THT Young Company Performs a Holiday Extravaganza, 12/14 & 15

Happiness, song and food are part of any holiday, and fifty local children and teenagers bring them together for EAT UP! A LIP-SMACKING MUSICAL TREAT, the second annual holiday entertainment that will be performed at Middlebury's Town Hall Theater.

"We have been working on this since late September," said THT Education Director, Lindsay Pontius. The project brings together three THT classes involving three different age groups. "This production is all about family fun," said Pontius. "Each class has been hard at work mastering theatre skills such as improvisation, ensemble building, movement and dance in order to collaborate on the final product."

The THT Young Company show choir carries the bulk of the narrative, which is loosely based on the tale of Hansel and Gretel. They sing and dance to standards, holiday favorites and Broadway show tunes. Combining middle and high school students, the choir includes Zaidie Barnard-Mayers, Ella Fitzcharles, Olivia Franklin, Eden Ginsburg, Michael Gyurkeri, Nani Hogan-Mairs, Nathalie Ingersoll, Sophie Lefkoe, Sophie Marks, Ian McKay, Harlow Punderson, Lucas Pyle, Hannah Roque, Lauren Turner, and Addison Wales.

Twenty 8-11 year olds are part of the Improviso class that have been developing a libretto to underscore the drama of the story. They are Chloe Alexander, Olivia Audet, Wren Colwell, Lydia Deppman, Ivy K. Doran, Alice Ganey, Malia Hodges, Sarah Holmes, Lily Isham, Amanda Kearns, Larkin Kenney, Suzie Klemmer, Emily LaFramboise, Tamra Lawlor, Anna McIntosh, Kira Murray, Ellie Ross, Jaden Rushton, Juliette Snell, and Megan Thomas-Danyow.

The littlest actors-in-training, ages 5-8, will perform as the Gingerbread Children. They are Asa Baker-Rouse, Catherine Carpenter, Ila Collette, Alice Early, Arianna Graham-Gurland, Amanda LaFramboise, Grace Leduc, Rhylee Macedo, Rose Murphy, Wesley Perdue, Mara Stevens, Alexandra Whitaker-Freita, Isabella Wilbur, and Thomas Wolosinski.

Performances at Middlebury's Town Hall Theater are Friday and Saturday December 14 and 15 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $10/ $5 Children 12 and under, and may be purchased at 802 382-9222, www.townhalltheater.org, at the THT Box Office (Mon-Sat, noon-5 pm) or at the door.