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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties Know Your Neighbor . . . . . . 2➤ Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . 4
Vol. 53, No. 9
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
Wagon Wheel Junior program gets kids hooked on theatre
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%\ /$85(1 =(8*1(5 (GLWRU Over 100 children ages 9-18 showed up at the Wagon Wheel Theatre Sunday, Aug. 19, to audition for its upcoming Wagon Wheel Junior production of “You, Ain’t Nothin’ But A Werewolf,” which will take the stage Oct. 27-29. Wagon Wheel Junior presents two full musicals each year. The fall production for Wagon Wheel Junior is usually Halloween based, with the theatre hosting an open house with a variety of different booths young theatre attendees can check out before the performance. Those attending the show are also encouraged to wear their Halloween costume. Wagon Wheel Junior began in 2012 offering performancebased learning experiences for children interested in theatre.
$ 48,(7 020(17 ³ 7ZR PHPEHUV RI WKH FDVW RI ´3ULQFHVV :KDWVKHUQDPH µ ZKLFK ZDV SUHVHQWHG HDUOLHU WKLV \HDU VKDUH D VFHQH WRJHWKHU :DJRQ :KHHO -XQLRU SURGXFWLRQV DUH GRQH ZLWKLQ WZR ZHHNV 3KRWR SURYLGHG E\ :DJRQ :KHHO &HQWHU IRU WKH $UWV Scott Michaels, artistic director for Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, explained Wagon Wheel Junior started out as a summer program. He started visiting area schools, talk-
ing to children about what they would be interested in regarding a theatre experience. Most wanted something that was performance based rather than classes.
“We were trying to fill that void for youth,” Michaels said, explaining many area schools don’t have theatre programs. That first production featured 20 young actors ages 9 and 10. From audition, rehearsal and the entire production process, participants in the program learn what it takes to put on a production, all within two weeks. “Once they get in, they tend to get hooked. This gives them an outlet and then they can do their other activities,” Michaels said. Children from across the region, of any skill or experience level, are welcome and encouraged to come out and audition. “Some have never done a show before, some have done 20,” Michaels said of the children, who come to audition for the shows. During the audition process, Continued on page 3