Centenary Stage's Young Performers Workshop to Present Winter Festival of Shows

Centenary Stage Company's critically acclaimed Young Performers Workshop returns this holiday season with a delightful selection of musical favorites for the annual Winter Festival of Shows.

This year's Winter Festival of Shows includes A Chorus Line, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown and The Boy Friend. The festival runs December 10 through December 18, with a cast of talented young thespians [full list below] from across New Jersey.

All performances will be held in Centenary Stage Company's Little Theater located at 400 Jefferson Street Hackettstown, NJ. CSC's Young Performers Workshop is also accepting registration for the upcoming Spring Session running February 11 through June 4.

With a book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban, A Chorus Line examines one day in the lives of seventeen dancers, all vying for a spot in the "chorus line" of a Broadway Musical. From Cassie, the star who just needs the "music and the mirror and the chance to dance", to Val, a small-town girl with a brand-new big-town body, to Mike, who took his sister's place in dance class, saying "I can do that". Based on real Broadway dancers' stories, as told to fellow dancer and choreographer Michael Bennett, A Chorus Line is funny, heartbreaking, and refreshingly honest. Performances for A Chorus Line are Sunday, December 11 at 7pm; Friday, December 16 at 8pm; Saturday, December 17 at 2pm and Sunday, December 18 at 7pm.

The Jazz Age lives on in Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend, a light romantic spoof of the 1920s musical comedy. Written in the fifties as "a new musical of the twenties," this is still considered the most successful and witty of the send-up musicals. The Boy Friend is an essentiAl Golden Age musical. Filled to the brim with tongue-in-cheek moments that both parents and grandparents will love. Performances are Saturday, December 10 at 5pm; Saturday, December 17 at 8pm and Sunday, December 18 at 4pm.

Charles Schulz's beloved comic comes to life in Clark Gesner's classic musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The whole gang is here: bossy Lucy is hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder who doesn't give her the time of day, perfectionist Sally is still mocking blanket - toting Linus, Snoopy is in the doghouse, and "blockhead", himself, Charlie Brown, is in rare form. Brief vignettes span the months from Valentine's Day to Beethoven Day, from wild optimism to utter despair. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a crowd-pleasing classic. Performances are Sunday, December 11 at 5pm; Saturday, December 17 at 5pm and Sunday, December 18 at 1pm.

Select Young Performers Workshop students will also be featured in Centenary Stage Company's Family Holiday Spectacular, Mary Poppins. Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Olivier and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Opening November 25 and running through December 10, this "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" musical adventure is an enchanting mixture of irresistible story, unforgettable songs, breathtaking dance numbers, astonishing stagecraft and a live orchestra. Centenary Stage Company's Family Holiday Musical not only signifies the start of the holiday season for many but celebrates all of Centenary Stage Company's programming by combining local regional talent, CSC staff, Centenary University Theatre Department faculty and students, Young Performers Workshop students and professional guest artists.

Ticket prices for YPW Winter Festival of Shows are $12.50 for adults and $10 for children under twelve. Ticket prices for Mary Poppins range from $27.50 to $30.00 for adults and $22.50 to $25.00 for children under twelve. All performances of A Chorus Line, The Boy Friend and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown will be held in the Little Theater located at 400 Jefferson Street on the campus of Centenary University. Performances for Mary Poppins will be held at the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue.

Centenary Stage Company's Young Performers Workshop is also accepting registration for the upcoming Spring Session. The session runs February 11 through June 4 and culminates in a Spring Festival of Shows. Registration deadline is February 1. Although no experience is required to participate all new applicants must complete an interview with program director, Michael Blevins. To schedule an interview interested applicants must contact the CSC administrative office at (908) 979 - 0900 to schedule an appointment time. Interviews will be held on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18.

Led by Broadway, film and television veteran Michael Blevins, Young Performers Workshop (YPW) is a musical theatre program under the auspices of the Centenary Stage Company, a not-for-profit professional Equity Theatre Company in residence at Centenary College. YPW is dedicated to the enrichment of young lives through the use of theatre arts and serves as a greenhouse for cultivating young theatre performers ages 8 - 18. The program is one of only a handful of theatre training programs in the nation that offers both formal education and practical application through production experience.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit centenarystageco.org or call the box office at (908) 979 - 0900. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 - 5pm and two hours prior to every performance. The box office is located in the Lackland Center at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ.

YPW Students: Teax Armijo (Chester), Brianna Ascione (Randolph), Guilia Bailey (Washington), Olivia Bailey (Washington), Muriel Baki (Hardwick), Elaine Belenguer (Long Valley), Olivia Berlingerio (Oxford), Violet Caruso (Long Valley), Jovani (JJ) Catala (Washington), Jerry Caviston (Califon), Tess Clark (Hackettstown), Zack Clark (Hackettstown), Gracelyn Donovan (Blairstown), Morgan Garner (Long Valley), Sebastian Gutkin (Long Valley), Kate Hallac (Budd Lake), Kayla Hartman (Long Valley), Kristen Hedworth (Long Valley), Kira Herkenham (Hackettstown), Samantha Higgins (Long Valley), Cody Jackson (Washington), Jacob Jackson (Washinton), Morgan Kowalewski (Hackettstown), Rachel Lee (Flanders), Sydney Lewis (Port Murray), Dominick Lusardi (Blairstown), Olivia Mancuso (Port Murray), Eilidh McCumber (Hackettstown), Caroline Mickus (Budd Lake), Lexie Miller (Hampton), Gracie Nagle (Hackettstown), Tim Nagle (Hackettstown), Anthony Nunez (Landing), Christopher Nunez (Landing), Andrew Nussbaum (Long Valley), Quinn O'Hara (Hackettstown), Raphael Pelczmann (Morristown), Annabelle Plociniak (Stanhope), Amelia Ribnicky (Long Valley), Olivia Ribnicky (Long Valley), Kiana Rodiguez (Randolph), Alani Rose (Long Valley), Matthew Sigler (Hampton), Julia Slaman (Great Meadows), Ivana Velez (Hackettstown), Brandon Vita (Hackettstown), Tia Wasson (Bryam Twp), Andrew Wire (Branchville), Jackson Yawger (Columbia), David Yawger (Columbia).

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