Letters and Comments
August 18, 2011
On behalf of the Shining Stars Foundation, we would like to thank you for your contribution of letting the Shining Stars kids enjoy the performance of Annie as part of our Aspen Summer Adventure Program. The play was incredible and a highlight of the week. It was an experience these kids rarely get to enjoy, thank you for making it all possible!
Your contribution will help the foundation continue its mission of providing sport, recreational, and outreach programs for children with cancer and life-threatening diseases at no cost to the child or their families. Our programs allow the kids we serve to leave behind hospitals, invasive treatments and medical appointments to enjoy life and simply be kids again. You are helping each of these children gain a new sense of hope for their future and form life-long relationships with other kids experiencing the same challenges, while instilling in them a will to live and fight.
Peggy, this play was such an incredible performance and such a special treat for the kids. They especially enjoyed getting to take their picture with the cast afterward! Thank you!
Kathy Gingery,
Executive Director
Dear Theatre Aspen Staff,
On behalf of the English In Action staff, students and tutors, I’d like to express our deepest gratitude to you all for working with us to make our outings to Theatre Aspen so unique and memorable for our adult students who are learning English and our volunteer tutors. Both Annie and Vices were enjoyed from the first to the last minute and the applauses given at the end were a mere reflection of their appreciation for having the opportunity to attend such wonderful plays. 68 people took advantage of this opportunity and became that much more familiar with the artistic world.
Attending Theatre Aspen performances has been a great way to help our adult students learn English and to learn about all of the amazing resources our community has to offer. This year, as in the past, several of our participants said that this was the first time that they had attended live theater.
In closing I’d like to give a special thanks to:
- Paige Price for guiding us along the process.
- Peggy Burke for being in constant communication with us about numbers and tickets. We could not have done this without your flexibility and will to help; thank you.
- Colleen Finnegan and the ticket office for being ready for us and being so attentive.
We appreciate your help and look forward to doing this again in the future.
Sincerely,
Christopher Palasz,
along with Lara Beaulieu and Liz Penzel (the English In Action staff)
Christopher Palasz
English in Action
Program Assistant
970-456-2785 / 970-963-9200
August, 2011
Letter from Aspen's Got Young Talent participant's mom, to director Colleen Finnegan:
Hey Colleen! ________ had such a blast with you guys!! Thanks for giving him a great first theatre experiance and and encouraging so much! Despite his bravdo he has really low self esteem and is bullied all the time at school - this has done wonders for him _ thank you soooo much :)
Enriched by Theatre Aspen
August, 20 2011
Dear Editor:
Over the last couple of weeks a total of 68 individuals from English In Action's program (adult students and volunteer tutors) were able to attend two marvelous and entertaining Theatre Aspen plays: “Annie” and “Vices.” We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to the individuals and organizations who made this possible. Thank you, Jim and Brenda Grusecki, Theatre Aspen and Taster's Pizza!
English In Action matches immigrant adults with volunteer tutors and the pairs meet one-on-one on a weekly basis to work on English language skills. We believe that the friendships and strong cross-cultural relationships that develop between our students and tutors help to create a healthy, well-integrated community. A cultural activity of this kind is the perfect place for our adult learners to practice their English and enrich themselves with artistic events that our community has to offer.
Lara Beaulieu and Christopher Palasz
El Jebel
August 2010
Dear Paige and Colleen,
Thank you both for all of your help with English In Action’s outings to Theatre Aspen performances this year. Liz and I really appreciate your flexibility and understanding. Please also extend our thanks to the Theatre Aspen staff and Board for offering us discounted tickets. Your generosity in this regard has made a huge difference for us.
We loved seeing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and A Year with Frog and Toad, and the opportunity to meet the actors afterwards. This is such a fun way to promote community integration and to foster the learning of our students. Theater is wonderful means of engaging our students with a wide range of English abilities. Even when they don’t understand all the words, they do understand the “emotions” the actors are able to convey. It has also been great to do an activity that includes our students’ children. One of our students this weekend told me that she really appreciated the chance to offer an experience to her children that she could not afford on her own.
Enjoy the rest of the summer season!
Best wishes,
Lara
Letter from Jeannie Walla
John and I attended "Chapter Two" last night and loved it. Laughed till we cried, then cried till we laughed. The acting was marvelous, across the board, which means the direction was fantastic. Loved the updates, too. Please share my thanks for the actors and Jay for a delightful evening of theatre.
