Community members with an interest in theatre but a fear of lengthy rehearsals and memorizing lots of lines can try testing the water with YOUTHfest. The event showcases five 10-minute plays with about 50 cast members of varying experience all sharing the limelight.
Auditions for this year's YOUTHfest will be held Saturday (Jan. 26) 6 p.m. at Gelato Carina. Monologues will be provided, and any child with enough gusto to project lines over a crowd is invited to join. Organizer Adriane Polo suggests prospective performers should at least be nine years old. The family-friendly shows have roles for most ages.
"It's also a lot of parents and kids that act It's something they can do together," said Polo.
Those leery of stage time in any dose can lend a hand behind the scenes as part of a 20-member crew.Now entering its 10th year, YOUTHfest will coincide with Wild At Art, with shows on March 13, 14 and 15.Polo credits the bite-size approach to theatre as serving as a gateway for young residents curious about the world of drama.
"This is a short play structure because we don't want to bog anyone down with huge long rehearsals," she said.
Cast members only rehearse on Sundays. If a crowd of familiar faces is any indication of success, the low-commitment format appears to be working.
Each year, about 90 per cent of the previous cast return to take part in the next YOUTHfest, sometimes trading in an acting hat for a more challenging role in direction.
"We bring people on and they always come back."
Some YOUTHfest veterans even go on to pursue a career in the arts. Polo pointed to the story of Warren Daske, a young resident who joined YOUTHfest when he was 10 years old. In 2007 he directed a play and has since gone on to study film.
Having been with YOUTHfest since its inception, Polo gets to know these returning thespians well. The plays are also designed to incorporate a mixture of newcomers and returning actors.
