Village Theatre KIDSTAGE Presents 'Charlie Brown'

Village Theatre KIDSTAGE Ensemble produces You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, running April 10-20, 2008 at the Everett Performing Arts Center. Based on the classic Charles M. Schultz's Peanuts comic strip, this award-winning musical is told through a series of songs and vignettes that mimic the four-panel format used by the original cartoon strip. The KIDSTAGE production is based on the 1999 revival of the musical which received two Tony Awards. The revival version of the show has been updated and re-orchestrated since the original production; it has challenging four part harmonies and contemporary pop rhythms.

"The show is written for only six actors, so the director developed a creative concept, without changing any part of the script, which involves 51 young performers.  The six principal roles of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder, Linus, Snoopy and Sally, are each played by three actors, who are each playing a version of the individual characters. The lines and scenes are broken up so the performers play the same role for every show; the production is not triple cast. Utilizing the comic strip concept, the set incorporates three 8x8-foot frames, allowing all three actors playing each principal character to create a live comic strip. Another example of this concept is a scene where one of the actors playing Charlie Brown acts out a song, while another Charlie Brown sings the number.

Charles Shultz developed a large number of different Peanuts characters over the course of his lengthy career. Our ensemble was asked to research those characters and choose one that they would like to portray in the show. Their presence within the ensemble scenes is invaluable as it adds to the strength of each large musical number. There is also a Beagle Scout Ensemble comprised of second and third graders from surrounding areas. Ten of the youngest players follow Woodstock and play the roles of the little birds, often represented as Snoopy's Scouts," press notes state.

What makes this show even more unique and special is its incorporation of Village Theatre's Teen Access to Professionals program (TAP). This particular KIDSTAGE production boasts three student directors, two student choreographers, a student music director, and a student assistant stage manager. Each of these students is involved in learning the skills the position requires alongside trained professionals.
 
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown features 51 fourth to ninth grade students with a selection of second and third grade students in a full-scale musical, which includes professionally-designed sets, costumes, lights, and sound. Actors are selected through a highly competitive audition process, and the show is directed, choreographed, and musically directed by skilled theatre professionals.

For more information, please contact Michelle Sanders at (425) 392-1942 x124 or at msanders@villagetheatre.org. Photos are available on our website, www.villagetheatre.org.
 
About Village Theatre KIDSTAGE:

Designed to encourage teamwork, personal integrity, self-esteem, and a life-long appreciation for live theatre, KIDSTAGE is a year-round performing arts training program in Issaquah, Everett, and Stanwood for young people ages 3-20. KIDSTAGE students participate in classes, workshops and full-scale KIDSTAGE productions. All performances are by KIDSTAGE students and classes are taught by professional theatrical instructors.

About Village Theatre

Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. What began in 1979 with the vision of a small group of dedicated theatre artists has grown into one of the region's best-attended resident theatres, with over 18,000 subscribers to the current season and 165,000 projected total attendance, performances on seven stages in the Puget Sound area, youth education programs serving over 53,000 young people, families, and schools annually, and a nationally recognized program that has enabled the development of over 75 new musicals. Serving an expanding and diverse community, Village Theatre has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years with the start of our contract as the resident performing and management company at the Everett Performing Arts Center in 1998. 

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