Take the stage: Asheville Junior Theatre combines performance with inclusion
Just keep swimming – that’s the mantra of Dory from “Finding Nemo” and it applies to the cast members of Asheville Junior Theatre’s upcoming production of “Finding Nemo Jr.” as they prepare to take the stage May 27 – 28 at the Diana Wortham Theatre.
Kelly Haas is the producer and director of AJT. She said it is her passion project – and her aim is to produce a high quality show that can entertain all ages, while allowing students to blossom.
“We began rehearsing last February (2022), for our first show, which was “Matilda, Jr.,” Haas said. “I had previously lived in California my whole life, actually, and then I moved to Asheville. In California, I was working with a junior theater company, where my daughter was performing since she was 5 years old, and I was doing sets and costumes and props and having so much fun doing that.”
Haas applies her own creativity and enlists the help of an experienced team to ensure that AJT productions “go all out” with costumes, sets and props, giving the young cast – and audiences – an event to remember.
AJT offers two programs. For main stage shows, like “Finding Nemo Jr.,” the cast includes children ages 8 – 18. The mini company, for ages 4 – 7, introduces kids to the beginning concepts of singing, acting and dancing. While there is a fee for participating and taking the classes needed to prepare for shows, Haas said she does not want that to be a barrier.
“I don't want money to be something that stands in the way of the kids being able to experience the arts and have this awesome experience,” she said.
To that end, Haas works with families to help ensure their children can participate in productions and that others can see the shows, and she welcomes the support of donors who help make that possible.
Especially as children find their way out of the pandemic years, Haas said several parents have told her what a difference it has made for their children to be a part of a show, going from a negative trajectory to one that “literally changed the course of their entire life,” she said.
Those bigger lessons are at play as the cast rehearses and prepares for their time in the spotlight.
“We do see a very big difference in our kids from day one versus three to four months later, when we perform the show,” Haas said. “A lot of that comes from the fact that some of these kids have a lot of experience in this and some of them have never done this before. The ones who've never done this before come in, and they're super shy and quiet and nervous and don't know what's going on and what it takes to put on the show. And, you know, by the time the show comes, they're projecting and they're looking out and up at the audience, and they're excited to be there. I feel like we make a profound impact on the children in that way.”
Learn more about Asheville Junior Theater, including classes and more, at ashevillejuniortheater.com.
“Finding Nemo, Jr.” is presented at 2 and 6 p.m. May 27 and at 2 p.m. May 28 at the Diana Wortham Theatre at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $20 each and are available at worthamarts.org/events/finding-nemo-jr.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Take the stage: Asheville Jr. Theatre combines performance, inclusion
