NH Theatre Factory to Launch Summer Youth Training Program

The NH Theatre Factory, a brand new professional theater company in Southern NH, announces the start of its professional youth training program with a unique summer theater arts intensive.

"We are very excited to start this program," says Artistic Director Joel Mercier, "what we've planned for this summer is the perfect way to introduce our education program to the community." NHTF's summer intensive will be taught by a mixture of both local & industry professionals from NYC, designed as a training program for young performers interested in learning all aspects of theater. Created for beginner and experienced students alike, the program is designed to focus on the education of numerous disciplines within the performing arts including acting, music, movement, & technical theater. "What makes our program unique are the people teaching it," says Mercier, "we have many connections to professional union performers, directors & designers who would love to come up to NH and share their talent and passion for theater." Each student will work with over half-a-dozen teachers with extensive professional resumes that include regional theaters from all over the country, national tours, and even Broadway.

NHTF is less than a year old, but holds a lot of promise for the NH theater scene. "When we first started to build NHTF we knew that we wanted three distinct branches of operation: our Mainstage Season, New Works Development, and an extensive Education Program," says Mercier. NHTF announced its presence back in April 2013 and produced its first professional production, an original musical murder mystery called Ghost Hunting, this past October. Mercier felt the original production fulfilled the first two branches of operation, but was eager to see the education branch begin. "We believe that a professional theater company has a responsibility to the next generation of actors, designers, directors and theater patrons to host a robust education program. Educational programs expand a theater's reach into the community, open the door to partnership opportunities, and bring theater to life for students of all ages." Producing Director Wallace Pineault agrees and mentions, "To us, theater education is first and foremost about learning a craft. The emphasis of our summer program is training, not performance. Our philosophy is that educational theatre is about growth and learning, not production elements. Craft comes first."

The two-week program is open to ages 8 to 17 and will run Monday through Friday, August 4 through 15 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at NHTF's current home, the Upper Village Hall in East Derry, NH. Parents can sign students up by registering at www.nhtheatrefactory.org. Space is limited so please sign up now. Program Tuition is $440 per student. A discounted rate is available to households who would like to send more than one child. Scholarships are not available at this time, but they are something NHTF will be working very hard to make available in the future. For more information or to register please visit our website at www.nhtheatrefactory.org.

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