Everett KIDSTAGE Announces Student-Written New Work Celebrating Diverse Perspectives

Village Theatre's KIDSTAGE Originals program is excited to announce a workshop production of a brand-new musical written by five students last spring. The show, titled This Is What They Tell Me, represents the first public presentation of a new musical written by KIDSTAGE students in the Everett community - an exciting new step for an already comprehensive theatre arts education program.

The KIDSTAGE Originals program is a one-of-a-kind opportunity unique to Village Theatre that began in Issaquah in 2002 and has seen many great successes over the years. Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning writer Brian Yorkey was one of the program's first leaders, and mentored several projects himself while he was still residing locally. The program brings together a group of students and gives them mentorship and resources to create something completely new. The students often choose to write shows with themes that are relevant and personal to today's teens, with past shows focusing on such topics as bullying, teen suicide, school lockdowns, and more.

"The energy in the rehearsal room is electric," said KIDTSAGE Education Manager and script editor, Mauri Zingarelli. "the student actors are thrilled to tell a story that celebrates diversity in ethnicity, gender expression, mental health, and body size. I've personally seen the student writers develop vital life skills such as collaboration, compassion, dedication, and commitment. Their confidence in their own identities is soaring as they begin to see their stories represented on stage."

Written with the purpose of celebrating diverse perspectives, This Is What They Tell Me explores the consequences of stereotyping others and asks the question, "How do we define ourselves?" It is the story of five students who are all teased at school for being different. When they are given an assignment to research historical figures, each are inspired to accept their own, and each other's differences.

Authors Rylynn Davis, Shannon LaVelle, Logan Gibbs, Emily Strickland, and Annie Emans, who were mentored by theatre industry professionals Chelsea LeValley and Aaron Norman, have each been involved with KIDSTAGE in a myriad of other capacities - as actors, costume apprentices, and Institute students, prior to working on this production. Each student identifies with the character they wrote and are thrilled to present a musical that represents the diversity of the teenage experience. ""This Is What They Tell Me is a story that I feel deserves to be heard," said writer Logan Gibbs. "It's the voice of so many people that haven't had their voice expressed in modern media, and I think everyone can find a little bit of their truth in every character."

The presentation of the show will be a workshop production with limited sets and costumes. Modeled similarly to Village Theatre's Beta Series which fosters groundbreaking new works from across the country, this format allows the writers to understand the logistics and presentation of the show, while still allowing flexibility, as they continue revising the script and score up until the performances.

The presentation will be directed by Kate Jaeger with musical direction by Michael Nutting and will take place at Everett's Cope Gillette Theatre on February 9th at 7:30 PM and 10th at 4:00 PM. For more information visit www.VillageKIDSTAGE.org.

About Village Theatre
Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, WA, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining, quality productions since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended theatres, with approximately 20,000 Subscribers and 220,000 projected total attendance each season. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having supported the creation of over 160 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow's audiences through its Youth Education and Outreach programs, KIDSTAGE and Pied Piper, serving over 58,000 young people and their families annually.