Feature: OLIVER! Showcases Fabrefaction's Students

The Fabrefaction Theatre Conservatory recently finished their performance of Oliver!, a musical adaptation of the popular Charles Dickens' story "Oliver Twist," at Atlanta's 7 Stages Theatre.

Featuring a mix of Fabrefaction's conservatory students and Atlanta's professional working actors, Fabrefaction's Oliver! offered a new take on the musical. The Victorian London setting that audiences have come to expect in Oliver! transformed into a modernized, degraded world that was both distant and familiar. The show's director and Fabrefaction's artistic director, Christina Hoff, feels their interpretation of Oliver! gave their production team and cast a worthy challenge to showcase their talents, stating, "Making the show relevant to a modern audience has provided us with an amazing opportunity to put our script analysis skills to the test and find a truly unique take on one of Broadway's most beloved musicals."

Along with showcasing their play analysis skills, Fabrefaction picked Oliver! to give their conservatory students an opportunity to take on more complex story. As Christina explains, "After the huge success of our conservatory productions of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, West Side Story, and Peter Pan, we realized that our entire student ensemble was ready to take it to the next level. Oliver! was the perfect choice to challenge both our students and professional actors."

Created in 2004 by Christina and her mother Evelyn Hoff, Fabrefaction has transformed from a charitable theatre ministry to an Atlanta-based conservatory that provides students ranging from grades K through 12 an opportunity to learn important kills in the professional theatre world. Christina notes the services and classes they are able to provide their students separates them from other theatre companies in Atlanta, saying, "FTC is the only organization in Atlanta that trains the next generation of artists and arts advocates through intensive, cutting-edge conservatory classes that are applied to professional performance opportunities. In addition, through programs like Junior Company and the Student Producers, our students are trained to be artistic entrepreneurs to make them nationally competitive and set them up to have sustainable, independent careers."

Keep an eye out for more productions and upcoming classes from Fabrefaction by visiting their main website at www.fabrefaction.org, and get the latest news on the theatre company by subscribing to their Facebook page.