The Barr Hill Players, Vermont Theater Retreat, Awarded Ben & Jerry's Foundation Grant

By: Jun. 06, 2019
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The Barr Hill Players, Vermont Theater Retreat, Awarded Ben & Jerry's Foundation Grant

The Barr Hill Players, an ensemble-based theater training program in the mountains of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, has been awarded a grant by the Ben & Jerry's Foundation. The grant, bestowed by the foundation's St. Albans Community Action Team, will be used to develop the program's facilities at Geldo Acres Retreat Center in Greensboro, VT.

The grant arrives as The Barr Hill Players celebrates the approach of its fifth annual Summer Intensive. Open to emerging artists 18 and older, the intensive combines instruction in acting technique, meditation, martial arts, and wilderness skills to help artists discover new ways to work with and care for their bodies. In years past, the program has hosted artists hailing from New York to Boston to Argentina and Denmark. The 2019 intensive, which will take place August 24 - September 1 in Greensboro, VT, is currently accepting applications at www.thebarrhillplayers.com.

"We have long admired Ben & Jerry's commitment to giving back to Vermont communities. In fact, in years past we have made it a point to take our campers to the Waterbury factory for a tour to give them the 'full Vermont experience'! We are grateful for the opportunity to come full-circle and collaborate with the Foundation to create opportunities for emerging artists," said Barr Hill Players Managing Director Kat Boorstein.

At the summer intensive, daily lessons in two schools of acting - Viewpoints, a physical technique, and Meisner, an instinctive behavior technique - help students let go of their need to "perform" and simply be present with their partners. Physical fitness is taught through martial arts, strength training, archery, and daily runs; a rigorous but supportive environment empowers students to challenge themselves towards growth. Daily meditation and guided journaling allow students to reflect and observe their thoughts, gaining a better understanding of their own minds. Lessons in wilderness skills, from fire-building to plant identification, inspire students to explore and nurture land around them. In this "camp" atmosphere, students eat, work, and live in harmony with one another, developing bonds and insights that they will carry forward long after their time on Barr Hill comes to a close.

For more information on the Vermont Community Action Team program, please visit www.benandjerrysfoundation.org. The Barr Hill Players proudly receives fiscal sponsorship from Fractured Atlas, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit - to learn more, visit www.fracturedatlas.org.

The fifth annual Barr Hill Players Summer Intensive will take place August 24 - September 1, 2019 at Geldo Acres Retreat Center in Greensboro, VT. For more information and to apply, visit www.barrhillplayers.com.



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