Bloomfield theater continues children’s program

Special to the Tribune-Star

BLOOMFIELD July 17, 2008 02:24 pm

— At its inception 49 years ago, one of the most valued goals of the Shawnee Theatre was educating local youth. Today, the Bloomfield theater continues that tradition with the Children’s and Teens’ Theatre.
Bloomfield music and theater arts teacher Laura Young will head the program this year and teach the Teens’ Workshop. Shelley Cooper, a professional actress and graduate of Hanover College’s theater program, will lead the Children’s Workshop.
“We want the kids to have the full collaborative experience of working in a theater environment,” Cooper said. “They’ll get to learn about lights, costumes, sets, as well as acting and the rehearsal process.”
“This program will give students the chance to create and explore in a safe environment while experiencing the process and performance of theater,” Young added. “They also get the opportunity to meet and learn from our fantastic, professional, in-house staff – a real treat.”
At the end of the two-week program, students will perform an original script written by Shawnee veteran Casey Ross. This is Ross’s second year writing for the workshops.
The Children’s Workshop (ages 7-12) will perform “Ivan the Terrible: The Not So Scary Monster” and the Teens’ Workshop (ages 13-17) will perform “The Doc’s Big Game.”
Both workshops will begin on Monday and run for two weeks. Workshops and rehearsals for the Children’s Workshop will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. The Teens will meet from 10:30 a.m. until noon Monday through Friday.
Performances will be at 2 p.m. Aug. 2 and at 7 p.m. Aug. 3. Tickets to the performances are $5 at the door.
The complete cost of the program is $40 per child. Registration will begin at 9 a.m Monday in the theater.
The Shawnee Theatre, Indiana’s oldest continuously running summer theater, is just a mile south of downtown Bloomfield at 4 Furnace Road. For tickets, call the Shawnee box office at (812) 384-3559. For more information and driving directions, go to www.shawneetheatre.org.