PLAYWRITING TESTIMONIALS
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WINNIE THE POOH/THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER
“A master work are his adaptations of Winnie the Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner. The reason? Cummings captured how children play in a living room, free and with full imagination! That's how those plays work! Brilliant. I staged the plays with the audience sitting on stage with us and closed the main. The audience seated right next to the actors. They really enjoyed it. Most were parents and students, and the plays really resonated with them down memory lane. That's theatre! Cummings is an incredible playwright.”
Frank Smouse, Director
Chino Hills High School
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WE RECALL…MEMORIES FROM THE BEGINNING
(a celebration of Dwight-Englewood’s Centennial, based on alumni memories)
“One of the most popular features of Centennial Weekend! A wonderfully nostalgic, warmly evocative production, it was particularly enjoyed by older alumnae and alumni, from whom much of the raw material for the script had been gathered in personal interviews over the past two years.”
DE TODAY
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GHOST LIGHT
"Absolutely wonderful material! The scenes are cleverly written and PERFECT for high school students and audience members of all ages!"
Robert Murphy, Drama Director
Dwight-Englewood School
KISS, THEN TELL
“Such a wonderful experience-one of the best I’ve had in the theatre in a long time….These are funny, clever, refreshing pieces that challenge the students while allowing them to relate to the material’ the students obviously embraced the plays eagerly….Plays like Kiss then Tell not only encourage versatility in young actors but also have the real potential to hook the interests of young people exploring theatre and acting for the first time.”
Heidi Swinscoe
Director of Outreach and Education
La Jolla Playhouse
A BRIEF PAUSE
“This light and lyrical tale tells of the first meeting between a tongue-tied young man and a beautiful girl, both of whom are more comfortable talking to the audience than each other.”
The Bergen New Jersey Record
"Audience favorite!”
Stedfast Community Theatre
SALLY’S BECOMING
“I thought “Sally’s Becoming” was particularly original and delightful- a kind of new-age Twelfth Night. I hope you publish them so I can share them with my students.
Mike Auer, Drama Director
San Diego City Schools
AMUSE BOUCHE
“The whole time, the audience was either laughing along with the wacky characters or sighing with sympathy and sadness at the others. If you weren’t present at the show, you definitely missed out.”
La Jolla Country Day Palette
THEIR LITTLE GIRL
"Hysterically funny and heart-breaking. What a gift you have for undercutting pathos with humor and comedy with tragedy."
Joyce Sparling
English Chair, La Jolla Country Day School
OPPOSITES ATTACK
“We are so happy to have had the opportunity to present the world premiere of Opposites Attack! We found it to be very challenging, very rewarding, and lots of fun.”
Steve Tabisz
Drama Director, Hinsdale (IL) Public Schools
"It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Wonderful experience!”
Lauren Miller
Drama Director, Hinsdale Public Schools
ALL THE WORLD’S…BACKSTAGE
"This is one of the funniest plays we've ever staged."
Terry Sandler
Drama Director, Peekskill High School
THEIR LITTLE GIRL
Extraordinary! It’s tragic and hysterically funny It’s Holden Caufield of the 90’s. Your vision is so accurate and so loving. I especially appreciate the light/darkness, vision/blindness metaphor. “Her grief has blinded her”. The Prom Queen Bandit reflects the core issue at the heart of the Colorado shooting. And oh my! The ending! I was in tears. "Like Flannery O' Connor, “Heart of a Freak” shocks us with grotesque distortions, so we can clearly see the truth".
Joyce Sparling, English Chair
La Jolla Country Day School
MEMORABLE
(original musical, based on alumni memories, celebrating the merger of The Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls.)
“It was delightful and truly touching. And what a way to learn social history! I love the way you wove social commentary into the various segments.”
JABBERWOCKY (Sing-along audience participation children’s theatre)
“You enchanted our boys and girls with your performance.”
Mrs. Florence Friedlander
Children’s Librarian, Shelter Rock Public Library
"I liked it because you had to use your imagination."
"Delightful!"
"It was interesting to me because it had all these weird words in it."
“To tell the truth, I think the Jabberwocky was a worm.”
Audience at Lincoln Center Library performance
A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE HERO WITH 1000 FACES
(Using the Campbell classic to celebrate my birthday)
“Hero was terrific.”
Lucille Paolillo
Adelphi University
LOTS OF LIONNI
(Wesleyan Master’s thesis)
"It was really one of those special family events for our library. Your spontaneous humor and lively interchange with each group added to the audience’s enjoyment and loosened them up for the performance. We appreciate the thoroughness, organization, and energy with which you prompted and produced the shows. We’re proud to have sponsored Lots of Lionni and hope that you will keep us abreast of any productions you might be planning-you have an eager audience in Middletown.
Geoffrey Van Kirk, Director
Russell Library, Middletown, CT
"The format of the program was excellent. These were creative, innovative, educational workshops enjoyed by pupils and teachers.”
Jacqueline Cangeloso
Asst. Principal, Thiells Elementary school, NJ.
I liked when everybody went and did something. It was silly and funny. When I heard that we were going to make a play, I was excited and happy.
Rosel Pinon, 2nd grader
Thiells Elementary School
Thiells, NY
"The children and the parents of Leonia greatly benefitted from your creative dramatizations and from the caring, special way in which you included them in each of your performances. To make these three children's stories come alive in an imaginative way made April a special month indeed at the library."
Margaret Tice, Children's Librarian, Leonia, NJ Library
"You supplied a work of art".
Jackie Earle Coordinator
Very Special Arts
THE GOLDEN KEY (SUNY Brockport thesis)
The Gumdrop Dragon’s performance of the Golden Key was a multi-faceted accomplishment…When the curtain closed I shared a common feeling of sadness that it was over.
Cindy Healy
SUNY Brockport Choreobulletin
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TEACHING TESTIMONIALS
“Your skillful and imagination-filled interpretation of a whimsical subject amazed and delighted us-students and teachers alike. My students were highly impressed by your thorough mastery of your subject matter, your professional attitude in teaching them and communicating your ideas and expertise as a performer. Your warmth and encouragement made it easy for even the shy and usually quiet students and children to freely participate and contribute to the all-around fun.”
- Gisela Fritsching, SUNY Brockport
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Greg is one of those rare individuals who is admired by students in ninth through twelfth grades. He raises their awareness to levels they previously thought impossible. The projects produced in his classes are outstanding; they reflect the students’ feelings and show how much they trust their teacher and mentor.
- Mary Anne Brower, US Director, La Jolla Country Day School
I have watched Greg initiate and develop drama programs for elementary school students, successfully direct controversial high school plays by Beckett and Pinter, and incorporate history, science, and Spanish into his own original works. Je is one of the most dedicated and creative educators I have known in my 27 years of experience in schools.
- Dave Tuites, Dir. Of Development, LJCDS
Beyond his teaching, Greg outreached to the broader community producing performances involving our lower school students with area school children. He augmented development office events with student play presentations and designed camp experiences for our students. It is abundantly clear that Greg immersed himself in the life of the school and, in doing so, paid close attention to all of the organizations these numerous events require.
- Judith Glickman, Interim Head, LJCDS
Far beyond the skillful application of teaching processes, Greg instilled within his students a unique joy of learning. This enthusiasm, energy, and own love of life are motivators rare to find.
- Barbara Walkley, Board of Cooperative Educational Services, NYS
Not only does Greg have the ability as a showman to ad lib and pick up on cues and mesmerize his students, but he is also one of the most careful and thoughtful curricular planners that I know. It is a real pleasure to work with him from the creation of an idea through the careful development and planning necessary to make a good idea into an outstanding learning experience.I have been in independent school education for 25 years as a teacher, Dean of Students, and assistant principal. Hands down-Greg is the most gifted teacher that I have ever seen or had the pleasure to work with.
- Peter Davies, MS Asst Principal, DE
Mr. Cummings’s teaching is impressive. I am constantly impressed with his ability to popularize quality dramatic literature, and to make each rehearsal process a fun, learning adventure.
- Cheryl Terwilliger, Chair, VPA, Bullis
In the classroom, Greg is skilled, dynamic, and knowledgeable; he knows his craft, has boundless enthusiasm for the theatre, and is especially adept at making his students think about the acting process.
- John Neiswender, Head, LJCDS
Greg is such a presence in the school community that I sometimes think he must have been cloned-one person could not be so omnipresent.
- Rebecca Blackwell, MS Head, DE
"Theatre is awesome." "Theatre is hard and weird, easy and fun.” “I liked how it was our chance to work with another person. It showed that we can be cooperative." "My dogs love you. I told them about you and I think they can understand me!" “But I really think you can be the next Kevin Hart, seriously, no joke, search him up."
- 4th grade students, Rochester, NY School 15 residency
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