FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER

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1 FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER PALACE THEATER By: Brayleigh Keefe - Grade 5, Pomperaug Elementary School, Southbury As I walked into the foyer of the Palace Theater, I was amazed. There were beautiful Plaster of Paris art works on the ceiling. On the walls the original wood work and grates from 1922 still remain in perfect condition. We continued our tour to the grand foyer. Here we saw the most gorgeous chandeliers costing $5,000 a piece. The floors and stairs of the grand foyer were the original stone and marble. The walls were redone using feathers and very small paint brushes. The seams were painted on to make it look like real marble. When we entered the box office we saw the first ever ticket booth used in the Palace Theater. It had no heating or airconditioning, so whatever the weather, the workers had to deal with it. Also where the current box office is there used to be the Palace Hotel Lobby. This is where actors, actresses, and their managers would stay between shows. We learned that the theater closed in 1987 because it was looking run down. Then it reopened in 2004 after undergoing 4 years of restorations costing $30 million. Then in the lobby small but intricate designs on the ceilings and domes were pointed out to us. Some of these designs were Muse, Eagles and Gryphons. To our surprise we learned that in the theater you could find sixty square feet of gold leaf. Next we moved to the house where all of the audience members sit. The house is split into three sections, the orchestra (main floor), Loge (first few rows and side boxes), mezzanine (seats upstairs). The house can fit up to 2,600 people. We also stomped our way to where the orchestra pit is positioned. When we landed on the orchestra pit, it sounded hollow. After that we went backstage. We saw the loading docks where trucks drop off equipment needed for the show. Then we proceeded downstairs and saw that every show that came to the theater painted a decal on the wall, and all the cast members signed their names. Next we went to the dressing rooms. First we saw the principal dressing rooms where there are mirrors with lights all around them, lockers for the cast members and restrooms with shower. Then we moved onto the wig room where there were many shelves to

2 put wigs on. Our last stop was to the costume room. Here there were sewing machines, steamers, irons, mirrors, and some costumes. Just as we were getting ready to go back, our guide told us about old theater folktales. The first tale was about a ghost light. There are three stories behind the ghost light. One is o nobody gets hurt while walking across the stage. Another is to scare the ghosts of the theater away and the third is to make sure the ghosts don t play any tricks. Another tale is the saying break a leg. In the theater, wooden legs are sewn into the bottom of curtains to help them rise better. When there are many curtain calls there is a chance that a wooden leg will break and a good show will have lots of curtain calls. We arrived back to the house, which was now filled with people. We all chose to sit in the first row of seats. They were eye level with the stage. Shortly after we sat down, the show Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler started. The show only consisted of four cst members, and it was outstanding and hilarious. Afterward, we met and interviewed the cast members. Many questions were asked. My question, which was directed at the entire cast, was, At what age were you in your first play? Jonathan, who played Jaime, was in his first play at age 11. Caitlin, who played Claudia, was in first grade during her first play. Rebecca, who played Ms. Frankweiler, was in fifth grade during her first play and Paul, who played the man of many hats, was in third grade during his first play. In conclusion, my trip to the Palace Theater was a once in a lifetime experience. I would highly recommend that you visit the Palace Theater.

3 THE PALACE THEATER By: Nina Koobatian - Grade 5, Pomperaug Elementary School, Southbury I always wondered why The Palace Theater was called, The Palace Theater, and now I know why. It s literally a theater with in a palace. The main thing that really popped out when I was there was the way the theater was designed and made. Another was the theater s superstitions. And my most favorite part was the wonderful show, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The theater is such a splendid place I rate it five stars, no doubt. When you walk in to the grand foyer of The Palace Theater, the first thing you see is the beautiful chandeliers that drape over the ceiling. They are just one of the many beauties in the theater. The Grand Foyer has marble walls. The only way you could that it s fake is if you were to touch it and notice that it is not as cold as real marble. The Grand Foyer still has its original floor and mirrors in the windows. The Palace Theater has detailed carvings all around the ceiling s border, and it s full of phoenixes, children, flowers, and other beautiful designs. Most of the ceilings have gold leaf, which gives it more of a palace look. Once you arrive into the actual theater once again you can see the beautiful carvings all over the ceiling and further down near the stage there are huge organ pipes on both sides, but they are just decoration and they aren t real organs. The theater also has an orchestra pit for live music during shows. The theater is full of old superstitions, which are intriguing and fascinating. From the beginning they have had a light backstage called the ghost light. Apparently it was used to keep the ghosts out of the theater. It looks like a microphone holder with a light bulb, but at one time it was just a candle. Now the light is mostly used so that you can see back stage and you don t get hurt because it s dark. Another superstition is the elephant ghost. A long time ago there was a magician with an act at the Palace Theater, and he set up a trap door so that he could make things disappear. Once there was an elephant on the stage, and while it was walking, it fell through the trap door and died. The superstition to this story is that the ghost of the elephant still haunts the theater. My favorite part of being at The Palace Theater was watching the show! The actors/actresses, dancers and singers that performed on the stage were amazing! The props were used in so many ways as was their imagination to make the story come alive! Rebecca s accent was fantastic she created a British accent that was so real! The theater was designed so

4 that the sound could be projected out to even the last seats in the theater. So when the singers sing, it s easy to hear from the last row in the back. The people with bigger roles have their own dressing rooms. One dressing room has three light bulb decorated mirrors, a locker, and a bathroom. And the backup dancers or the chorale have the same thing but bigger in order to fit more people. The actors and actresses have about ten days to learn their parts and they do take advantage of the time they have. They learn their parts very well they practice about seventy to one hundred hours in that tn days they have. I asked one of the actresses I interviewed when she practiced her lines, and she told me that she reads them before going to bed, while riding a subway, and basically whenever she had a chance. Most actors and actresses need to warm up and get ready for the show that they are in like stretching if you were to dance and singing some notes if you were to sing. The actors and actresses told me that an acting career is hard if you don t get a background. It s easier to get into shows if you have gone to college acting and theater. The job of acting seems enjoyable and the art is beautiful. The theater is a magical place its where dreams can come true and imaginations can go wild. The Palace Theater is beautiful with its architecture and mysterious superstitions. The shows that go on are magical. I hope to be at the Palace Theater plenty more times to see its beauty and true potential.

5 THE PALACE THEATER By: Olivia Dwight - Grade 5, Pomperaug Elementary School, Southbury The Palatial News experience was fun and exciting. Being able to get a complete tour of the theater was absolutely incredible. I was able to learn a lot about the history of the theater. I learned that it took $30,000,000 to renovate the theater, yet only $1,000,000 to originally build it. I was also able to learn a great deal about the theater s architecture. Another great thing about getting the tour was that I got to see the basement of the theater where all he behind the scenes action happens. I learned many things about theaters in general that I never knew before the tour. Next, I was pleased to find the play, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler even more enjoyable than the book and that s saying a lot! The cast delivered the character s personalities beautifully, with passion and enthusiasm. I also have to say how amazed I am that The Man of Many Hats took on over eight characters! Wow! Anyways, From the Mixed Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was a magical production, and I cannot fully put into words how much I enjoyed it. After the play, I was given the opportunity to meet the cast members from this interview. For instance, I learned that the actress who took the lead as Claudia wants to be the voice of a Disney character, that the actor who played The Man of Many Hats was once into business, and that the whole cast went to college for acting. Also, the actress who played Claudia in the play recommended some things for people who are interested in theater/acting like voice lessons and dance, specifically ballet. I do hope that my school continues to offer the Palatial News program to their students in the future. I enjoyed it and think other students will enjoy it and have enjoyed it as well.

6 PALACE THEATER By: Jacqueline Navas - Grade 5, Pomperaug Elementary School, Southbury Right as I walked into the Palace Theater, I was already amazed. The details on the walls and ceiling were magnificent, and I felt like I walked into Buckingham Palace! The play was just amazing. I was very impressed with the fact that a play that was supposed to have around 20 actors was done just as well with 4 actors. The timing was perfect, the vocals were fantastic, and the acting was good enough to be on Broadway! I had read the book before hand, and I was disappointed that some scenes weren t included, but the way they patched up the scenes they didn t include was better than I expected. The play was wonderful, and I am looking forward to coming back to the Palace to see another production! PALACE THEATER By: Nicholas Bruno - Grade 5, Hillside School, Naugatuck On Wednesday, May 30, I visited the Palace Theater to see The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil. We had the opportunity to take a tour of the theater before the show. It was fun to see all of the different rooms and areas that are used for their plays. My favorite area was the dressing room because that is where the actors get into character and prepare to take the stage. I thought that the play was great. My favorite part was when the kids saw the Michael Angelo carving and found out that it was real. The actors did such a good job telling the story. At the end of the play, we were able to interview the cast. It was nice to learn more about each one outside of the character that they played. Each actor had many years experience and enjoyed what they were doing. I am glad that I was given the chance to be part of the Palatial News program. I would definitely recommend this play and program to others.

7 PALACE THEATER By: Raymond Lucarelli - Grade 5, Hillside School, Naugatuck On Wednesday May 30, 2012, I went to the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT and saw The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil. Before we saw the show, we learned about the history of the Palace Theater along with a tour of the basement, containing dressing rooms, and even a wig room. The theater was constructed in 1920 and opened in 1922 as the Poli Palace. The architecture has a mixture of many styles including Greek, Roman, Arabic, and Federal. The theater was closed in 1987 and re-opened in November 2004, after 4 years of restoration and $30,000,000! The Theater is now known as, The Waterbury Palace Theater. It is a classic art deco concert and performance venue. Some of the famous people who performed at the Palace Theater were Harry Houdini, Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, and many more. Not only that, but on the basement walls, most shows that perform at the Palace Theater, someone paints a picture representing the show and then the whole cast autographs it. Some of the shows that preformed there are the Blue Man Group, Grease, Shrek, and Mamma Mia! to name a few. The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs. Basil was one of the best productions I have ever seen at the Palace Theater. It is about a girl named Claudia and her brother named Jamie. Claudia runs away from home and takes Jamie along with her too. Together, they decide to live in the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York City. As they are in the museum one day, they find an object that sends them on a wild goose chase to find the answer. What is this object, I guess you will have to watch the show to find out! Not only that, but I got to interview the cast and asked them a few questions. The cast said, We have only about 10 days to learn our script but its real fun! I asked them, what inspired them to become actors/actresses and they replied watching a Broadway show or taking classes in college. I would highly recommend this to people of all ages! The theater is magnificent and the shows and concerts are superb!

8 PALATIAL NEWS By: Abrianna Hasipi - Grade 5, Hillside School, Naugatuck My name is Abrianna Hasipi. I was chosen to go to The Palace Theater and write an article about my experience. I would like to tell you about the palace and it s history, how it was behind the scenes, and meeting the actors of the performance. First, I would like to tell you about The Palace Theater and its history. When you look up at the ceiling you will see it has lots of designs. All of those were designed by an architect named Thomas Lamb. Also if you look at the ceiling you will see gold leaf. In the Palace there are over 1,000 sheets of gold leaf. The creator of The Palace Theater was Sylvester Z. Poli. He used to be an artist, he made wax sculptures. His sculpting was so good a famous art museum asked him that he could sculpt for them and he accepted. Then after a few years he wanted a museum of his own; so that s what he did. Later he wanted to be more creative with his passion, so he began designing what would become many theaters, one becoming our infamous Palace Theater. It was originally named the Poli Palace. The construction on the Poli Palace began in 1920, its doors finally opened in The Poli Palace was a big hit people from around the world wanted to perform there. Unfortunately, the theater was too small for certain performances and the Poli Palace was shut down. A few years later the palace was remolded, it took over 30 million dollars to remodel it and thus became The Palace Theater. In the 1922, before it was shut down they used to have cranks on the chandleries to wheel them down so they can clean them, and then wheel them back into place. When they were making the palace Thomas Lamb designed the walls to look exactly like marble. It takes a steady hand and good artist skill to make the wall look like real marble. Finally, in the lobby if you look up at the walls you will see eagles, they put the eagles there after World War I. Next, I would like to tell you what I saw behind the scenes. I saw the chorus room, it s a really big room were all the performers get ready for their show. There is a table, chair, mirror, and lights all divided up in one room so over 20 people can have there own table, chair, mirror, and lights. If someone were to do an interview or a TV show they would have to wait in the green room, it has tables, chairs, TV, sofa, and a vending machine. Also if you were waiting in the green room and you wanted something, someone who worked there would immediately get it for you, just as if you were living in a palace. In the basement there are paintings on the wall. Those paintings are painted by all of the people who performed there. Say if a band played at

9 The Palace Theater, they would then paint a poster of their band on the wall then everyone in the band would sign it. Lastly, say if there was a very famous person coming to perform at the palace that person would stay and get ready in the principal dressing room. Third, I am going to tell you what it was like meeting the actors of the performance. After we saw the amazing play we went to meet the performers. Everyone had a chance to ask a few questions. These were my questions: 1. Is it a full time job being an actor/actress? Answer - yes. 2. How long does it take to rehearse? Answer - up to 10 days. 3. How many performances do you put on in a day Answer How many performances do you put on in a week? Answer How long does it take to put on costumes and make up? Answer - the people at the palace gives them 1 hour and 30 minuets. Next the performers told us that you need to have a very good education to be an actor/actress and a job that you will love doing. They also told us what had inspired them to become actors/actress. One of the actors said his job was really boring and he wanted a job that would be lots of fun and that he would never get bored of, so he decided to become an actor. One said her goal one day was to be a voice for a Disney character in a movie. Most of them said there goal one day was to be on Broadway In conclusion, this is what The Palace Theater is about; its about all the performances that has enriched our community in the Greater Waterbury area. How it was behind the scenes, and meeting the actors of the performance. I really enjoyed being at The Palace Theater. It was a great experience for me. I would like to thank my Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Theroux, for choosing me to go to this wonderful experience and I would also like to thank Karen Streeter and Dawn Alger for giving us the opportunity of touring the Palace and for informing us about it and giving us the privilege to write this essay.