A brand new Youth Art Council, started by three 14-year-old girls in Grade Nine at the Sun Peaks School, is bringing theatre to Sun Peaks as their first project.
Mila Roberts, Natasha Purvis and Abigail Rinaldi have been hard at work getting a group of local kids through rehearsals for their production of Outside the Box by JPS Yates.
Helped by Roberts’ theatre background and passion for the arts, the group is directing, planning the venue, working on the set and getting costumes together for the show, with the support of ArtZone Sun Peaks.
“They’ve given us a budget to work with, and they’re helping us fund everything, which has been amazing,” Rinaldi said.
Roberts goes to the Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops on Mondays, but has noticed the lack of theatre in Sun Peaks.
“I just wanted to give something to the kids,” she said. “…kind of like I always wanted.”
The final production is set for April 27 and will be accessible to all, with the option to enter and view by donation.
The production: Outside the Box by JPS Yates
Requiring six young actors in Grade Five and up, the play revolves around toys in a nursery mimicking office life, with one toy set to be donated to make space for more, newer ones.
Out of the six characters needed, five have been cast.
“We’ve mostly gotten [grade] fives and sixes,” Purvis said about the cast’s ages. “We might spread it to fours, just to fill up that last spot.”
Rehearsals have been underway and the kids have begun blocking the scenes and are taking their scripts home to practice there as well.
“I think we’re all pretty confident that now that the kids have kind of experienced rehearsals and they’re having fun, that they’ll spread the word for our last role,” Rinaldi said.
“It’s been really fun,” Roberts added. “The kids we’re working with are so sweet.”
Regarding the set, Purvis said they have an idea of what they’re going to do and will be figuring out low-cost costume options with the help of ArtZone.
“We’ve heard from parents a lot that they’re really glad that they [the kids] have this opportunity,” she added.
The Youth Art Council going forward
The Youth Art Council has been bouncing around ideas for keeping their work alive in the future.
Future projects could include another production or classes depending on how big community interest is following their initial launch with the show.
Though the council began with the thought of bringing theatre to the kids of Sun Peaks, since working with ArtZone the group has considered other arts opportunities.
By potentially incorporating themselves into some of ArtZone’s initiatives such as craft fairs, the group’s goal, Rinaldi said, is to include the kids of Sun Peaks.
What did you think of this story?
Sun Peaks Independent News is your essential source for community news in Sun Peaks. Your feedback after we publish a story helps ensure we're always improving our reporting to better serve you.
