YATS Announces Summer Slate

Pirates, surfers, monsters and 1950s greasers will sing and dance their way through the summer in Slidell Little Theatre’s highly acclaimed youth program, Young Actors Theatre of Slidell, in four separate productions for youth in grades 4 through graduating seniors.

More commonly known by the acronym YATS, the program targets youth from as young as 4 years old to graduating seniors, with the younger kids placed in the Mini-YATS program and older youth divided into four separate age-appropriate productions. Applications for participation in the Young Actors Theatre of Slidell will be accepted on the theatre’s website, beginning on April 1, 2015.

This year’s productions for the older youth are: We Are Monsters, for Young Juniors (kids entering 4^th and 5^th grades); Hang Ten, for Juniors (entering 6^th and 7^th grades); Pirates of Penzance  Jr, Young Seniors (entering 8^th and 9^th); and Grease, for Seniors (entering 10^th to graduating seniors).

About the Shows

WE ARE MONSTERS - We Are Monsters is a hilarious new musical that follows human kids into a monster cabaret filled with quirky monster characters. The adventurous humans uncover vegetarian vampires and rock n’ roll werewolves, gradually realizing there may be more to these monsters than meets the eye! Most importantly these monsters and kids discover the importance of friendship and celebrating in the attributes that make each of us different and unique.

HANG TEN – Surfing songs in the style of the famous Beach Boys, the Ventures and other beach music bands give this one act musical comedy endless energy and fun. An Italian immigrant’s Surfin’ Burger restaurant sits on one of California’s best beachfronts. But his dream of owning a restaurant in America is about to be shattered. Not only are his granddaughters becoming too American for Luigi’s tastes, but scheming land developers try to steal his property to build a huge hotel on it. Filled with both hijinks and heart, audiences will cheer as Luigi is able to thwart the developers thanks to the help of his daughter, granddaughters, their surfer friends and a bird-watching society.

PIRATES OF PENZANCE JR– Set on the rocky coast of Cornwall, England, The Pirates Of Penzance JR. begins with a group of pirates who are celebrating the birthday of one of their own, Frederic, who has reached his twenty-first year. Finally having served the full length of his required time with the pirates, he decides to strike off on his own and become an upstanding citizen – which may even mean bringing the pirates to justice. Thus turns out to be a tricky prospect indeed, especially when Frederic’s freedom is called into question!

GREASE - Here is Rydell High's senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding "Burger Palace Boys" and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking "Pink Ladies" in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Head "greaser" Danny Zuko and new (good) girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their "Summer Nights" as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through songs recalling the music of Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Elvis Presley that became the soundtrack of a generation. An 8-year run on Broadway and two subsequent revivals along with innumerable school and community productions place Grease among the world's most popular musicals.

Mini-YATS

The younger children are entered in the Mini-YATS program, which engages children from age four to eight for five days during which they learn their lines, music and blocking, make their props and costumes if necessary. The week culminates in a performance on Saturday morning. This year’s production is Billy No Buzz.

Here is the complete rundown of the YATS program schedule:

Mini-YATS

For entering grades Pre-K to 3^rd grade

(Sessions run Monday-Friday from 9am- 2pm with a performance at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning)

Session 1:       June 1-June 5 with performance on June 6

Session 2:       June 8-June 12 with performance on June 13

Session 3:       June 15-June 19 with performance on June 20

Session 4:       June 22-June 26 with performance on June 27

           

JUNIOR & SENIOR YATS

Audition Prep Workshop: May 26 (times vary according to age group)

Auditions:

            Young Juniors (entering grades 4^th & 5^th) – May 27 at 5:00 p.m.

            Juniors (entering grades 6^th & 7^th) – May 27 at 7:00 p.m.

            Young Seniors (entering grades 8^th & 9^th) – May 28 at 6:00 p.m.

            Seniors (entering grades 10^th through finishing 12^th) – May 29 at 6:00 p.m.

Performances:

            Young Juniors – “We Are Monsters” – June 26, 27 and 28

            Juniors- “Hang Ten” - July 9, 11 and 12

Young Seniors – “Pirates of Penzance” -July 10, 11 and 12

            Seniors- “Grease” - July 16, 17, 18 and 19

Unlike any other children’s theatre camp on the north shore, Slidell Little Theatre’s program is the only one to offer help with college tuition through the Lonnie Hass Scholarship, which is awarded to YATS graduating high school seniors who intend to study the performing arts in college.

Since the year 2000, Slidell Little Theatre, through its YATS program, has disbursed nearly $50,000 to local YATS high school graduates to help further their studies in the performing arts.

There is a fee for participation in the YATS program, with special adjusted rates for members of Slidell Little Theatre.  Registration opens April 1, 2015 and applications can be downloaded from the community theatre’s website at www.slidelllittletheatre.org. For additional information about the YATS program, please email YATS@slidelllittletheatre.org.