News and Announcements
| Sharon Charette Named Member of the Year | Allison Cournoyer Awarded Scholarship, Becomes 11th Recipient| Under One Roof Benefit | Theatre Works Members Perform at Mardi Gras Queen's Coronation |
Sharon Charette Named Member of The Year (May, 2004)
Simply stated, Theatre Works is a non-profit volunteer organization. But what that truly means is anyone who participates in a non-profit volunteer organization is asked to give up many hours of their own time to serve that organization. Once in a while someone comes along who performs above and beyond the word “volunteerism.” In 2004, our Member of the Year Award went to Sharon Charette of North Smithfield.
Sharon has, over the last several years, taken on the role of Costume Designer. Her natural talent and love of clothing design has been displayed on our stage in many forms. Some of the shows she has dressed include: The King and I, Annie, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Angel Street, Cheaper By The Dozen and God’s Favorite to name a few. Most recently her gifted hands undertook the amazing task of clothing 37 cast members for The Music Man! By opening night, over 200 pieces of wardrobe were created, modified, bought, altered, cleaned, pressed and hung on the racks by opening night! She spent many, many nights up until 3 and 4 in the morning to complete this project. In addition to costume design, Sharon, also volunteers with The NRI Council on the Arts, as well as serves on the Board of Directors for Tech Access, while maintaining a full time job at New England Institute of Technology in the Library Department. Whew! Theatre Works is very proud to have Sharon on our team. Congratulations! Well done! See related article: ‘The Music Man’s’ Woman by Frank O'Donnell (The Valley Breeze, May 13, 2004)
Allison Cournoyer Awarded Scholarship Becomes 11th Recipient
For eleven straight seasons Theatre Works has awarded scholarships to local high school students interested in pursuing a college degree in the performing arts. This year we are very pleased to award this scholarship to the daughter of two of our founding members of the organization. Allison Cournoyer, daughter of Maurice and Janet Cournoyer of Woonsocket, was the recipient of the $1,000 prize.
Allison graduated in the top ten percent of her class and will be attending Rhode Island College in the Fall pursuing her major in Secondary Education/English with a minor in Theatre. This combination satisfies two passions, children and theatre.
While in high school, Allison performed in several shows at Theatre Works. They include: “An Inspector Calls”, “The King and I” and a starring role in “Cheaper by the Dozen”. She also directed “Bang, Bang, You’re Dead” at our theatre, a moving play about teenage violence. Allison also spent time directing the annual musical at Good Shepherd Middle School these last four years. At Woonsocket High School, she performed in the dance show and the Spring musical “Sweet Charity.”
“I would like to thank everyone at Theatre Works for their continuing love and support. A special thank you also to the patrons of Theatre Works who made this scholarship possible!” BRAVO ALLISON!
Past Scholarship Recipients
2004 - Allison Cournoyer
2003 - Jennifer Cote
2002 - Christopher Eason
2001 - Amy Limoges
2000 - Jennifer Morin
1999 - Jamie Byrd
1998 - Jonathan Peters
1997 - Normand Vaillancourt
1996 - Mary Wojcik
1995 - Christine Noel
1994 - Wendy Roy
Under One Roof
Saturday, December 13, 2003
To raise money to replace the furnace at the First Universalist Church, members of Theatre Works have lined up an evening of entertainment. Theatre Works members Mark and Connie Anderson, Greg Bonin, Kathy Donahue, Josh Smith, Andrea Grondines, Lisa Forsgard, and Chris Kibbe will perform. For details, read the article from the Woonsocket Call, Tenants to the rescue, November 29, 2003.
Above, left to right: Chris Kibbe, Lisa Forsgard, Greg Bonin, Kathy Donahue, Joshua Smith, and Andrea Grondines prior to the holiday cabaret.
Left: The set of The Gin Game, before the performance by Connie and Mark Anderson.
Theatre Works Members Perform at Mardi Gras Queen's Coronation
On Sunday, February 23rd, five of Theatre Works' members sang music from the 1950s in keeping with the Coronation's theme, "Happy Days of Mardi Gras." The theme was chosen to pay tribute to the origins of Mardi Gras in Woonsocket in 1954. Suspended in 1959, this tradition was revived in 1995 by the Northern Rhode Island Council of the Arts. Theatre Works members Connie and Mark Anderson, Greg Bonin, Kathy Donahue, and John Pacheco performed the music of Patsy Cline, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Pat Boone, and Nat King Cole. The group performed to an appreciative crowd, many of whom have seen and enjoyed Theatre Works' productions. They received a Certificate of Appreciation from the event's chair, Susan T. MacKenzie. (Pictured, left to right: John Pacheco, Connie Anderson, Mark Anderson, Kathy Donahue, and Greg Bonin, Photo by Sharon Charette)