Junior Theater Festival, 2019

Earlier this winter, Carolyn decided to audition for a "competition theater team" -- to her and all of our surprises, she made the team.  It is not that she did not practice for the audition, or that she doesn't have some talent.  We just did not know what to expect since it was her very first audition.

There were 15 kids selected to be on the team, ranging in age from 10-17.  For five weeks this winter, they worked three nights a week on a piece from the show "Into the Woods" and then took it to the Junior Theater Festival, where they competed against teams from all over the country.  Teams were not allowed to use props or costumes, and were judged by three expert panelists.

Their team ended up winning an award at the festival- excellence in music.  They brought home a large trophy for their theater company, and were even more thrilled when they got on the airplane to come home and the flight attendant announced it over the PA, and when they saw this short article in the local news when they arrived back home.
https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/u-of-u-theater-students-win-national-award/1776829622

In addition to the adjudication, the team participated in a number of workshops related to voice, drama, improv, and dance.  They saw countless performances, learned for child actors, had a dance party, and even had a final concert by one of this year's Tony Award winners.  What a great group of kids, and what a fantastic opportunity.  I am pretty sure one of the highlights of the long weekend was traveling to California without parents!  She has already asked if she can audition to be part of this team again next year.

The adjudicators 

  

And, if you made it this far in this post and want to watch their team's 15-minute performance of "Into the Woods" check it out here.  Carolyn was a narrator.