Director Tom Quaintance (left) and company members hoist Matt Baldiga, who plays Fagin, on their shoulders during rehearsal. Photo Courtesy of Summer Youth Conservatory
By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
During the summer months, the halls of UNC’s Center for Dramatic Arts are usually pretty quiet. This summer, though, the center is bustling with the activities of more than 40 local young actors and actresses.
With the combined efforts of the ArtsCenter’s Summer Youth Performing Arts Conservatory and PlayMakers Repertory Company, a young cast will present “Oliver!,†a musical theater adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist, in July.
“It’s nice to have the building buzzing,†said Kathy Hunter Williams, a founding member of the conservatory and a company member at PlayMakers. “It’s been so deathly quiet in the summer.â€
PlayMakers staff wanted to fill their empty building and the youth conservatory needed a summer project. A collaborative production of “Oliver!†was the outcome.
The cast – which includes kids aged 9 to 18 – has been rehearsing Monday through Friday for several weeks now. What makes this show a little different, Williams said, is that there is a major focus on teaching the young cast the craft of acting rather than just rehearsing the production.
A large portion of the cast members have studied with the ArtsCenter’s youth conservatory, while others simply heard about the play and wanted to audition. About 80 children and teenagers came to try out for the production in February.
Director Tom Quaintance said the youth conservatory and the enthusiasm for the program was part of what drew him to this particular production of “Oliver!â€
“It’s not just a show happening in this building,†he said. “The support for the production is extraordinary.
“From the beginning, everybody on board was really interested in giving [the cast] a challenging, professional experience and not treating it like a kids’ show.â€
Quaintance has been directing for more than 25 years and has worked with national tours, high school productions and more. He and Ernie Scarborough, the show’s musical director, are based in Los Angeles and have worked together on a number of productions.
Musical director Ernie Scarborough works with company members. Photo Courtesy of Summer Youth Conservatory
The ArtsCenter’s youth conservatory, which was started nearly three years ago, offers performance art classes for children aged 6-18. Quaintance said that although there are a number of youth programs around the country, “I don’t know of another program like this.â€
The young cast has the opportunity to learn a lot about acting through this particular production, he added.
“We’re not doing the children’s theater version of ‘Oliver,’†Quaintance said. This is “a serious piece of literature with a really healthy amount of dark emotional stuff. It’s a tragedy in some ways.â€
The cast has nine principles who are supported by a number of characters. Most of the children are playing more than one role, Williams said. In addition to rehearsing, they’re all studying the time period when Dickens wrote Oliver Twist, as well as dialects and other history.
“Tom is treating them like professionals,†Williams said.
“Something that I’ve found out … teaching younger kids … is that if you set the expectations high, they will surprise you,†Quaintance said. “I’ve been really surprised and pleased with how prepared these kids are.â€
Performances will be at 7 p.m. July 13 and 14 and at 2 p.m. July 15 in the Paul Green Theater at the Center for Dramatic Arts. Tickets to one of the three performances are $15 for the public, $13 for PlayMakers subscribers or ArtsCenter Friends and $8 for students. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 962-PLAY.