Westover to Present Workshop Production of Moment of Impact May 10th

The Westover School Theater Department will present a workshop production of Bronwyn Sims’ solo show, Moment of Impact, on Friday, May 10th, at 7:30 pm in the Louise B. Dillingham Performing Arts Center.

A work-in-progress, Moment of Impact is a story of a woman’s journey on a train, and a journey through life. This highly personal story explores self, life, death, and the amazing resiliency of the human spirit. Moment of Impact combines theater, dance, and aerial acrobatics to create an original, humorous, moving, and thought-provoking one-woman show. The production will be directed by Marla Truini, the head of Westover’s drama program.

Moment of Impact received an earlier workshop production under the title, Lean Back, at New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce University Warehouse Theatre in December. Inspired by a real-life journey on Amtrak from Brattleboro, Vermont, to New Haven, Connecticut, Lean Back explored how someone else’s choice can change one’s own path. Wanting to continue her exploration, Ms. Sims, along with her husband, actor Patrick Donnelly, are working in collaboration with Westover School. The couple is doing a residency at Westover, teaching physical acting techniques to the school’s students as an element of their spring Shakespeare production, Measure for Measure.

Bronwyn Sims’ solo show continues to develop as Moment of Impact, incorporating original writing as well as virtuosic aerial choreography. Ms. Sims is an actor, choreographer, and educator whose credits include New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, National Black Theatre of Harlem, American Repertory Theater, a European tour with Sandglass Theater, Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Nimble Arts, and a role in The Sopranos. She also is Lecturer in Acting at Yale School of Drama and is on the faculty at New England Center for Circus Arts. She and Patrick Donnelly conduct master classes at colleges and universities nationwide. Her work is made possible by grants from the Vermont Arts Council, the Vermont Community Foundation, and the National Endowment of the Arts.

Moment of Impact has been chosen to be performed at the Berkshire Fringe Festival from July 24-28. Taking place each July and August in the Daniel Arts Center on the campus of Simon’s Rock, The Berkshire Fringe has been recognized as a vital testing ground for new work that has hosted more than 500 emerging performers and presented nearly 100 full-length original productions. For more information and the full Berkshire Fringe Festival schedule, please visit www.berkshirefringe.org.

Ian Diedrich is Technical Director, assisted by James McNamara for sound design, with choreography by Jessica Bonenfant Coogan and Emily Wiadro.   

Parking and the entrance to the Performing Arts Center are on South Street. Reservations may be made by calling 203.577.4535. There is no charge for admission, but donations to support Westover’s Drama Program and Strong Coffee Stage will be gratefully accepted.

Westover is a selective boarding and day school in Middlebury, Connecticut, with 205 students in grades 9-12 from 16 states and 17 countries. The School offers its students more than 20 Advanced Placement courses as well as signature programs in science, engineering, art history, and music.