Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory for High School Students 2003
What they said. . .
young & talented: Teen actors give it the old college try
BY ALLISON FREEMAN Star-Ledger Staff
New Jersey Star-Ledger
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
For five weeks this summer, high school actors got a taste of what life is like for a college theater student at the  new Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory in New Brunswick.
Seventeen high school students, from as far away as California, lived in the Rutgers dorms and studied with college professors in an "actor's boot camp" modeled after the theater program at the university's Mason Gross School of the Arts.
"This program has given me a totally different perspective on acting," said Tina Duong, 17, of Rockaway Township. "I have learned not to try to be the character, but to put myself into the senses of the character.
"The teachers are just so passionate about bringing out your talent," said Tina, a senior at Morris Knolls High School in Denville. "They told me to put myself into my work, my part and my scene. I have learned to use my emotions."
The students, who were selected for the program on the basis of their audition tapes, took daily classes in movement, voice, speech, theater appreciation and acting.
In the evening they participated in workshops such as stage combat, preparing for an audition and dialects.  On the weekends, they went into New York to see shows including "The Lion King," "Big River" and "The Prince and the Pauper." They also met with guest artists from the shows.
"The program is so intense, with kids studying theater seven days a week, the students will really find out if this something that they want to pursue," said Marshall Jones III, the director of the program. "They are treated like college students."
The conservatory exposed the students to all aspects of theater, said Athena Arbes, 17 of Chatham. "We get to talk to producers, directors and playwrights as well as actors.
"We get the entire picture of the theater," Athena said. "I have a better understanding of how theater works, behind the scenes as well as on stage. We get a little bit of everything."
As the program neared its conclusion, students rehearsed scenes from "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and other plays, which they performed for parents on the last day of the session. Teachers Chris O'Connor and David Newer worked with the actors in two classrooms, watching scenes and giving students advice on how to make them better.
Jacquelyn Fiorillo, 17, of Bridgewater, said she is glad she participated in the conservatory because it exposed her to the Mason Gross program. A senior at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, she plans to apply to Mason Gross.
"I was excited to participate in the first year of the conservatory," she said. "It was a really good program, and it is kind of cool to tell others that the program is here."
Tom Garruto, 16, of Chatham, said the program has taught him to open up as an actor. "I have learned to get in touch with a scene--to be in touch with my character's emotions and every emotion my acting partner is giving."
Tom said taking part in the conservatory reassured him that he has chosen the right profession. 
Bryan McHenry, 17, of North Cape May, said the conservatory has helped prepare him for college. "This has really showed me what college life is like," Bryan said. "This has really been a great experience for me, meeting all of these wonderful people."
Hank Ostendorf, 17, of Los Angeles, is studying theater at Interlochen, an arts high school in Michigan. He said he decided to study at the conservatory because he is considering applying to Mason Gross for its theater program this year. "Rutgers is a good B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts) program to look at," Hank said.
Jones said the program went well in its first year, and he hopes to expand it to as many as 36 students next summer. "We feel we can keep it intense that way," he said.
Students interested in applying to the program next summer must submit an audition tape. Tuition is $4,000. For information, call 732- 932-9891 x25 or visit www.masongross.rutgers.edu.
Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.
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