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JULY 27�AUG. 3, 2022
Opera House leader earns Freddie G Fellowship
Terry Hale traveled to NYC as part of the experience
By Jennifer Colton
Go! Magazine
Elgin Opera House Executive Director
Terry Hale recently spent a week in New
York City as one of six theater instructors
chosen for the Freddie G Fellowship.
Named for Freddie (“G”) Gershon,
co-chairman of Music Theatre Interna-
tional, the fellowship focuses on giving
theater educators an opportunity to work
with Broadway professionals one-on-one.
The fellowship included seeing Broadway
musicals “Beetlejuice” and “Between the
Lines,” a workshop on the development
of “Beetlejuice JR,” tours and networking
opportunities, July 14-17.
“It’s four days being engaged in the
Broadway theater world,” Hale said. “It’s
really exciting to be able to make con-
nections. Living in a rural community, we
don’t have the opportunities to connect
with other professionals like a metropoli-
tan company might have.”
This year’s fellows also attended a
master class lead by Jeff Calhoun, a multi-
award-winning director and choreogra-
pher.
“That’s a highlight of the trip for me,
to get to work with Jeff ,” Hale said. “It’s
an honor to be recognized by this group
because they really understand the work
it takes to make a program like this.”
Educators in the annual Freddie G
Fellowship are chosen from among
those who attend Junior Theater Festi-
vals in Atlanta, Georgia, and Sacramento,
California.
Hale was one of six educators an-
nounced for the fellowship, along with
Dana Alvarez of Cape Coral, Florida;
Megan Kelly Bates of Dallas, Texas;
Krissy Brown of Springfi eld, Ohio; Mi-
chelle Campbell of Elk Grove, California;
and Chad Haney of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma.
The group received the fellowship in
2020, but the trip was postponed be-
cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hale also thanked those who wrote
letters of recommendation for him to re-
ceive the fellowship, including students
and parents in the Opera House Youth
Actors troupe. Heidi Van Kirk, parent of
an OHYA participant, was one of those
who nominated Hale.
“Winning this fellowship recognizes
the work Terry has done with the Op-
era House Youth Actors,” she said. “In
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As part of the fellowship, the Elgin
Opera House received a $5,000 grant,
which was used to remodel a space for a
dance and rehearsal studio.
Learn more about the Freddie G Fel-
lowship at www.mtishows.com/news.
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Terry Hale/Contributed Photo
Terry Hale participates in a discussion about his program at the Elgin Opera House as
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