IP YPSW
Every summer, for the past 39 years, something magical happens at the Casino Theater on St. Simons Island. If you’ve experienced it, then you know what I am talking about. The Island Players’ Young Peoples’ Summer Workshop allows approximately 60 to 80 area children to spend their summer performing on stage.
Originally called the Children’s Summer Workshop, Joan Harris founded the program in 1975 because she saw a need for a summer activity that was fun and would allow the children to learn about the theater. That summer, she directed a successful run of Peter Pan, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Throughout the years, it has been fascinating to watch timid 8 year olds transform into theatrical powerhouses that can command the stage. Since the group is typically made up of kids from ages 8 up to 21, it is heartwarming to watch this dynamic in action. The younger children watch the older ones, and the older ones watch out for the younger ones and usually help them in any way that they can.
The Summer Workshop also has a high retention rate of teenagers due in large part to a special program called the Island Players Teen Actors Guild (IPTAG). The Island Players offer a scholarship that rewards graduating seniors based on how many years they have participated.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the countless adults, both members of the community and parents, who diligently work behind the scenes to construct and decorate the sets, design show-stopping costumes, locate the best props, produce, direct, and a myriad of other tasks that are required for the success of a show of this magnitude.
More than 70 youth ages 8-18 auditioned for this year’s production of Alice in Wonderland. There is no charge to the participants, and every child that auditioned received a role. The 2014 cast includes kids who have been with the program for as many as 10 years as well as those who have never been on stage. They are split into two full casts that perform on alternating nights.
Alice in Wonderland tells the story of a young girl, Alice (Grace Robertson, Kourtney Smith), who simply can’t keep her mind on her studies no matter how hard her older sister, Matilda (Morgan Goodbread, BriAnna Finleyson), tries to get her to focus.
Alice begins her adventure when she catches sight of a White Rabbit (Eli Waters, Caleb Kavanaugh) who leads her down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. While there, she meets the fun-loving siblings Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (Brian Kohler, Jonathan Whalley, Jessica Whalley, Kristen Hubbard) who are kind enough to tell her the cautionary tale of the Walrus (Carson Bradley, Jake Hinson), the Carpenter (Boomer Wheeler, Trevor Williams), and their band of oysters (Brodie Kohler, Austin Lofquist, Jack Cheetham, Cody Goodbread, Joshua Hinson, Chandler Henry, Jack Hinson).
Continuing her journey, she meets more of the fantastical inhabitants of Wonderland: the Cheshire Cat (Kyle Hildebrand, Alyssa Forbes) who really isn’t quite all there; the Caterpillar (Ryan Forbes, Alexandra Couturier) whose vowels (Olivia Smith, Lily Crumbley, Katelyn Thrower, Missy Kohler, Katie Pickering, Kenzie Nunn, Sophia Braswell, Jenna Hagglund, Gabby Bradshaw) won’t stay in order, and a bed of elitist Flowers (Kaitlyn Higginbotham, Emily Carlson, Kaytelin Goodbread, Abby Sipe, Samantha Stephenson, Avonika Curlin, Annika Buchli, Georgia Waters, Lily Seemann, Josie Hinson, Kalyn Porter, Adrianna Finleyson, Jennifer Cannon, Campbell Adams, Pixie Hudson) who aren’t sure what to make of the young Alice.
When she finds herself in the middle of a tea party with the Mad Hatter (Jeremiah Stephenson, Ryan Beck), March Hare (Tom Johnston, Clare Gruber), and Dormouse (Chloe Kavanaugh, Liam Nunn), she decides that home is where she belongs. But, before she can return home, she must battle the King (Ryan Shell, Trenton Williams) and Queen (Olivia Ross, Elaysha Brown) of Hearts along with their Royal Court (Sophie Willis, Keeta Moore, Katelyn Burkhart, Holden Beck, Brie Gruber, Emily Olson, Rachel Johnson, Akirria Mountain, Amauri Mountain), and hopefully, she won’t lose her head in the process.
Young people also participate behind the scenes in the roles of light technician (Kimberly Morrow), stage crew (Camryn Jones, Justin Cannon, Grace Walker), and set painters (Mary Kate Robertson, Brendan Kohler).
This summer, be sure to put Alice in Wonderland on your to-do list and take a journey to Wonderland. There are evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on July 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26 and matinees at 3:30 p.m. on July 19, 20, 26, 27. Tickets are available at the box office at the St. Simons Island Casino Theatre before the show. For more information, visit theislandplayers.com.
