What is the Drama Team?
Perhaps it’s art,
perhaps family,
definitely educational theatre
and absolutely magic.
Doc
Drury Drama Team home About Us
Dr. Len Radin (District Theatre Coordinator) is the founder and was the director of the Drury Drama Team. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate from Tufts University. He was Director of the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Association for 11 years. Dr. Radin was the EdTA Trustees national selection for the Educational Theatre Association hall of Fame and was inducted in Aug, 2000 in Washington, DC. He was presented the Sir Clark Theatre Teacher of the Year by New England theatre teachers and was awarded the Points of Lights Award by the Governor of Massachusetts. He was founder of the Yankee Thespian Festival and has directed the All-New England cast three times. He was on the founding board and Director of the Williamstown Community Theatre. Doc has acted and directed in educational, community and professional theatres for over fifty years. He was inducted into the Northeast Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame at their annual festival in the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, CT. He loved stretching the abilities of his talented students on stage and seeing what a powerful tool the performing arts are in the development of creative young minds.
The Drury Drama Team has presented plays in 16 International Thespian Festivals
The Team hosted the 2000 Yankee Thespian Festival
Two Team students were elected as International Thespian Officers.
North Adams Public school personel won the Educational Theatre Association Administrator's Award and Hall of Fame Award.
The Team premiered Removing the Glove by Clarence Coo, an allegory about problems faced by gay and lesbians in high school.
We also premiered S.P.A.R., Twitch and a new version of Wake Up Call by famed playwright, Stephen Gregg and were one of the
first schools to perform Stephen Gregg's new full-length play, Sunday Night.
The Drury Drama Team Alumni site
This site shows the history of the Drama Team up to 2013.
Dr. Radin has retired from teaching.
Drury High School
1130 South Church Street
North Adams, Massachusetts 01247
E-Mail: Lenradin (( at )) gmail((dot)) com
Luke, in makeup, talks about the Drama Team.
These Drury Drama Team mascot drawings and Drama Team logo were drawn by Howard Cruse. They are used by permission of the artist.
Liz Urban (Theatre Teacher at Brayton Elementary and Director of the Junior Drama Team)- Liz's career in theatre began in high school as a member of the Drury Drama Team. While at Drury, Liz became an honor Thespian and won the Willie Award for acting. She also attended the International Thespian Festival in 1997. Upon graduating from Drury, Liz attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Theatre in 2001. While at Skidmore, Liz was also very active in the Dance Department and spent her final semester working with the Home Made Theatre at SPAC on a production of Our Town. After returning to the North Adams area, Liz founded Mill City Productions, a community theatre who's mission statement involves bringing affordable and accessible theatre to Berkshire County. Liz serves as Artistic Director of the company, which is currently in their 7th season. In addition to Mill City, Liz has worked for the Williamstown Theatre Festival in their educational outreach program, the Greylock Theatre Project. Having worked as the Project Manager for 5 years, she now consults and occasionally teaches and serves as a dramaturg. Liz enjoys acting and directing and has appeared in many plays. Some of her favorite past roles include Becca in Rabbit Hole, Squeaky Fromme in Assassins, Estelle in No Exit, Mollie in The Mousetrap and Shelby in Steel Magnolias. Liz has also directed many productions including, The Dumb Waiter, Sorry, Wrong Number, The Hitchhiker, The Little Prince, Variations of the Death of Trotsky and A Christmas Carol. One of Liz's other loves in the theater is choreography. She has choreographed 11 musicals some of which include, The Wizard of Oz, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Pippin and Zombie Prom.
Liz enjoys working with the students of the Junior Drama Team and especially loves feeling their sense of accomplishment when they take their final bows. Her biggest philosophy in educational theatre is to use theatre as a tool to help students realize their talents as well as to give them confidence and an understanding of responsibility. She hopes all of her students will come away from the program with a feeling of accomplishment and self-worth. It is especially rewarding for her to see her former students move on to high school and shine on the Drury stage. Currently, Liz teaches the theatre program for 4th- 7th grade as well as a class focused on musical theatre for 5th- 7th grade.
James E. Montepare, Superintendent of the North Adams Public Schools
The faculty and students of the Drama Team are very proud that our Superintendent was the recipient of the prestigious Educational Theatre Association's National Administrator's Award. Mr. Montepare was presented the award before 3000 delegates at the International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska in 2008.
This production is sponsored in part by the Northern Berkshire Cultural Council and the Hardman and Gateway grants of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
