Summer Camp!

Summer is almost here, and though our mainstage season may be over, there is still plenty going on with Theatre Horizon.  Yes, as you may have heard, we are building a new theatre.  But that’s not all!  It also means the start of Theatre Horizon Summer Camp!

Each summer we run summer drama camps at townships throughout Montgomery County, serving about 400 students per year.  We have week-long camps for students age 5-14, and they are perfect for all skill levels, from first time actors to budding superstars.

Let me tell you, these camps are tons… of… fun.  Students play drama games, learn the basics of acting, and by the end of the week, create and star in their very own play.  

Do you think your child would enjoy performing a show called “The Rockin’ Californian Magical Mystical Adventure”, “Mischief in the Land of PB and J”, or “The Legend of the Island of Legends”?  Then sign them up today!

2012 Summer Camp Information All camps M-F, 9am – 3pm unless otherwise noted. Lower Merion Township LOCATION: Gladwyne Elementary School 230 Righters Mill Rd. Gladwyne, PA 19035 DATES: Jul 9 – 13 | Ages 7-10 Jul 23 – 27 | Ages 7-10 Aug 6 – 10 | Ages 7-10 Aug 13 – 17 | Ages 11-13 TO REGISTER: Call Donna Heller at 610-645-6187 at Lower Merion Township Parks & Recreation. www.lowermerion.org | Dheller@lowermerion.org Radnor Township LOCATION: The Willows Mansion 490 Darby-Paoli Road, Villanova PA 19085 – or – Ithan Elementary 695 Clyde Rd. Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 DATES: Jun 25 – 29: 9am-3pm | Ages 7-10, LOCATION: Willows Mansion Jul 9 – 13: 9am-12pm | Ages 5 and 6, LOCATION: Willows Mansion Jul 23 – 27: 9am-3pm | Ages 7-10, LOCATION: Willows Mansion Jul 30 – Aug 3: 9am-3pm | Ages 11-14, LOCATION: Willows Mansion Aug 6 – 10: 9am-12pm | Ages 5 and 6, LOCATION: Ithan Elementary School TO REGISTER: Call Tiffany Hileman at 610-688-5600 at Radnor Townshiop Parks and Recreation to register. http://www.radnor.com | kdymond@radnor.org West Norriton Township LOCATION: Jefferson Firehouse 85 School Lane, Eagleville, PA 19403 DATES: Aug 6 – 10 | Ages 7-12 Aug 13 – 17 | Ages 7-12 Aug 20 – 24 | Ages 11-14 TO REGISTER: Call Lauren Mashett at 610-631-0450 at West Norriton Township Parks and Recreation. www.westnorritontwp.org | lmashett@wntwp.com Haverford Township LOCATION: Community Center at Haverford Reserve 9000 Park View Drive, Haverford, PA DATES: Jul 9 – 13 | Ages 7-10 Jul 16 – 20 | Ages 10-14 TO REGISTER: Call Andrew Brady at (610)446-9397 at Haverford Township Parks and Recreation. www.haverfordtownship.com | abrady@havtwp.org Upper Merion Township LOCATION: Upper Merion Middle School 450 Keebler Rd, King of Prussia, PA 19406 DATES: Jul 16 – 20 | Ages 7-10 Jul 23 – 27 | Ages 7-10 Jul 30 – Aug 3 | Ages10-13 TO REGISTER: Call Heather Melck at 610-265-1071 at Upper Merion Township Parks & Recreation. www.uppermerionparkandrec.org | Programs@umtownship.org Cheltenham Township LOCATION: Rowland Community Center 400 Myrtle Ave, Cheltenham, PA 19012 DATES: Aug 13 – 17 | Ages 7-11 TO REGISTER: Call Susan Fries at 215-887-6200 at Cheltenham Township Parks and Recreation. www.cheltenhamtownship.org | sfries@cheltenham-township.org Plymouth Township LOCATION: Colonial Middle School 716 Belvior Rd, Plymouth Meeting PA DATES: Jul 23 – 27 | Ages 7-10 Jul 30 – Aug 3 | Ages 7-10 Aug 6 – 10 | Ages 11-14 TO REGISTER: Call Lindsey Waters at 610-277-6127 at Plymouth Township Parks and Recreation. www.plymouthtownship.org | lwaters@plymouthtownship.org Upper Dublin Township LOCATION: Upper Dublin Township Building 801 Loch Alsh Ave, Fort Washington, PA 19034 DATES: Aug 13 – 17 | Ages 7-10 Aug 20 – 24 | Ages 7-10 TO REGISTER: Call Derek Dureka at 215-643-1600 ext 3241 at Upper Dublin Township Parks and Recreation. www.upperdublin.net | ddureka@upperdublin.net If you do not see your township here and are interested in bringing a camp to your community, please contact Michael McElroy, Education Director, at Michael@theatrehorizion.org.

Giving credit where credit is due

On May 24 at 10am, we’re breaking new ground.  A new theater!  Our own space!  Lately, people have been asking me how we got here.

I keep answering the question differently.  “Well, these amazing individuals believed in our dream and pledged dollars.”  But before that, local government got behind the idea of Arts Hill.  Actually, it goes back to the day Steve Wolfson toured the Bell Telephone building and said it would make a good theater.  But Steve was in Norristown to see Spelling Bee, and without that amazing cast, and the actors who graced our stage before and after, we wouldn’t have attracted our incredible base of subscribers.  Maybe it started with Bob Kaufman generously giving us office space for the summer…and then letting us stay.  Maybe it began when Fran Doyle invited us do a holiday show at the Centre Theater, effectively moving us to N-town in 2007. 

The beauty of this new theater is that no one person can claim ownership–it has been molded by many hands.

I think of other things that require the work of many hands:  a vegetable garden, a city block, a child.  What work could be more meaningful? 

Every actor, donor, board member, designer, director, subscriber, choreographer, crew member, stage manager, staffer, teaching artist, ticket-buyer, journalist, musician, and student who has interacted with Theatre Horizon has brought us to this moment.

A quick tally indicates over 10,000 people have helped Theatre Horizon arrive at this day.

In our new, year-round home we will have space and time to expand our art, grow the Autism Drama Outreach program, and make a big contribution to Arts Hill, Norristown’s burgeoning arts district.

Please join Theatre Horizon for our Ground Breaking Ceremony.  All of us will be signing the backstage wall of what will be the new theater—a signed testament to the good work of many hands.

What: Groundbreaking

When: Thursday, May 24, 2012

Where: Theatre Horizon in the Bell Telephone Building, 401 DeKalb Street, Norristown, PA 19401

Time: 10am-11am

RSVP: Stephanie@theatrehorizon.org  (610) 283-2230

Restaurant Review – La Collina

Bob and Pat Fogal of East Norriton are the big winners of our 10/11 Season Restaurant Raffle. They will be enjoying a “Dinner for Two” to each of our 10 restaurant sponsors and have been kind enough to share their delicious experiences with us all.

La Collina

37-41 Ashland Avenue; Bala Cynwyd, PA  19004

610-668-1780, www.lacollina.us

Perched atop a hill overlooking the Schuylkill Expressway in Belmont Hills, La Collina (the word means “hill” in Italian) offers an amazing view across the river toward Roxborough and Manayunk.  We decided to go there for a Friday lunch so we could experience the view by daylight.  Once inside the restaurant, we encountered elegant Italian décor that seemed to transport us to a hill somewhere in northern Italy. And needless to say, we enjoyed una merènda squisíta!

After perusing the menu, Bob opted for a salad of chopped tomatoes and slivered onions heaped on two endive and two radicchio leaves, dressed with the house vinaigrette of virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.  For an entrée, he chose linguine con pesce, a huge plate of al dente pasta overflowing with shrimp, cherrystone clams, and lump crabmeat in a white wine sauce.

Pat selected the Cornish game hen, deboned, butterflied, and pan seared with lemon, oil, and herbs.  The skin (her favorite part) was nicely browned and the meat was tender and juicy.  Instead of salad, Pat had spinach sautéed with garlic and olive oil, along with a side of baby green string beans, slender carrots, and delicately boiled new potatoes.

Surprisingly (for us), we had enough room for desert – flan and cappuccinos.

In recent years La Collina has been rated “best seafood,” “best romantic,” “best Italian,” “best service,” and “best fine dining” by the Main Line Times and Main Line Life magazines.  After experiencing the quiet elegance, professional service, and superb cuisine at La Collina, Bob and I agree one hundred percent with all of these designations and can heartily recommend the restaurant for anyone who wants a special meal in a special place.

-Pat and Bob Fogal