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Youth Ensemble Studio (YES)

The cast of "James and the Giant Peach." Photo by Kata Sasvari

 

EMERGING INTO THE LIGHT 
It’s been a long, difficult year but we can see the light at the end of this seemingly endless pandemic tunnel. In the fall, we kick things off with our first ever YES Theater Lab, bringing the acting training and ensemble building of the Winter White Box Production into the opening of the YES season. Next, we are putting Education actors center stage in the Barrette Center for the Arts for a life-affirming production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. With two casts performing four shows a week for the month of December, this will ignite and highlight the next generation of young actors at Northern Stage. 

With the Winter White Box now living in its new form as the Fall Theater Lab, we have more breathing room to focus on YES, Jr.’s studio project The Ugly Duckling. In the spring, two years after it was postponed due to the pandemic, we are finally presenting Frozen Jr. This full circle moment will be deeply cathartic for our Education actors and joyous for our audiences. We can finally Let It Go! 

We are ready to emerge into the light together! 

Eric Love 
Director of Education

Youth Ensemble Studio (YES)

Northern Stage’s training program for young artists in grades 7-12. This program is the core training for all YES productions and you MUST be enrolled in YES to participate in any of the productions below. This year we will see 4 Main Stage productions and have 2 Movie Nights featuring classic, Broadway musicals:

Million Dollar Quartet – Friday, 9/3 
Movie Night – Sunday, 10/17 
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Sunday, 12/19 
Heisenberg – Sunday, 2/27 
Movie Night – Sunday, 4/10
Monty Python’s Spamalot – Sunday, 5/1

Registration Fee: $300
Scholarships are available. See below for more information.

Click HERE to Register for YES
YES THEATER LAB
The Skin of Our Teeth
Writer: Thornton Wilder
Director: Jaclyn Pageau (Education Manager)
Cast: YES Actors

Synopsis: Meet George and Maggie Antrobus of Excelsior, New Jersey, a suburban, commuter-town couple (married for 5,000 years), who bear more than a casual resemblance to that first husband and wife, Adam and Eve: the two Antrobus children, and their maid, Sabina, who takes it upon herself to break out of character and interrupt the course of the drama at every opportunity. Whether he is inventing the alphabet or merely saving the world from apocalypse, George and his redoubtable family somehow manage to survive – by the skin of their teeth. 

The Skin of Our Teeth broke from established theatrical conventions and walked off with the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Combining farce, burlesque, satire, and elements of the comic strip, Thornton Wilder depicts an Everyman Family as it narrowly escapes one end-of-the-world disaster after another, from the Ice Age to flood to war.

Running Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Rehearsal and Performance Dates: September 7 – October 3, 2021
Click HERE to view full production calendar 
Registration Fee: $400
Scholarships are available. See below for more information.

*Click HERE to Register for YES Theater Lab

*You must be registered for the YES program in order to register for the YES Theater Lab.

YES MAIN STAGE MUSICAL

Disney’s Frozen JR.
Writer: Book by Jennifer Lee, Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez
Director: Eric Love
Choreographer: Virginia Ogden
Cast: YES & Boot Camp. Up to 32 total.

Synopsis: For the Spring Musical, YES students will bring Anna, Elsa, and the magical land of Arendelle to life onstage in this musical based on the hit Disney film. Frozen JR. tells the tale of two sisters pulled apart by a mysterious secret. As one young woman struggles to find her voice and harness her powers within, the other embarks on an epic adventure to bring her family together once and for all. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, Frozen JR. is sure to thaw even the coldest heart.

Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Rehearsal and Performance Dates: February 22 – March 27, 2022
Click HERE to view full production calendar
Registration Fee: $650
Scholarships are available. See below for more information.

Click HERE to Register

*You must be registered for the YES program in order to register for the YES Main Stage Musical.

Is YES Right For You?
We are looking for actors who are excited for high quality theater training. The Youth Ensemble Studio is a significant time commitment. While it is not required, we hope actors will consider participating in the whole season. The progression of shows is designed to advance the actors’ skills from the spoken word, to scene work, to musical theater. No matter how advanced you are, each of these projects will challenge you at your level and evolve your skills.
Rehearsal Conflicts
It is essential to have all actors together in the rehearsal room – whether virtual or in person – to create excellent theater. Conflicts are taken into consideration for casting, so all conflicts must be listed on each project’s audition form and may not be added after auditions. If you have conflicts for more than three rehearsals, you must talk to the director to discuss whether your involvement is possible. We hope you are eager to fully participate in YES and that you will reschedule or opt out of other activities to be at rehearsal.
Communication
Theater is about collaboration and good communication is a pillar of this activity. When you sign up for this program, you are making a commitment to clear communication. Parents must check their email regularly and read all the information we send out. We encourage YES students to be actively engaged in email communication alongside their parents.
Scholarship and Payment Plans
In an effort to ensure theater education is accessible to all, Northern Stage offers need-based scholarships and payment plans for our education programs. If you would like to apply for a scholarship or set up a payment plan, please email boxoffice@northernstage.org and ask our staff to hold a place for you until the scholarship or payment plan process is complete. 

Click here to view and download the scholarship application. Your scholarship application and accompanying financial paperwork MUST be received before the deadline, in order to be eligible. Scholarship for YES (Main Stage Days & The Skin of Our Teeth) are due by Friday, August 13th. 
We are grateful to Janet Miller Haines, Heywood Alexander, Michael Aycock and Barry Baker, Education Fund donors, and our entire family of supporters for making YES scholarships possible. If you would like to set up a payment plan or have questions about payment options, please email boxoffice@northernstage.org.
Refunds and Cancellations
Northern Stage is not able to offer refunds. If you have any questions, please contact the Box Office before registering.
Questions?
Contact the box office at boxoffice@northernstage.org or (802) 296-7000.