Northern Stage of YES: Youth Ensemble Studio is an eight-month program designed to provide unique access to exceptional theater education for young people in grades 7-12. Company members participate in group nights at the theater with post show discussions and monthly master classes with cast members and creative teams of the main stage productions. The Youth Ensemble Studio rehearses and performs three productions throughout the course of the academic school year, culminating in a fully-produced musical on the main stage at the Barrette Center for the Arts.
OUR 2018 YES PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY FULL. Please contact (802) 296-7000 if you would like to be added to a wait list.
Master Classes/Group Days at the Theater:
Oslo – Sunday, October 7, 1:30 – 8:30 PM
Dear Elizabeth – Sunday, October 28, 1:30 – 7:15 PM
Matilda The Musical – Sunday, December 2, 10:30 AM – 5:15 PM
Venus Rising – Sunday, February 17, 1:30 – 7:30 PM
Buyer & Cellar – Sunday, March 10, 1:30 – 7:00 PM
Once – Sunday, April 28, 1:30 – 8:00 PM
Fall Community Engagement: Bread and Roses, Too
Created by members of YES, inspired by the book by Katherine Paterson
Directed by Hannah Ferguson, Zachary Gottschall, and Virginia Ogden
In October 2017, YES astounded audiences and community partners (libraries and local retired residents) with their compassionate, adroit, and timely devised theater piece, Brown Girl Dreaming, based on Jaqueline Woodson’s book of poetry. In 2018, we’re excited to again partner with the Vermont Humanities Council’s Vermont Reads program by using Katherine Paterson’s Bread and Roses, Too as our jumping off point for another community dialogue through the powerful tool of theater. Under the direction of theater artists Hannah Ferguson, Zachary Gottschall, and Virginia Ogden, YES students will engage, challenge, and inspire audiences while learning to create an original piece of theater using music, movement, and community conversations.
Rehearsals September 24 – October 12, 2018
Performances at area libraries:
October 13, Wilder Club & Library, 2 PM
October 14, Howe Library, 2 PM
Performance in the Byrne Theater at Northern Stage:
October 15, 6:30 PM
Winter White Box: Scenes from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Based on the novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens
Directed by Amanda Rafuse
15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: he is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. Now Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, a decision that takes him out of his ordered life and upturns his world. The 2015 winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, Curious Incident… is “a beautiful, eloquent, dazzlingly inventive show about the wonders of life” (Evening Standard). During Winter White Box productions, Ensemble members explore the world’s greatest plays in a studio setting, highlighting process and honing technique.
Rehearsals January 21 – February 7, 2019
Performances in Schleicher Rehearsal & Education Studio at Northern Stage: February 8 – 10, 2019
Spring Musical: World Premiere of Pete (HER) Pan, Jr.
Book by Melvin Tunstall III
Music by Michael Thurber & Douglas Lyons
Lyrics by Douglas Lyons
Directed By Ben Liebert
Our fourth annual Spring Musical not only brings YES members’ training to the next level with a professionally produced production on the main stage, but for the first time ever we are proud to introduce a a brand new musical to the American theater! Pete (HER) Pan is the classic legend of Peter Pan and Wendy as seen through the eyes of Wendy’s precocious and daring daughter Jane. Inspired by her mother’s stories of non-stop adventures in Neverland, Jane wants to find an adventure of her own. Imagination runs as wild as the Lost Boys in this retelling of a timeless tale with an eclectic and exciting score. Pete (HER) Pan reminds the kid in all of us that anyone can be a hero.
Rehearsals: February 25 – March 21, 2019
Performances in the Byrne Theater at Northern Stage: March 22 – 24, 2019
A NOTE ON REHEARSAL SCHEDULES:
YES rehearses Tuesdays*- Thursdays 3-8 PM, Saturdays & Sundays 10 AM-5 PM
*Winter White Box may include Monday rehearsals
Dates and times subject to change based on rehearsal needs.
Registration and Tuition
2018-19 YES Tuition is $600. This tuition covers participation in six group days at the theater (master classes, pizza parties, main stage performances, and post-show conversations), as well as one performance project (Fall Community Engagement, Winter White Box, or Spring Musical). If you wish to participate in more than one project, there will be an additional registration fee of $300 per project.
Scholarship and Payment Options
In an effort to ensure our programs are accessible to all, Northern Stage offers need-based scholarships for the YES program. If you wish to apply for a scholarship, please download our application here. Applications due by Friday, August 31. Offers made by Friday, September 7. If you plan on applying for a scholarship, please email our Box Office Manager, Susan Dicken, at sdicken@northernstage.org. She will reserve your spot in YES while you are in the process of filling out the application. We are grateful to lead donors Michael Aycock and Barry Baker, our Education Fund donors, and our entire family of supporters for making YES scholarships possible.
If you do not need a scholarship but have questions about payment options, please contact Susan Dicken.
Refunds and Cancellations: Please note that Northern Stage is not able to offer refunds. If you have any questions about your order, please contact the box office before purchasing.
Questions? Contact the Box Office at boxoffice@northernstage.org or (802) 296-7000.
