The Warner Presents ELF JR.

The students of the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education will present the first production of this year's Young Actors Series, ELF JR., in the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre on November 17 and 18, 2018. The Young Actors Series is sponsored by The Lufkin Family Foundation.

Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and that his half-brother doesn't even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Based on the cherished New Line Cinema hit, ELF JR. features songs by Tony Award-nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, with a book by Tony Award-winners, Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin.

The Young Actors Series gives students of the WTCAE the unique opportunity to showcase the skills they have learned in their performing arts classes at the WTCAE through high-caliber, full-scale theatrical productions on the Warner's magnificent Main Stage and Nancy Marine Studio Theatre Stage.

Performances of ELF JR. are November 17 at 2 & 7 pm and November 18 at 2 pm. Tickets are available by calling the Warner Box Office at 860-489-7180 or visiting warnertheatre.org

Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as "Connecticut's Most Beautiful Theatre." Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat Studio Theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA's mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region.

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