A cast of nearly 40 area youths ages 5 through 11 are staging an upbeat and fun-filled production this evening that will welcome audience members back to the 608-seat Holland Theatre, now operating at full capacity with no restrictions.
The area children enrolled in a theater workshop present the aptly named, “Save Our Spotlight,” slated for 7 p.m. today, Friday, July 16, following their efforts to polish their acting, singing and dancing skills from professional actors and choreographers.
“We’re excited to welcome back our biggest audience since the pre-pandemic times, back to March of 2020,” the theater’s managing director Chris Westhoff said Thursday during the workshop hosted by Mad River Theater Works and Windmill Productions.
“It’s wonderful to be back here again in the theater,” agreed choreographer Suzanne Dennis from Windmill Productions. “It’s been a dry spell for far too long, and we’re so excited to entertain audiences at our beloved theater.”
Tickets are $10 for adults or $5 for youths ages 17 and under and are available through the theater’s box office by calling (937) 592-9002, online at www.thehollandtheatre.org, or at the door.
The storyline for Save Our Spotlight follows an overly ambitious theater manager, Evelyn, and her helpful and eager stage manager, Brandon, as they are faced with a predicament upon the closing of their theater. Wondering how they can re-open, they turn to children in the community to spark imaginations and get people back in the seats.
Westhoff said the production is a nod to the Holland Theatre’s past, when area school children rallied their community in the late 1990s to raise the funding needed to keep the theater open, and also to the recent mandated closures related to COVID-19.
“It’s a beautiful picture of area children being involved in bringing back the community to their theater,” Westhoff said. “The kids will get to share all that they’ve learned this week working with professional staff from Mad River Theater Works and Windmill Productions.”
While the Holland Theatre has played host to previous children’s workshops with outside organizations running the sessions, this is the first children’s workshop joining the talents from Logan County organizations of Windmill Productions and Mad River Theater Works.
In addition to Westhoff and Dennis, students are receiving expert guidance from workshop instructors Evelyn LeTeshia, Brandon Osley, Kris Swisher, Bob Lucas, Amelia Esther Lucas, Anastasia Hiatt and Maria Stolly. Tech support is provided by Quinten James and box office assistance by Rachel Moreland.
Financial support from the United Way of Logan County, Ohio Arts Council and National Endowment of the Arts enabled students this week to attend for just $30 each.
Youth cast members include: Abigail Church, Alexa Beard, Alexis Hogan, Amelia Himmeger, Annabella Walls, Annie Gallaway, Ashlyn Taylor, Autumn Walls, Blakely Vollrath, Brooklyn Browning, Brooks Bodin, Caleb Hudson, Cardyn Noel Rawlins, Chloe Marie Arthur, Danica Jolie Detwiler, Devyn Hogan, Dori Jervis, Ella Swisher, Evelyn Titus, Everlee Mae Stephens, Harlan Westhoff, Isabel Gilley, Jocelyn Church, Karlie Keller, Kaya Lowe, Kaydence Kay Stephens, Kinsley Brentlinger, Leon Reset-Stanford, Lexi McKirahan, Nora Nichelson, Olivia Titus, Rei Stamegna, Rosemary Moreland, Shelby Gantz and Zoe Jarvis.