KIDSTAGE

KIDSTAGE Inside Scoop Fall 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off, I want to celebrate the amazing work of our students and staff all summer long.

From Fiddler on the Roof to Legally Blonde, our stages were teeming with inspiring student performances. In the case of Fiddler, the entire production was all student-run including our directors, designers, stage managers, etc.

Legally Blonde truly showed off the strength and breadth of our student’s skills. We also launched a new Summer Performance Intensive program in Issaquah this summer, and those students performed at the Issaquah Senior Center, Community Center, Concerts at the Green, and on our own stages.

In both Everett and Issaquah, our camps were filled with devoted learners, exercising their imaginations and expanding their skills as they tackled everything from Lin-Manuel musicals to Taylor Swift to Sketch Comedy!

We also have been growing our robust Technical Theater Program (TTP) where we are training students in sound, lighting, scenic painting, props, costumes, makeup, stage management, and more.

It was an amazing summer. Would you believe we had nearly 1,000 campers this summer between both locations?

Alumni Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am proud to highlight some recent achievements of our KIDSTAGE alumni — all of whom participated in our Village Theatre Institute and/or KIDSTAGE Production programs:

• Caden Brauch is playing Marty McFly in the national tour of Back to the Future and will perform in Seattle this December
• Katie Griffith is in the ensemble and understudying Barbara/Miss Argentina in the national tour of Beetlejuice
• Delaney Guyer is Cosette in the national tour of Les Misérables
• Taylor Pearlstein was in the national tour of SIX THE MUSICAL and was a temporary alternate on Broadway last month
• Cora Cleary recently made her film debut as one of the leads in The Sound of Violet
• Logan Yao won the prestigious YoungArts Award in Musical Theatre and is currently attending Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Highlights

I also love sharing some other highlights of our KIDSTAGE staff and program.

• Our very own Everett Institute Manager Aaron M. Davis Norman got to participate in an amazing MTV video in collaboration with artist Alto Moon, featuring many of our students and teaching artists. Watch below to check it out!

 

• Did you know our program was recently featured on FOX 13 Seattle’s “Studio 13 Live,“ with my partner Associate Director of Youth Education Casey Craig and the cast of Fiddler on the Roof? Click on the image below to watch the TV interview and performance!

 

Coming Soon

• The Fall session of our Saturday classes starts this Saturday, September 21! There’s still time to sign up on our website. This year we’ve focused on improving our skill progression from classes to our Village Theatre Institute advanced training program, and/or to our Technical Theater Program (TTP). We love to see our students start out in our classes and end up on our stages (or behind the scenes!)

• Get your tickets now for Sing it Forward, our annual fundraiser, which is always an inspiring and entertaining event.

  This year it will be in Issaquah on Friday, September 27, and will feature students from both Issaquah and Everett. Your support at this event is crucial as it helps raise funds that sustain our vital programs throughout the entire year.

Please reach out to me or anyone on my staff if you have any questions. My door is always open. I look forward to seeing you at the theater soon!

Yours,

-Suzie C. Bixler, Director of Youth Education

Originally published September 19, 2024