FAC's Youth Repertory Ensemble to Present APPLAUSE

The FAC's Youth Repertory Ensemble, currently in its 15th season, is a 5-week conservatory training program for aspiring theatre performers, designers and technicians ages 14 to 18 - the only program of its kind in Colorado. The culmination of their work will take the form of a production of the knock-your-socks-off musical, Applause.

This year's company consists of 19 students from the greater Pikes Peak region, all of whom auditioned and/or interviewed to be included in the program. Participants in this year's Youth Repertory Ensemble include students who attend:

Air Academy High School
Cheyenne Mountain High School
Coronado High School
Discovery Canyon Campus
Fountain Valley School of Colorado
Manitou Springs High School
Palmer Ridge High School
Pine Creek High School
St. Mary's High School
The Classical Academy College Pathways
Thomas MacLaren School

Alumni of the FAC Youth Rep program have gone on to attend institutions of higher learning studying the performing arts, recently including: New York University, University of Colorado - Boulder, Northwestern University, and University of Notre Dame.

The students spend 8 hours a day for 5 weeks at the FAC participating in classes including movement, scene study, tap dancing, playwriting, audition technique, script analysis and many others. They then spend the bulk of the afternoons rehearsing their performances for Applause.

Although these are mostly high school kids from throughout the region acting, singing dancing and doing tech, this will certainly NOT be a high school production.

Applause, a Tony Award-winner, was produced on Broadway in 1970 and ran for nearly three years. It's based on the 1950 film All About Eve and the short story on which the movie is based, Mary Orr's The Wisdom of Eve. The story centers on aging star Margo Channing, who innocently takes a fledgling actress under her wing, unaware that the ruthless Eve is plotting to steal her career and her life.

A significant element of the immersive program is the culminating theater production, which is open to the public, and which gives them the thrilling and invaluable experience of sharing their brilliant performance before a live, public audience.

The Fine Arts Center believes that the development of theatrical skills is a life-long journey. To that end, our theatre training programs begin with classes for children as young as 4 years old. Our comprehensive programming is specifically designed to foster development right up to high school graduation. We want our students to become part of the FAC family as they pursue further training in the arts.