Tag Archives: Youth Theatre

Townies Around Town

Not only did we fill our stage during the holiday but we also spent time in our community spreading cheer for all to hear!

Forest Acres Sweet Seasons
Our Town Tweens, Town Teens and Town Carolers (Lou Boeschen, Shannon Scruggs, Davis Herndon and Joel Yarborough) enjoyed the evening in Forest Acres to help kick off the holiday season. It was a pleasure to mingle and sing AND to help light the Christmas tree with Mayor Brunson and the City Council.

Junior League Holiday Market
Town performers partnered with Columbia Ballet School dancers to present a holiday showcase at the Jr. League Holiday Market. Our Town Teens performed their seasonal pieces, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “White Winter Hymnal.” Mary Jayne Davis, Nathan Jackson and Juliet Gregg performed solo pieces and Abby Gamble represented the cast of A Christmas Story: The Musical. David LaTorre, Town’s Youth Theatre Director, also shared his vocal talents. Thank you to Joy Alexander and Columbia Ballet School for allowing us to be a part of this fun event!

Brockman Elementary School
After a brief hiatus, Town Theatre is thrilled to be back at Brockman Elementary School, leading students in theatre classes. Under the umbrella of our Youth Theatre program, David LaTorre has assembled a team of assistants who helped create two winter wonderland showcases in only six weeks. Our thanks to the team including David, Nathan Jackson, Chelsey Art, Lee Martin and Jane Cato. Next semester will be another great opportunity to connect with Brockman students and their families!

Pre-Show Music
Oh, what fun it was to sing Christmas carols and perform in advance of our main stage production of A Christmas Story: The Musical. Our Town Tweens and Town Teens each shared a holiday piece for one of the performances. Our Town Carolers from Sweet Seasons made several encore performances from the upper vestibule of the lobby as did other amazing vocal groups comprised of David LaTorre, John LaTorre, Davis Herndon, Adam Bigony and Daniel LaTorre. And, as a closing weekend treat, audiences were serenaded by Lee Saxton. Thank you to our many musicians who added extra cheer to the season!

Beyond the stage

Town Theatre is proud to partner with FACES ~ Foreign Academic & Cultural Exchanges Services ~ to assist with a special project taking our acting chops into a classroom setting. FACES works with teachers from other countries to help them succeed in the academic arena of the United States. As one might imagine, the classroom setting in America is quite different. Teachers from other countries often encounter situations that they are not used to seeing in their home country. FACES reached out to our Town Theatre to see how we might help and we knew that many of our Town Teen Troupe actors would be perfect for the job! At the end of July, these actors will role-play classroom scenarios that showcase issues that FACES teachers might see. The action will “freeze” while a moderator addresses ways in which teachers might handle these scenarios.

We are so proud of our youth theatre program and delighted to have this very special opportunity to use our stage skills in a way that will bring such value to academia.

FACTS about FACES…
*FACES is a Columbia-based company that recruits foreign teachers for South Carolina schools K-12.

*FACES recruits international teachers, evaluates their credentials for appropriate experience and certification requirements and then provides the selected teachers for possible selection by local South Carolina districts who are seeking teachers for the cultural enrichment opportunities for the school.

*Before leaving for the school, FACES provides an intensive staff development program to prepare the teachers for their role in an American classroom.

*FACES is unique for providing training in academic subjects and classroom management before they report to school.

*To learn even more about FACES, please visit facesinc.org.

Leapin’ Lizards ~ Annie Jr. is Here!

Annie Jr. is a production of Town’s youth theatre program. Students meet once a week for a ten-week period and then come together for two weeks of full ensemble rehearsals. The result? A fantastic and energetic show which will delight audiences of all ages!

Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning musical, Annie Jr. features everyone’s favorite redhead. With an equal mix of pizzazz and positivity, little orphan Annie is easy to fall in love with despite her meager start in a 1930s orphanage under the watch of Miss Hannigan.

Photo by Clayton King.
Photo by Clayton King.

Annie and her mutt, Sandy, are determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago.  Ultimately she finds a new family with Daddy Warbucks and Grace Farrell.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for youth (17 and under) and seniors ($65+).

Photo by Clayton King.
Photo by Clayton King.

Shows times are ~
~Fri. Nov. 10 at 7 PM
~Sat. Nov. 11 at 3 PM
~Sat. Nov. 11 at 7 PM
~Sun. Nov. 12 at 3 PM

Call our box office beginning Monday, Oct. 30 at 12 noon for tickets OR go online at towntheatre.com.

Annie Jr. is directed by Jamie Harrington, with Megan Douthitt as assistant director and Jeremy Reasoner as music director. Lori Stepp is designing the costumes with Danny Harrington on set and lighting design. Town’s youth theatre program is generously sponsored by Colonial Life.