Young Company Programs & Classes
CURRENT PROGRAMS
Calling All Young Actors… Come Join The Western Stage at Hartnell College!
Check out our Audition page for information on programs and audition opportunities, or be an Intern or Apprentice.
THE PROGRAMS:
(All programs meet Tuesday through Saturday.)
- JRTheatre (ages 5-8)
No audition necessary; all accepted.
Final showcase to be presented at TWS’s Annual Company Meeting
- Play’s-the-Thing (PtT)
PtT is YC’s playwrighting program that began as YC’s entry-level program, but in the last few years its projects have grown in depth and sophistication. The program is designed to teach improvisation, playwrighting, and performance techniques. Each season’s projects are designed specifically for the unique talents and interests of its ensemble. This summer, PtT will create an original script in partnership with the Monterey County SPCA. PtT actors will work with SPCA campers to tell the stories of animals sheltered and available for adoption. Performances of the final project will be presented to both TWS audiences, and the SPCA staff and supporters. One performance will be specified as a benefit for the SPCA.
- YC Presents (YCP)
YCP is a production-oriented program that focuses on rehearsal, technical production, and performance for young artists ages 9-16. Scripted plays with strong literary content written expressly for young performers are chosen. The division produces up to two YCP projects each season. An audition is required as is a lengthy rehearsal process. YCP’s summer show is Still Life with Iris, an adventure fantasy drama by Steven Dietz. The play chronicles a young girl’s quest to regain her memory and with it her home. All the things ones sees by day are made in the world by Nocturno while the rest of the world sleeps. The sun is raised each morning by a signal from Day Breaker and the noon is roped and lowered into a basket every night. The inhabitants of Nocturno busy themselves all night long putting leaves back on the branches, painting the flowers, filling the clouds with rain, making and bottling thunder for storms, and painting the spots on the ladybugs. Through a series of encounters with new friends, Iris is able to seek and discover the rest of her past, as well as revealing a wonderful secret which changes her future.
INTERNSHIPS & APPRENTICESHIPS will be available annually. Check back soon!
For additional information about Youth programs, please contact Susanne Burns at (831) 755-6929 or via email.
The Western Stage Young Company is sponsored by the Sally Hughes Church Foundation, with additional support given by the S.T.A.R Foundation of Monterey.
