maisie
Emily as Madame Dubonnet
Aidan as Percival Wright
and Liz as Bobby

Do-Do-Doing the Riviera!

From Pirate King to Zombie Mastermind

Kevin Hamedani
Professional Actor, Director, Producer
MCT Alumni

MCT Productions
Rogers & Hammerstein's
Cinderella (1996)
Pirates of Penzance (1997)

"I was first exposed to the arts when I attended Madrona middle school. It's still one of the most educational and eye opening experiences I've ever had and I mark it as an important time in my development as an artist. I continue to do work based on lessons learned and skills developed from those two years. I'll never forget the teachers there and I owe a lot of my success to them."-Kevin Hamedani, MCT Alumni

MCT alumni Kevin Hamedani was born in 1982 in Kent, Washington. After his family moved to Edmonds, Kevin attended middle school at Madrona K-8, where he participated in the 1997 production of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella and the 1998 production of Pirates of Penzance. His first experiences with theatre at MCT were to spark an interest in acting and film, which he began to explore during his years at Edmonds Woodway High School.

At the young age of 18, Kevin borrowed equipment from EWHS to create his first feature film, Clothes (2001). Kevin used his own high school experiences to write, direct, and produce this film that looked into the sometimes painful process of self-discovery that most high school students find themselves in.

In the same year as his successful film debut at Edmonds Movie Theater, Kevin enrolled in the University of Washington, where he attended the Digital Arts and Experimental Media School. He continued to write and direct films during his college career (including The Love of C.A., 2003; Bookends, 2003; and The Unfinished Novel by the Man Who Ate Himself, 2004), even winning film festival awards for his work.





In the years following his graduation from UW, Kevin has written, directed, and produced a wide range of projects, from commercials, to promotional videos, all over the world. In 2009, ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction was nominated and presented at the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival. Following this high praise, ZMD also enjoyed a limited release, distributed by Lionsgate Films.

'Filmmaker Kevin Hamedani says the Sept. 11 attacks transformed him from an ordinary American into “the other.” Hamedani, an Iranian-American, recalls the isolation he felt in the weeks and months following the terrorist attacks, even though he considered himself as “Americanized” as his neighbors. “I wanted to talk about that as a filmmaker,” he says.

So he created “Zombies of Mass Destruction,” a horror comedy comprised of equal parts bloodshed and political beefs. The movie, out this week on DVD as part of After Dark HorrorFest 4, tracks a small Washington state town overrun by zombies – and prejudice. He calls the film a “cathartic experience” born from what he saw as the previous administration‘s missteps. “It’s like writing a song. If you’re angry, you hit the notes harder. In this case, I added more blood,” he says.’
– Christian Toto, WWTW, March 26th, 2010

The Marriage of Two Cultures

Guest Blog by Elizabeth Short
High School ASL Teacher
Volunteer ASL Instruction Consultant for MCT

Being a hearing member of the Deaf community for 4/5 of my life, I tend to look for things that join my two worlds together. Often times the space between is something hearing people take for granted - like being able to go see a movie is way more work than checking show times online. You need to see when the captioned shows are and unfortunately only one time in a hundred is there a captioned option. This is no easier when wanting to see a play. When a play is interpreted, the interpreters are standing to the side, off from view and out of the way. When you think about it like that, it becomes clear that following along with the story and watching the action on the stage is very difficult to do - but not anymore!

Madrona Children’s Theatre has been a part of the Edmonds community since 1993, but in recent years it’s grown to include the Deaf community. For more now than ever there is a play to cater to their every need and love for theatre! This year I have the opportunity to work with the Theatre - my first exposure actually since I am the worst actor on the face of the planet. I am a high school American Sign Language teacher, and volunteered to teach the hearing cast members their lines in ASL. Why you ask? Well this year’s production of The Boy Friend has both hearing and Deaf cast members interacting with one another in sign language, on stage. This is something the Theatre has done before, but never to this magnitude. Seeing these two worlds collide on and off the stage is simply fantastic.

Personally, I have seen a great divide in the hearing and Deaf worlds over my years, but never once at Madrona. It truly is inspiring to see the kids interact with one another, the TEAM of interpreters on hand for the staff’s and children’s every communication need, and to watch children grow as little actors in the Theatre. One of my biggest smiles comes from watching Ted, our director, treat every child just the same. It’s an amazing feeling for Deaf children to be treated just like everyone else. As a card carrying member of both communities, it’s great for me to see that there are people who will take the time to show these kids a little fun, whether they can hear or not.

The students this year have already put in so much hard work. The fact that they are only 4th – 8th graders simply blows me away. Being able to be a part of this production is something I will never forget. I hope that after all the hard work these kids and staff put in, they will see not only a great play come together on the stage, but a community brought together by a common language and shared with all to SEE.

Tickets ON SALE NOW

Get your tickets to see this year's
MCT production of the Broadway musical "The Boy Friend"

To purchase, please call Deborah Hargrave at (425) 774-8639

Buy soon while tickets are still available!

**Reminder that performances on March 24th, March 26th, and 5:00 PM on March 27th will be ASL interpreted**

For the Love of Theatre

Guest post by Lily Jaquith
EWHS Senior
MCT Assistant Stage Manager



For nine years I have worked with a local theater program, MCT. It’s part of the K-8 school I attended and gives so many opportunities for kids to experience first hand. This year is going to be my last year with them. I head off to college next year and I won’t be able to continue my work with them. I feel sad just thinking about not being around all these wonderful kids.

MCT is the reason I am the person I am today. It’s the reason I didn’t fall apart when my friend bailed on me. It gave me so many different experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

My first show with MCT I had an easy job, helping the backstage coordinator follow the show. That small role had a huge impact on me. It was the first time I felt the rush of live theater. There’s nothing like knowing anything could go wrong, but having everything go perfectly. I wanted to hold on to that feeling and never let it go.


The next four years I was an actor. Those years were incredible. In my awkward pre-teen years I was learning to express myself through theater. I had a difficult time my middle school years, constantly being bullied by my own friends. It made me a shy and self conscious person, but when I was on the stage singing out Freddy my Love from Grease, nothing could bring me down. Becoming someone else and expressing all my emotions through song was the best way to forget.

My freshman year of high school I returned and helped out with rehearsals, passing on my knowledge of theater to those younger than me, while at the same time learning about how everything happens behind the scenes. This was the first time I realized I wanted to work with kids someday. It was also the first time I saw my passion for teaching.

However, the most beneficial of all my years with MCT were the past two. I gained the role of Assistant Stage Manager for our 2009, and took on that role again in 2010, it’s the role I hold this year for our 2011 production of The Boy Friend. The work was so different than anything I had ever done. It was just as rewarding, if not more so. It was my job to make sure those kids got on stage on time and my fault if something went wrong. I learned not to take the role lightly and be serious when working backstage. I also gained a lot of patience. There were many situations where I was dealing with kids who weren’t listening, talking backstage or asking questions I’d just answered. As a fairly impatient person, it took me a while to handle this well. After a while I gained the tolerance to answer questions calmly and nicely ask kids to quiet down without getting frustrated and flustered.

Along with all the skills I have acquired, MCT also became my home away from home. The sense of family felt between the cast and crew is an amazing feeling. I love being someone the kids can look up to and I love the look on their faces when they accomplish something amazing. The stage is somewhere I will always feel comfortable.

MCT and theater will always be my happy place!

Save the Date!

The Jazz Age Lives On in Madrona Children’s Theatre (MCT)
2011 Musical Comedy “The Boy Friend”


Edmonds, WA (January 31, 2011) – The Madrona Children’s Theatre (MCT), in cooperation with Madrona K-8 school in the Edmonds School District, is producing its 18th musical – The Boy Friend – the Broadway show that turned Julie Andrews into an overnight sensation. The cast is comprised of 84 Madrona students in two casts (Éclairs cast and Crepes cast).

SYNOPSIS: The setting is The French Riviera, where Polly, an English heiress attending Mme. Dubonnet's Finishing School, falls in love with Tony, a delivery boy. Recalling her father's warning to beware fortune seekers, she poses as a working girl, unaware Tony is in fact the missing nephew of the wealthy Lord Brockhurst. Things get complicated with the unexpected arrival in Nice of Polly's parents and Lord and Lady Brockhurst - but not to worry, a happy ending is in store for all.

MCT productions are performed by 4th-8th graders; all who audition get to participate. This year the Éclairs cast includes 7 deaf and hard of hearing students who play a variety of characters. High school student and MCT alumni, Casey Johnson Pasqua, who is deaf herself has returned to assist with the process of translating the English into American Sign Language for both the deaf and hearing actors.

DATES: Thursday, March 24 at 7:00pm* (Éclairs cast)
Friday, March 25 at 7:00pm (Crepes cast)
Saturday, March 26 at 2:00pm* and 7:00pm* (Éclairs cast)
Sunday, March 27, 2008 at 12:30pm and 5:00pm* (Crepes cast)

PLACE: Mountlake Terrace High School, 21801 44th Avenue West, Mountlake Terrace

TICKETS: Are available starting February 14 for $10 adults, $5 students by calling Deborah Hargrave at 425-774-8639



CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director - Ted Jaquith
Music Directors - Mark and Nancy Press
Stage Manager - Diane Jamieson
Choreographer - Carissa Meisner Smit
Producer - Brandis Roundy
Assistant Producer - Debi Waters


About Madrona Children’s Theatre Company
Since 1990 Madrona K-8 has produced major musical plays for multiple performances before a live audience. Nearly 1400 students have participated in productions including Alice in Wonderland, Hello Dolly, Once Upon a Mattress, The Wizard of Oz, Li’l Abner, Annie, The Sound of Music, The Pirates of Penzance, Tom Sawyer, Bye Bye Birdie, Cinderella, From Borders to Bridges, Honk, Grease – The School Version, Seussical the Musical, Beauty and The Beast and Oliver!

Productions involve scores of volunteers including school educators and staff members, parents and others from the local arts community. Madrona students comprise the cast, stage crew, make-up crew, art team and ushers, and work countless hours over three months preparing for this major musical production.