By David F. Rooney
This could be a magical summer for children and teens aged six to 18 as Edmonton’s Theatre Prospero comes to town to cast them in a production of Shakespeare’s enchanting and very funny A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream.
“We’ll be doing a full production,” said Miranda Allen, a talented young local woman who graduated from RSS and went on to a professional acting career.
“We’ll be bringing seven people — professional actors and directors — here and we’ll be looking for about 30 under-13s through Community Connections’ Summer Day Camp Program as well as a number of teens between the ages of 13 and 18.”
The workshop will be held July 15-19 — with a full public performance of the play at the Arts Centre on July 19 — and auditions will be held this Friday, June 7, at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre staritng at 3:30 pm.
“People can register for the program through Community Connections (this is a half-day program for under-13s) and through the Arts Council on our website or pick up a registration form from the RSS office,” said Arts Centre Manager Miriam Manley.
Theatre Prospero has been incorporating students into its professional classical and poetry-based theatre since 1996. From 1998 to the present they have gone to schools doing 1-15 day artist-in-residence programs that have incorporated thousands of students at hundreds of schools across Alberta. Although its primary programming for and with young people is Shakespeare, it has also produced Greek plays, adaptations of Charles Dickens’ and Dylan Thomas’ works, as well as a modern play by Ted Hughes.
Miranda said there is room for children who want speaking and non-speaking roles.
“If all you want to be is a spear carrier we can make you a spear carrier,” she said. “If you want lines we’ll audition you for those.”
“I am super excited to bring this program to Revelstoke,” said Miranda who has since graduating frequently returned home to conduct a number of popular acting workshops for children.
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