News

Rebranded as Playhouse Jr., theater expands youth programming

By Lightning Reports, Published: March 10, 2023

The education program at Flat Rock Playhouse announced that it has a new name, Playhouse Jr.!, and is offering a variety of classes and performing opportunities for young people.

Youth programming at Flat Rock Playhouse has had many names over the past 40-plus years. We’ve been called Flat Rock Children’s Theatre, Theatre for Young People (TYP), YouTheatre and Studio 52.

Playhouse Jr. is classes and camps for K-12th Graders and Adults. Playhouse Jr. is MainStage shows performed by and for our Playhouse Jr. students and families, a touring company that visits our local schools and is performed by our fall Apprentices and a brand new licensing program for our original and engaging Playhouse Jr. Productions. Slowpoke! The True Story of a Tortoise and Hare makes its world premiere on the Rock in November.

Here's the Playhouse's description of the youth programs:

• Playhouse Jr. classes are semester long classes and summer camps in musical theatre, musical theatre dance, and acting. We serve the children, young adults, and adults of Western North Carolina. We offer scholarships to those students in need through our Dave Hart Scholarship fund. We build confidence, help students reach their fullest potential, and give them state of the art theatre arts education. K-12th Grades and Adults.
• Playhouse Jr. Shows perform on the MainStage and are fully supported by Flat Rock Playhouse and our professional technical elements. Our family programming gives local students and families a chance to be on our stage and in our audience. We will be the world premiere of all of our upcoming and brand new Playhouse Jr. Show material. We will also continue to produce great classics as we have in the past. Examples include: Willy Wonka, Charlotte's Web, and Aladdin. We offer young artists the opportunity to grow through our professional theatre experience.
• Playhouse Jr. Touring Company travels to public elementary and middle schools throughout Western North Carolina and surrounding areas. We offer a professional theatre experience that we bring to the schools. All of our shows are based on education and literature. We are growing and inspiring our future theatre-goers, making education fun and exciting, bringing history to life, and making the arts accessible to all ages and backgrounds. This touring company embodies what theatre arts exposure should be. This tour also allows us to continue our legacy of "growing our own". We will be giving early career professionals the ability to perform, create, write, direct, and design.
• Playhouse Jr. Licensing offers affordable shows to schools, children's theaters, and community theaters looking for new, fresh, and age appropriate materials for their students and performers. We offer professional works that are premiered by FRP, so our products are tested and ready to be produced by other theatre companies and schools. We tailor our material to youth performers and Theatre for Young Audiences.
• Playhouse Jr. Summer Camps: Online registration is now open for 2023 Summer Camps. Visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org/education for more information.

For more information contact Lauren Hopkins at lrogershopkins@flatrockplayhouse.org.