Centenary Stage Company Announces YPW Winter Festival Of Shows, Spring Registration

The Centenary Stage Company continues their tradition of nurturing young artists and proudly presents the Young Performers Workshop Winter Festival of Shows. The 2019/2020 winter productions include: Anything Goes, George M and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The productions will run from December 14 through Dec 22. All shows will take place in the Little Theatre, located on the campus of Centenary University at 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown, NJ. Tickets price at $12.50 for Adults and $10.00 for Children under 12.

The Centenary Young Performers Workshop, hailed by the Star Ledger as "a state treasure", is a professional musical theatre training program for young people ages 8-18. The program is one of the few in NJ that offers both formal training and production experience for young people.

Anything Goes (book by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, John Weidman, Timothy Crouse with music and lyrics by Cole Porter) presents the story of the S. S. American as it sails between New York and England with an assemblage of passengers: Reno Sweeney, a popular nightclub singer and former evangelist, her pal Billy Crocker, a lovelorn Wall Street broker who has come aboard to try to win the favor of his beloved Hope Harcourt (who is engaged to another passenger, Sir Evelyn Oakleigh) and a second-rate conman named Moonface Martin, aka "Public Enemy #13." Song, dance and farcical antics ensue as Reno and Moonface try to help Billy win the love of his life. Performances for Anything Goes are Saturdays Dec. 14 at 5:00pm, Dec. 21 at 8:00pm and Sunday Dec. 22 at 4:00pm.

George M (Book by John Pascal, Michael Stewart, Music by George M. Cohan and Lyrics by George M. Cohan, Mary Cohan) tells the story of the singer-dancer-actor George M. Cohan's life in show business with his show-business family starting in the late 1880's to 1937. The story takes George from working with his parents (Jerry and Ethel) and sister (Josie) in vaudeville as The Four Cohans to his Broadway endeavors. Performances for George M are Sundays Dec. 15 at 7:00pm, Dec. 22 at 1:00pm and Saturday Dec. 21 at 5:00pm.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (book by Abe Burrows, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser) is a story about the triumph of the common man amid the buffoonery of big business. When an ambitious window washer named J. Pierrepont Finch happens upon a book entitled 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying', he decides to begin his rise up the corporate ladder. With the book's instructions and a dose of his own cleverness, he quickly gains promotions and outsmarts his scheming, sniveling rival Frump - who also happens to be the boss's nephew-- until finally reaching the very top of the organization. Performances for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying are Sundays Dec. 15 at 5:00pm, Dec. 22 at 7:00pm, Friday Dec. 20 at 8:00pm and Saturday Dec. 21 at 2:00pm

The Centenary Stage Company Young Performers Workshop (YPW) is now accepting new and returning applicants. The 2020 Spring Session will run Feb. 15 - May 31. The registration deadline is Feb. 10. All new applications must take part in an initial interview for admittance into the program. Initial interview/auditions are held in Centenary's Little Theatre located at 400 Jefferson St. in Hackettstown. Early appointments receive priority placement, as enrollment is competitive and limited. Contact Centenary Stage Company's administrative office at (908) 979-0900 to schedule an appointment time. No experience is necessary.

The YPW is a musical theatre program under the auspices of the Centenary Stage Company, a not-for-profit Equity Theatre Company in residence at Centenary University located in Hackettstown, NJ. Under the direction of Television, Film, and Broadway veteran, Michael Blevins, YPW is dedicated to the enrichment of young lives through the use of theatre art and serves as a greenhouse for cultivating young theatre performers, ages 8-18. Career-minded individuals can prepare for the rigors of a professional career; yet, students not aiming for a professional career benefit from the program with its emphasis on discipline, self-worth and development of communication skills.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979 - 0900. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 - 5 PM and two hours prior to all performances at the performance location. The Centenary Stage Company box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ.

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