Hillcrest Community Theater
Eva
Parents! Is your child a drama queen? Does he or she eagerly await the Tony Awards and order the whole house to be quiet as he or she sits there, glued to the television screen even though you have no idea what is attractive about sparkly people in sparkly outfits getting awards for prancing about the stage? Does he or she jump at the chance to be in plays, musicals and even performance art? Do you want them out of the house for three hours a day, three nights a week?
Well, look no further!
If you want a children's community theater program with good people, great directors and fun material, you're in luck — Hillcrest Community Theater has all of these and more.
Hillcrest Community Theater is for kids ages eight and up, but usually no one of the age of twenty-five participates so it is a theater company where the kids get a chance to be lead roles where in other companies they would just be shunted to the back or put in "children's chorus." Not here. Just this year we had an eighteen-year-old girl play a title role that was originally written for a middle aged woman, and she was fabulous.
Not only is the material great, the people are wonderful. I have made some of my best friends doing Hillcrest shows, and we all eagerly await it during the school year. Because it is theater that you volunteer to do, everyone who participates is really invested in making the show shine, as opposed to some school theater you or your child might have done where there are usually kids who get bored or don't want to be there. At Hillcrest, people come to rehearsals on time and they're all very focused for eight-, nine- and ten-year-olds.
The man behind the magic here is Kahlil Queen. He has directed, choreographed and costumed all of the Hillcrest shows I've done and he is fantastic. He knows how to gain respect from all the kids, regardless of age, and he is a very qualified performer and director. Every show he has directed has been stellar and he handles the issues that pop up with great patience and civility. One year when we did Wizard of Oz, a prop was knocked over and shattered onstage, leaving glass and sand everywhere. The next scene took place in the emerald city so Kahlil raced backstage, donned green pants, a green shirt and sunglasses, raced onstage with a broom and started sweeping it up like he was part of the scene. The main Ozian Attendant, a very talented young woman, gave him a haughty look and addressed him as the janitor, then proceeded to make up a little speech to the main characters apologizing for the "employees", then proceeded to carry on with the scene. Hillcrest is full of young actors and actresses like this.
I do Hillcrest every year, and I will continue to do so until I'm either too old or they shut it down. It is a fabulous way to spend your summer and the experience is too good to pass up.
Well, look no further!
If you want a children's community theater program with good people, great directors and fun material, you're in luck — Hillcrest Community Theater has all of these and more.
Hillcrest Community Theater is for kids ages eight and up, but usually no one of the age of twenty-five participates so it is a theater company where the kids get a chance to be lead roles where in other companies they would just be shunted to the back or put in "children's chorus." Not here. Just this year we had an eighteen-year-old girl play a title role that was originally written for a middle aged woman, and she was fabulous.
Not only is the material great, the people are wonderful. I have made some of my best friends doing Hillcrest shows, and we all eagerly await it during the school year. Because it is theater that you volunteer to do, everyone who participates is really invested in making the show shine, as opposed to some school theater you or your child might have done where there are usually kids who get bored or don't want to be there. At Hillcrest, people come to rehearsals on time and they're all very focused for eight-, nine- and ten-year-olds.
The man behind the magic here is Kahlil Queen. He has directed, choreographed and costumed all of the Hillcrest shows I've done and he is fantastic. He knows how to gain respect from all the kids, regardless of age, and he is a very qualified performer and director. Every show he has directed has been stellar and he handles the issues that pop up with great patience and civility. One year when we did Wizard of Oz, a prop was knocked over and shattered onstage, leaving glass and sand everywhere. The next scene took place in the emerald city so Kahlil raced backstage, donned green pants, a green shirt and sunglasses, raced onstage with a broom and started sweeping it up like he was part of the scene. The main Ozian Attendant, a very talented young woman, gave him a haughty look and addressed him as the janitor, then proceeded to make up a little speech to the main characters apologizing for the "employees", then proceeded to carry on with the scene. Hillcrest is full of young actors and actresses like this.
I do Hillcrest every year, and I will continue to do so until I'm either too old or they shut it down. It is a fabulous way to spend your summer and the experience is too good to pass up.