Live at Town Hall Theatre – Improv, Skits, Crafts and Theater

Second City Alum Offers
Improv Experience to All

An alum from Chicago’s famous improvisational theater, The Second City, will direct the improv experience July 4 on the outdoor stage at Town Hall Theatre, 27 N. Main St.

Colin Thornton, improv director, is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where he founded and directed HappyGAS, Kentucky’s longest-running improv comedy troupe.

He studied improvisational theatre in Chicago at Improvolympic and The Annoyance Theatre, and performed with various improv and sketch comedy teams around Chicago at locations such as The Second City, Comedysportz, and The Playground Theatre.

Colin has produced, directed, or performed in a variety of original shows, including Six Degrees of Improvisation, Mad Lib Moody and The Stand-Up Challenge.

Washington Township’s Town Hall – which observes its 100th birthday this year – is going all out to help Americana celebrate its 35th.

The historic downtown landmark will instruct visitors on How to Act Like a Child as it features live entertainment throughout the day for children of all ages, plus patriotic arts and crafts, games, balloons and other activities.

New this year will be improvisational skits run by Colin Thornton, an alum of Chicago’s famous improv theater, The Second City. Americana visitors are invited to take to the outdoor stage in front of Town Hall, 27 N. Main St., to participate in this freewheeling comic experience.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales will be presented inside Town Hall Theatre at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Audiences will be offered 2-for-1 tickets to the first show of the new season.

The outdoor stage also will feature theatre games and class samplers that offer opportunities for kids to join the Town Hall Theatre education director onstage and get a hands-on feel for the kinds of activities students create in the Town Hall classroom.

Also in front of Town Hall will be a children’s tent where kids can participate in arts and crafts, have their face painted, or pick up a complimentary balloon.

Inside, The ACT Touring Teens will present The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales in the air-conditioned main auditorium at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Improv and theater game/class sampler will rotate throughout the afternoon on the outdoor stage. Town Hall Theatre will post a sign the day of the event that lists approximate starting times.

The theatre box office will offer $1 off all tickets for the upcoming 2008-2009 season and Stinky Cheese Man audiences will be offered 2-for-1 tickets to the first show of the 2008-2009 season, How To Eat Like a Child. Call 433-8957 for information.

Young Entertainers Take Center Stage

Young talent will take center stage when the Washington Township Recreation Center sponsors its 18th annual Americana Festival talent show.

The contest is open to the public and takes place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3, at Town Hall Theatre, 27 N. Main St. Contestants in the past have included a variety of dance, vocal and instrumental performers, plus more unusual acts such as: juggler, comedian, magician, harpist and tumbler.

“I’ve watched the talent show for 18 years and every year the quality of the performances gets better,” said Linda Madden, talent show coordinator. “It’s awesome to get the chance to see kids and teens perform in this environment. You get an appreciation for how talented they are.”

Last year, 48 performers participated in the Americana talent show, for ages 19 and under. The show is one of nine preliminary competitions offered throughout the Miami Valley. Winners compete in August at the Fraze Pavilion.

The contest includes two categories, vocal/instrumental and performance/dance, and two age divisions, 13 to 19 and 12 and under. Information packets are available at the Washington Township Recreation Center.

The Township Celebrates a Festival Community

By Joyce Young, president
Washington Township Trustees

Photo of Joyce Young For the past 35 years the Americana Festival has grown bigger and better with every year.

Nothing rivals Americana for pure and simple fun. That's why, I think, it's special to so many of us. It's a time we can relax and play together -- all ages, all neighborhoods, all segments of our community.

It's also nice to know that we, like thousands of other communities across the United States, are celebrating our common identity as Americans. During Americana Fest, our local political boundaries grow dim and the outline of America lights up the day.

Washington Township Trustees wholeheartedly support this joint community celebration. As a township, we demonstrate our support both financially, with a substantial donation each year, and through the efforts of our employees and elected officials.

Our Fire Department makes sure fireworks are set up safely and puts out hot fires in nearby fields as the display is set off. The Washington Township Recreation Department sponsors a talent show for young people in our community and the Public Works Department helps with traffic control by providing barricades. The township also participates annually in the Americana parade.

When the parade is over, Washington Township’s Town Hall, located in the heart of downtown, again hosts a variety of activities, crafts and games. This historic landmark turns 100 in 2008, so Town Hall Theatre has gone all out with theater games on the outdoor stage and also with a children’s play presented inside by ACT Touring Teens.

We’re also thrilled to present a new Americana experience this year: a series of improvisational skits run by Colin Thornton, an alum of Chicago’s famous improv theater, The Second City. Visitors are invited to take to the outdoor stage in front of Town Hall to participate in this comic experience.

If you don’t care to participate, then we invite you to stop by, pick up a balloon, and enjoy the entertainment.

While I stand by my observation that the Americana Festival is pure and simple fun, I'm also well aware that considerable effort on the part of the entire Centerville/Washington Township community makes that fun possible. We truly are a “festival community,” both in terms of attendance and dedication.

Township officials and staff recognize that our commitment to the Americana Festival is shared by many. To all those people who have so generously contributed to its success, we at the township say thank you!

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