Fox Feature

Fox Feature

The wizard behind Oz

- by kristi@atlantametropub.com

“When you need kids, call Bill Newberry,” says Theater of the Stars [TOTS] Producer Christopher B. Manos. Newberry has carved out a niche for himself as a children’s director, teaching young cast members how to sing, dance and hit their marks like professionals. This month, you can catch his handiwork in TOTS’ production of The Wizard of Oz , in which several Atlanta children play the munchkins of Oz. Encore Atlanta spoke to him about the challenges and joys of working with children…

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Fox Feature

The future looks bright for Atlanta Ballet

- by kristi@atlantametropub.com

In 1979, Barry Hughson came home from school and told his mother he was starting a theater company. Thrilled, she started rummaging for some old blankets he could hang up and use for a set. The 11-year-old gently told his mother that he already had a real theater. “I had gone to the church and asked the priest if we could do shows in the church basement,” Hughson remembers. His father was so impressed with Barry’s ambition, he enlisted an attorney to draw up the 501(c)(3) paperwork, recruited an adult board of directors and Connecticut’s Youth Theatre Ensemble was born. “I cut my teeth on it, and it lasted for 20 years,” Hughson says…

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