Treasure Valley Children’s Theater, LLC is 10 months old this month and lots of theater has already occurred! We had a very successful Holiday Musical Theater class with 13 students. We secured a home for classes and rehearsals at The Ground Floor building in Meridian. We produced our first main stage show, “Alice in Wonderland,” and managed to break even with expenses – that was a huge relief! Our Comedy Campus class had 8 excellent students in Jan. – February. We launched a Creative Dramatics class, a second Musical Theater class, and a Spring Break Drama Camp. None met our enrollment expectations, but the kids we worked with were wonderful! We’re in full production mode for our second show of the main stage season, “The Scent of the Roses or The Unlikely Tales of Molly Moonshine.” And our spring Comedy Campus class is shaping up to be really excellent!
So, now what?
While we’re on track to produce 2 more main stage shows this year, our education programs need a little makeover. We’ve laid good groundwork, but we want to build upon the foundation and create a certification-style training program that not only introduces young people to theater, but gives them a well-rounded experience. To achieve this goal, we’re taking the summer to research, write and develop coursework that offers a 4-week (intro), 8-week (intermediate), and 12-week (certification) cycle for students. Stay tuned for more information about these classes.
In August, we will audition for our Youth Troupe – an elite group of young actors selected through audition to produce a show that will be performed a minimum of three times with additional performance opportunities throughout the community.
We’re also lining up our summer Library Tour series with an adaptation of a fun little musical called “Earthworms Make America Great.” Our resident acting company will perform this 20-30 minute musical at Libraries this summer.
The opportunities just seem endless, and we’re really looking forward to the future. But all this activity does not come without some significant challenges: Time and Money. Both weigh heavily on my mind, as of late. We desperately need business and corporate partners to support our main stage season – their support is truly the only way we can continue to produce at this level.
Additionally, community support is critical to support our mission – we need people to buy tickets to shows. . .
I know I can’t lose faith. When you live your dream, you have to expect a little trepidation.
