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And the Why Schenectady Award goes to . . .
Theatre Arts Technology students win 2nd place for Proctor's documentary they produced

"Why Schenectady?" was the film contest's title, and the competition included professional filmmakers with richer finances, yet Career & Tech's Theatre Arts Technology class took home second place with their long-form documentary "Just Off Broadway! The Story of Proctor's Theatre." Teacher Jeff Knorr formally accepted the award and a $400 prize on December 2 at the "Why Schenectady?" Film Festival at Union College.

The filmmaking competition was presented by Schenectady Access Cable Channel 16/public access television (SACC-TV 16). The theme of the "Why Schenectady?" competition was any subject having to do with the history, persons and places of Schenectady. The Theatre Arts Technology students will be appearing on SACC-TV 16's "Schenectady Today" program on December 19. They were formally honored with resolutions by the Schenectady City Council on December 11 in a well-attended ceremony.

According to Theatre Arts Technology Teacher Knorr, the students researched, wrote, created and performed in their documentary about the history of Proctor's Theatre, where their classroom is located, spending a good portion of the first quarter working on the project. Many volunteered to work with their teacher on weekends and days off to complete the film in time for the deadline. "It was stressful at times," Knorr recalled, "but we met our filmmaking goal and my overall goal of using the project to teach how to work together as a production team."

Knorr and his students were excited to win second place in the long-form category. "This achievement is noteworthy," he said, "in that the first-place winner was a professional film with many resources, whereas ours was accomplished with much less in the way of resources and experience. The students more than made up for it with hard work, wit and ingenuity. I am very proud of them."

The Theatre Arts Technology students shared the following about their success. "The project was a lot of hard work, but the hardest part was the class's realizing each other's strong points and working together as a team," noted Theatre Arts Technology student Kayla Sacco, who also attends Guilderland High School.

Theatre Arts Technology and Schalmont High School student Brittany Keller added, "Making this film was a great way to learn about the beautiful Proctor's Theatre." Her Theatre Arts Technology and Schalmont classmates Ryan Halliwell and Chelsea Ruchalski were similarly positive about the experience. "We went into this project not really knowing much about movie production," said Halliwell, "but we ended up learning more than I could have expected."

"I admit it was difficult," Ruchalski concurred. "We had very little experience, almost no budget and not a lot of time. But in the end, our finished project was worth it, as was the experience and knowledge we gained from it."

Theatre Arts Technology and Scotia-Glenville students Eric Hatt and Carter Sullivan-Irwin commented on the lighter side of filmmaking. Hatt said, "This was an example of a good idea done with several crazy people working together." Sullivan-Irwin joked, "Theatre people scare me now."

Theatre Arts Technology and Niskayuna High School student James Lyons advised, "Never start filming without a script," while fellow Theatre Arts Technology and Niskayuna classmate Dante Pierotti summed up his feelings about the project with, "Two thumbs up. It was a little frustrating (the process and the deadline), but rewarding at the end."

Tracy Gyoerkoe, Supervisor of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment at the Capital Region Career & Technical School, cited the class's award-winning film as " a fine example of project-based learning that included multiple academic and technical skills. Mr. Knorr and his students should be very proud!"

With a classroom and learning space located at Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, Theatre Arts Technology is a one- or two-year program for high school juniors and seniors that teaches theatrical production and design. In a unique and creative atmosphere, students learn about stage lighting, audio, set construction, tools and equipment, directing, writing, producing and managing, and more. Theatre Arts Technology students earn high school credit for career and technical study and academic subjects as well as college credit through an agreement with Schenectady County Community College.

"We are excited to offer Theatre Arts Technology in partnership with Proctor's Theatre, where students learn in a real-world, real-time environment, a hallmark of career and technical education," said Hank Stopinski, Capital Region BOCES director of career and technical education. "Proctor's is among our region's premier performing arts centers. Together, we're providing a unique opportunity for students to gain inside, hands-on knowledge, applying academics, building marketable skills, preparing for higher education and - importantly - learning about something in which they have an interest."

[12/8/06]

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