The Youth Theatre 2015-2016 Season
* "Edgar." October. By Scott Dunlap, freely adapted from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar has been called into the principal's office -- once again. It seems that his bizarrely twisted writing assignments have gotten him in trouble. As Edgar defends his dark imagination, theater-goers see adaptations of "The Raven," "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." * "A Charlie Brown Christmas." December. By Charles M. Schulz, based on the television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson; stage adaptation by Eric Schaeffer. The beloved cartoon TV special comes to life in this faithful stage adaptation where Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang grapple with the real meaning of Christmas. For first grade and up. * "Adventures of a Bear Called Paddington." January 2016. By Alfred Bradley. Anyone familiar with Paddington, the bear found in Paddington Station by the Browns and adopted by them, will welcome this series of "playlet" versions of some of his most notorious adventures. For kindergarten through third grade. * "Really Rosie." April. By Maurice Sendak and Carole King. On a hot July Saturday, the kids from The Nutshell Library are bored and need something to do. Rosie, the sassiest kid on her block, entertains the group and herself by acting out fantasies of being a Hollywood star and decides to produce an imaginary, Oscar-winning movie musical about her life and, in particular, the demise of her brother named Chicken Soup.
The Youth Theatre of the Chattanooga Theatre Centre has announced that it will do four plays for the 2015-2016 season.
The productions will be "Edgar," an original play based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe especially for Halloween; "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which will alternate with the CTC's production of "A Christmas Story, The Musical" on the MainStage; "Adventures of a Bear Called Paddington" about the beloved teddy; and "Really Rosie," the musical collaboration of Maurice Sendak and Carole King.
"Each of the four plays features an iconic character or person from literature or pop culture," says Scott Dunlap, youth theater director. "Poe, Charlie Brown, Paddington Bear and Rosie are all familiar to and beloved by young audiences, which will make the audience experience even more fun.
"Plus, this season features pieces that our young actors will have as much fun performing as our audiences will enjoy watching," Dunlap adds.
While the four titles appeal to different age groups, the actors are in grades fourth through 12th.
In addition to the public performances, weekday shows are scheduled of each play for school and homeschool groups.
For information and tickets, contact the box office at 423-267-8534 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or visit TheatreCentre.com.