YPW workshop returns with summer festival

HACKETTSTOWN — Celebrating more than 20 years of acclaimed musical theatre training for young thespians, the Centenary Stage Company’s Young Performers Workshop returns to the Little Theater Aug. 5 through Aug. 14 with the annual Summer Festival of Shows.
These talented young thespians between the ages of 8 and 18 will present a variety of musical theater favorites including; Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, Merrily We Roll Along, Miss Nelson has a Field Day, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and the One-Act Festival.
With music & lyrics by James Quinn and Alaric Jans, a book by John R. Powers and based on the novel by John R. Powers, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, captures the funniest aspects of youthful growing pains and the trying moments of adolescence. Focusing on eight children during their Catholic elementary and high school education in the 1950s, this delightful musical tickles the funny bone of anyone who ever went to school, public or private. Performances are Friday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14 at 4 p.m.
Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along expertly blends the excitement and energy of a backstage musical with a poignant and emotional contemporary story about the importance of staying true to one's ideals. Merrily We Roll Along begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer Franklin Shepard and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). The show ends with a touch of rueful irony, as the three best friends at the start of their careers face a bright future: young, talented and enthusiastic about the worlds waiting to be conquered. Performances are Saturday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 7, at 1 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m.
Adapted by Joan Cushing from the famous children’s novel by Harry Allard and James Marshall Miss Nelson has a Field Day is the snappy sequel to Joan Cushing’s beloved musical “Miss Nelson is Missing!”. The Smedley Tornadoes have not only never won a football game, they have never scored a single point! Coach Armstrong goes bonkers and Miss Nelson decides to help out. She enlists Coach Viola Swamp to whip the team into shape and save the day. Performances are Saturday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 7, at 4 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, at 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14 at 1 p.m.
YPW will be present a special “camp” performance of Miss Nelson has a Field Day on Thursday, Aug. 11 at 10:30 a.m. Please call the box office directly for details on ‘camp’ performance.
Written by William Inge, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs is a drama set in a small Oklahoma town in the early 1920s. The story follows the Flood family and is told through a series of short stories — the fight between a husband and wife, the fear of an overly shy young girl on going to a dance, the problems of an introverted little boy who feels that the whole world is against him, the corroding marriage of Cora's rowdy sister, and the tragedy of a military school cadet who suffers from the stigma of being a Jew in an alien community. There is dark at the top of everyone's stairs, but it can be dissipated by understanding, tolerance, and compassion. Performances are Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m.
Finally, the Young Performers Workshop will be presenting its annual One- Act Festival on Saturday, Aug. 13, at 11 a.m., and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 11 a.m. The One–Act Festival features a selection of short plays selected to be performed in rep. One–acts are directed by YPW staff and/or students and feature an entire YPW student cast.
The YPW program has been led by Broadway, film and television veteran, Michael Blevins, for over 20 years. YPW is dedicated to the enrichment of young lives through experience in the theatre arts, and serves as a venue for cultivating young theatre performers. The program is one of only a handful in the nation that offers both formal training and production experience for young people.
Tickets for the Young Performers Workshop Summer Festival of Shows are $12.50 for adults and $10.00 for children under 12. Tickets are available online at centenarystageco.org or by phone at (908) 979–0900. The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday through Friday from 1–5 p.m. and two hours prior to every performance.