Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:09:15 -0800WeeblySat, 16 Jul 2011 04:52:15 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2011/07/summer-2011-theater-camp-is-about-to-begin.htmlGet ready! Summer Theater Camp is about to begin! Meet us at Gardner Field Pavilion at 9am on Monday July 18th for two weeks of fun, excitement and challenging activities that boost self confidence! ]]>Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:32:05 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2010/02/ncu-opens-its-doors-to-elementary-school-students.htmlWell, this summer is going to be a great one. We're gearing up for another fun-filled summer of challenging acting games and performances. We're also preparing to open the camp to a younger acting audience: 2nd through 5th graders! We'll section off our camps by grade levels, with elementary students in one camp, and middle schoolers in another. We've created age appropriate games and activities for each group, designed to bring out the best in every student.

We hope you can join us this year! Click here to go to the Register Now! page and choose your camp!
]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:42:23 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2009/08/the-rain-pours-down-but-parsippany-camp-shines.htmlThe Parsippany Camp concluded with an indoor performance Friday, August 28th at the Knoll Amphitheater. The kids were all ready to go for their skits, but the rain wouldn't let up. We quickly changed gears and worked out a stage inside the building, but when more people showed up, we moved the stage again. About 65 people and our nearly 30 campers crammed into the space to watch the show.

We were all amazed at how great the performances were. From Bending Gender, to Three Trees, to the new plays The 4th Dimension and Break Away, the skits were nearly flawless.
I'd like to thank all the parents for signing your kids up for this camp. They are all great and show lots of potential.

Be sure to check our website during the year for Winter Workshops! Have a great summer kids! And remember...you're always on stage.
]]>Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:41:06 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2009/08/denville-summer-camp-puts-on-a-great-performance.htmlOur Denville Summer Camp finished up on Friday, August 21st with a great performance in front of nearly 75 family members and friends. Everyone gathered in the Gardner Field Pavilion to see nearly 20 different skits performed by our campers.

The kids in this camp were awesome. Not only did they impress the crowd with their acting abilities, they worked as a team to provide the audience with a complete show. From the first skit, "Going Out Online" to the hilarious "Show Business," each camper put on an excellent performance filled with laughter and enthusiasm.

I'd like to congratulate all the campers of the Denville Summer Camp. We hope you continue to impress your parents, families, teachers and friends with all you learned at our camp. You did a great job.

Have a great school year, and remember...you're always on stage!
]]>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:47:53 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2009/06/registration-is-open.htmlSpace is filling up for our summer camps! Remember to send in your registration forms as soon as possible.

This summer, do something to help build the confidence your child needs in life! Sign up for one of our summer camp programs today and see your child grow into who they can be!

]]>Sun, 22 Mar 2009 05:10:46 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2009/03/write-your-comments-about-our-program.htmlWe want to know what you're thinking. Whether you're a parent or one of our students, feel free to comment on our program. Let us know if you like what we're doing!

]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:32:05 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2009/01/themes-that-never-get-old.htmlWhen I write a script, I always try to weave in a moral theme or message that teenagers today can relate to. The trick is to keep the themes relevant to their lives, because the things that are relevant to them change. Quickly.

I have a script on this the Read a Script page called "Strength Beyond Strength" which I wrote years ago. It stars Jimmy Donnelly (one of my true-life friends who always gets a kick out of it when I tell him I used his name in another one of my plays). Jimmy in the story is a mild mannered kid, but he has the reputation as the toughest kid in the school. That reputation is used by two girls who are bullying a younger kid. The girls tell him that if he doesn't do their homework, Jimmy Donnelly will beat him up.

The reputation turns out to be wrong. Jimmy Donnelly is kind to the younger boy, and even helps him to stand up for himself. I'll let you read how he does it...

The point is that reputations, bullying, and standing up for yourself are themes that may never get old. No matter where you are in your life, you can relate to these themes. We all live with reputations, good and bad, and bullying doesn't stop in middle school. And standing up for yourself is a theme that will last into our old age.

A skit that has a moral message does much more than just deliver a performance- it makes you think. It makes teenagers think. And relate and understand and evaluate and synthesize and learn.

And they remember...

]]>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:37:52 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2008/11/winter-workshops-are-up-and-running.htmlWe're happy to announce the start of our 2009 Winter Theater Workshops! In these fun and interesting workshops, kids learn a variety of acting skills and perform in front of a live audience.


We have several workshops available in the Morris County area, and more joining all the time. Current workshops are being held in Boonton, Montville, Mountain Lakes, Denville and Mt. Arlington.


We've scheduled these workshops on Saturday mornings in the winter and early spring because we know young people are busy than most of their parents. We'll teach them the essentials of voice projection, movement, action/reaction and have fun in the process. We will hold a live performance on the last day of the workshop for family and friends.

Please consider joining one of our Winter Workshops, and watch your child grow in self-confidence!

]]>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:43:02 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2008/10/the-house-on-top-of-the-world.htmlThank you to all the people who helped make our latest play come to life. Thank you to all the cast who put in much time and effort.

But now that the play has been performed, it's time to start thinking about new ideas for our next play. I am always looking for ideas, so if you have one, please respond to this post and we'll see what we can do!

]]>Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:42:18 -0800http://www.newcastleunlimited.com/1/post/2008/10/build-your-confidence-through-theater.htmlThere may be no better way to build confidence than through theater and acting. I've been writing and directing for a long time, and seen a lot of kids in the ten years I've been doing this. I've seen how involvement in theater and acting can change kids. 

I'll tell you a story. There was a student years ago in 7th grade who was very shy and introverted, and her parents contacted me about getting her involved in the play I was writing. She was so shy that she didn't want to even audition. She had an interest in acting, but lacked the confidence you need to get up on stage.

When she auditioned, she did well enough to get an understudy role. Her parents were glad that she was at least involved. 

Then one day as I was walking down the hall of our school, I heard someone playing the piano. As I got closer, I looked in the music room and saw the same girl playing this beautiful music, I mean unbelievable. I asked her where she learned to play like that, and she said shyly that she'd been taking piano lessons since she was four years old. I immediately decided to write a part especially for her where she could showcase her talent. I wrote a new scene that night, included her as a new character where she could play the piano, and we included it in the play.

Everyone saw a change in her. She was no longer the shy little girl who was too scared to speak loudly on stage. Her parents called me in shock later that week and thanked me up and down. They said she officially broke out of her shell, and they were so happy how she had grown.

The great thing about what we do is that it's all original. I often change plays and scenes and characters on the fly as we're rehearsing, and I revise constantly. This can't be done in a copyrighted play.

Okay, so what happened to that girl? She's 23 now and in NYU acting school. Somebody told me she's auditioning for Broadway shows, and won't stop until she gets there.

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