Set your flux capacitors to Friday, June 3 and prepare to have a great time. That’s when the Canyon Theatre Guild will present – for one night only – “Junior Cabaret: Back to the Summer.”
This fund-raising event, filled with music, dance, and laughter, features some of the most talented and enthusiastic kids in the Santa Clarita Valley.
“Back to the Summer” is a musical romp through time, jam-packed with upbeat songs from across the decades. Best of all, the proceeds support the Canyon Theatre Guild, a non-profit organization that offers the best in children’s theater and family entertainment.
Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking news alerts delivered right to your inbox
The Junior Cabaret features performers between the ages of 3 and 18, performing songs, comedy and dance numbers. For nearly a decade the Junior Cabaret has been an evening filled with amazing songs and dance numbers.
This year, playwright / co-director Wade Bradford has written an original script which ties all the musical numbers together. In fact, during the rehearsal process, Wade asked the children and teens to contribute to the story, adding their own hilarious skits, making “Back to the Summer” both a theatrical fund-raising event and a world-premiere show.
Ticket prices include snacks, desserts, and other delicious food fare. In addition to the show, there will be a silent auction, raffle tickets, and a costume contest, where audience members can win fun prizes for dressing up in clothes from their favorite era.
The home of our theater family is a beautiful building located in the heart of the Arts District in downtown Newhall. As you can imagine, the upkeep, utilities, and staffing gets expensive. (Not to mention all of the costumes, props, and sets.) Even though our shows are popular and tickets sales are great, fund raising events help our non-profit theater stay afloat, especially during tough economic times.
Proceeds from Junior Cabaret will benefit the theater’s youth workshop programs, as well as family season shows such as the upcoming “Anne of Green Gables” and “A Little Princess.”
The young performers in the Junior Cabaret do not pay a fee and there is no tuition to be in the show. These terrific kids, and their equally terrific parents, have collectively volunteered hundreds over hours towards this production. During those long rehearsals, the kids learn a variety of theatre skills, and perhaps more importantly, they learn the value of teamwork and self-confidence.
Whether a child wants to pursue a career in acting, or simply wants to have fun in a positive environment, the theater is an exceptional place for young people to learn and grow. Patti Finley and Leslie Berra, both directors of countless children’s theater productions, have spent years nurturing and educating young performers. Many of those kids have come back to the theater as adults, contributing in hundreds of ways.
Leah Di Paola, the co-director of this year’s Junior Cabaret and Marcella Lively, the show’s vocal director, spent most of their teenage summers in shows and theater workshops at the CTG. Now, they are fostering a new generation of theater lovers, ensuring that talent and creativity will continue to thrive in our community.
Seats for “Junior Cabaret: Back to the Summer” are priced at $20 and $40 and can be reserved at the theater’s box office at (661) 799-2702. Buffet and desserts will be available beginning at 6:30 pm, and the curtain goes up at 7:30pm.