The Crookston Community Theatre and Stages Musical Theatre for Kids are partnering up once again for a performance of Disney’s The Lion King Kids. The performance will be held at the Highland School Auditorium on Friday, July 24, at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $3 for ages 12 and under and $5 for ages 13 and older.
Registration for performers is open to kids entering third through ninth grade and will take place on Monday, July 20, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at Highland School. Cost is $25 and includes a t-shirt. Community Theatre treasurer Lynne Mullins loves seeing so many kids getting involved with the theatre and is proud to keep the partnership with Stages Musical Theatre for Kids going again this year. “We really do like working with Stages,” said Mullins. “They’re based in Grand Forks, but they go do camps like this in many of the small towns in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota and keep coming back every year because there really is interest, and that’s part of community theatre. We like to get them interested.”
Normally, this performance would occur during Ox Cart Days, but the theatre board and co-president Gaye Wick felt that moving it away from an already crowded week of activities in Crookston would allow more kids to participate. “Now this is different from in the past,” Wick explained. “We’ve usually done this during Ox Cart Days, but we changed this year, and I think this will be better for everyone. Even with the performance, you’re still getting done on a Friday night, so if you’re going to go to the lake, you can still go to the lake. You can do your weekend thing.”
The kids will rehearse Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Highland School auditorium. They are asked to bring their own lunch and water each day as they work on learning several songs, dance sequences, and dialogue for the performance. “Now this is a one-week camp, and just imagine learning the entire show in one week with songs, lines, staging, etc,” said Wick. “And the kids do this, and they do it very well, and it’s just really a fun experience. They’re excited about it when they walk in each day.”
The theatre appreciates the support they receive from the community and loves to give back to students through its scholarship program. Students can receive up to $500 for education and $300 for summer camps and other workshops during the year. “We do have scholarship money for college students,” said Wick. “Maybe in the summer, there’s some camp they want to go to. They can apply for that, and we rarely turn anyone down because we’re so happy that they will do that. It could be music camps, theater camps, graphics, fine arts, or culinary.”
Anyone with questions about the performance or registration can contact Children’s Theatre Coordinator Fugi Baig at 218-230-4976.
