We just wanted to let you know that although we’ve worked really hard to make it work, our numbers are just not at a spot where we can put on a quality show with your children this summer. We had originally tried to combine all the classes into one week at one time, but in doing so have lost a number of students who couldn’t make the switch.

We have therefore found it necessary to cancel our class entirely.

Like you, we are disappointed, but realize that these things happen from time to time. We will save these very fun shows, however, and look forward to doing them next summer!

In the meantime, we wanted to let you know that we will be going forward with Fall classes on Tuesday evenings. We will have a 12 week session in the Fall, beginning in mid-September and culminating in a fabulous Christmas show. We’re so excited about it, that we’re already pulling out the Christmas music in the middle of July!

Thank you so much for your support. Have a great rest of the summer and we hope to see you in the fall!

Karli & Lois
Northwest Youth Theatre

This term has just flown by! In all the craziness of the end-of-the-year stuff, we wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page with us!

Performance
We sent home a letter a few weeks ago, but in case you didn’t see it for whatever reason: Our performance is this Friday, June 11^th at 7:00pm, here at Brown Middle School. There is no charge, and anyone you want to invite is welcome to come. We would appreciate it if you would give us an approximate headcount of the people you have invited by Wednesday, June 9^th, so we can ensure that enough chairs will be set up.

Both Big Brats and Little Brats will be performing, with a 15-minute intermission between the two shows, and a total running time of approximately one hour. Both groups will be there for the whole show, as the Little Brats will be performing a finale number with the Big Brats at the end. Students should plan to be at the school by 6:00pm.

Costumes
Little Brats: We will be providing a majority of the costuming.  All Little Brats should come dressed in all black. Long sleeves and pants are preferred.  Shoes should sturdy tennis-shoe type (no sandals or slippery dress shoes please) and should be as dark as possible. Please note that at the beginning of the term, we had said we would be requiring students to buy t-shirts. We have decided this will not work with the costuming, so you don’t need to do that! If you have ANY problem at all procuring black clothing, PLEASE let us know, as we can help.

Big Brats: We will be providing the shirts for Big Brats. Please wear comfortable jeans or pants underneath pajamas/robes (that will be taken off mid-show). Bring small pillows and blankets and bean bag chairs if available. Shoes should be sturdy tennis shoes.

Dress Rehearsal
In addition to our regular Tuesday night rehearsal, our dress rehearsal will be Wednesday, June 9th. Our rehearsal times for both days will be extended and overlapped on this day, so that we will have an opportunity to rehearse our finale. Little Brats will rehearse from 5:00pm – 6:30pm. Big Brats will rehearse from 6:00pm – 7:30pm. Students should come dressed in their performance clothing for the dress rehearsal.

Also, we would like to ask that if possible, you refrain from attending our final dress rehearsal on Wednesday. It is our last chance to get things right, and the kids need all the concentration we can provide them. Having younger siblings, extra family, or people taking pictures can make things very difficult. If you must stay, we ask that you sit in the very back and remain as quiet as possible. Thank you!!

Help Needed!
We are in need of help setting up and taking down chairs for the performance. Lois and Karli are just two people and though we can do many things, setting up hundreds of chairs pushes us over our limits. If you are available, please come at 5:00pm on Friday, June 11^th to help set up chairs and/or stay afterward to help put them away! Much thanks!!

Summer Registration
We have some exciting shows coming up this summer! Join us for each of our week-long day camps, July 12-16 and July 19-23^rd. We have extended our early registration discount available only for our current students who enroll in Summer Camps. Register for summer by our performance on Friday, June 11^th and receive a $15.00 discount for each student you enroll. See us for more details.

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask us if you have any questions!

Karli & Lois

Our Winter 2010 performances were an astounding success, and we just had so much fun. In fact, we had so much support and interest for our last performance, we are looking into the possibility of moving our Spring 2010 performances to a larger stage, such as Century High School! We’ll keep you posted with those updates.

If you have not yet registered, we wanted to let you know that we do still have some additional spaces open. Don’t wait to reserve your spot, though, because openings are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. We will do our best to accommodate everyone who shows up, but we cannot guarantee slots to those who are not pre-registered.

If you have registered already, we look forward to seeing you Tuesday at the Brown Middle School Cafeteria/Stage. Little Brats (1st – 3rd grade) meets from 5:00pm-6:00pm and Big Brats (4th-6th grade) will meet from 6:15-7:15pm.

Register now at http://www.nwyouththeatre.org/registration.php

Karli & Lois
NW Youth Theatre
503-336-5648

Little Brats – “E-I E-I– Oops!” Let’s take a trip to see Old MacDonald and all of his animals. The whole barnyard is singin’…the rooster’s singin’ tenor, the mule chimes in on bass, the chicks are pretty good altos, and the sheep are all over the place! But wait! Something’s wrong with Madame Cow… she just can’t moo! Join the fun as the animals all do their part to save the day! This play is just right for students in 1st through 3rd grade. Costumes, speaking lines for every participant and funny songs make this trip to the farm memorable for everyone! Don’t miss out!

Big Brats – “It’s Saturday!” It’s our very favorite day of the week. And this is a  favorite show here at NYT. There is so much to do! We’re going to have get rolling early if we want to catch up on the fun we missed out on all week long. 4th through 6th graders will love every moment of this fast-paced show. We’ll race from “’Toon Time” to “The Chore Song.” You know we’ll be right on time for practice, because “That’s My Mother, the Coach!” And we are going to finish their day the best way of all—with a “Slumber Party Tonight.” Speaking lines, props, catchy tunes—this show has it all—as long as you join us for the fun!

It’s a Jungle Out There!

and

At The Hop

7:00pm at Brown Middle School
Cost is Free

Both Big Brats and Little Brats will be performing, with a 15-minute intermission between the two shows. Both groups will be there for the whole show, as the Little Brats will be performing a finale number with the Big Brats at the end. Students should plan to be at the school by 6:00pm.

Extra Rehearsals

We will be having an additional rehearsal on Monday, March 15th at regular times.

Our dress rehearsal will be Tuesday, March 16^th. Our rehearsal times will be extended and overlapped on this day, so that we will have an opportunity to rehearse our finale. Little Brats will rehearse from 5:00pm – 6:30pm. Big Brats will rehearse from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.

Visit our “Programs” page for information about the upcoming sessions, and then reserve your spot today!

Prepay for our Spring Term by March 30th, or for our Summer Camps by June 1st for a Prepayment Discount.

Northwest Youth Theatre is an Oregon Not-for-Profit 501(c)3 Corporation. Our purpose is to provide education and experience in the performing arts to children regardless of their past experience or training. It was founded  in 1995, and offers youth a variety of performing opportunities, through after school and summer day camp programs for children from preschool through high school. NYT classes are filled without requiring students to audition — we believe that by working on performance skills and team-building activities in the rehearsal process, every group of young people can produce an excellent program. In addition, NYT policy is that no child will be denied access to our programs because of inability to pay. Contact us for information on tuition assistance.

• You must be a currently enrolled student to qualify.
• Discount must be applied to the current term or the term immediately following.

Little Brats – 1st to 3rd grade “Brats” are going on a big adventure this winter. “It’s a Jungle Out There” features great songs and speaking parts for all performers. Students take the roles of jungle animals as they try to help King Leo find the “Key of Happiness.” Monkeys, Hyenas and Elephants all think they know the answer. Lights, costumes, sets, props—we have them all. Now, we just need YOU to make our trip to the jungle complete!

• Tuesday, December 1st – 5:30-7:00pm (Street Clothes)

• Tuesday, December 8th – 5:00-7:00pm (Street Clothes… please send your child with a small snack)

• Wednesday, December 9th – 5:00-7:00pm DRESS REHEARSAL – Wear Black Clothing, bring a small snack

• Friday, December 11th – PERFORMANCE – Students should arrive in Black Clothing by 6:15pm. Performance begins at 7:00pm

Hopefully you received a note home with your student last week, but we wanted to send a reminder for you.

Beginning tomorrow (Tuesday, November 24th) we will have combined rehearsals with both age groups. This is necessary so the students can learn the flow and continuity of the show. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes. Please let us know if we can put you in contact with someone with whom you may want to carpool. The schedule is listed at the bottom of this email.

PICTURES: We will be having a professional photographer come to take pictures of your child in costume. We like to have pictures of our classes as a momentum. You will also have the opportunity to view proofs and order pictures if you desire. We do not allow flash photography during our performances, so this is a chance to get a quality picture of your child in costume. More information will be sent home with your child after class tomorrow.

COSTUME: Have your child dressed in black pants and a black shirt tomorrow. Shirts with words and pictures are okay because they can be turned inside out, backwards, or be covered by the costume that we will provide. We have one or two extra if you absolutely can’t get one. Long sleeves are preferred, but short sleeves are okay. The pants should be ankle-length.

ATTENDANCE: We know this season has been tough on everyone’s health. Lois and Karli are no exceptions! Obviously, if your child is sick, or has had a fever within the previous 24 hours, you should keep him/her home. That said, please make every other effort to have your child at and on time for the next few rehearsals. We only have three weeks left until show time and we need every possible minute!!

SCRIPTS/MUSIC: Please continue to support your student in learning his/her lines and music. We asked last week that all children come with their lines memorized on Tuesday. Any help and encouragement from you in this process in appreciated.

Thank you again for your support. Let us know if you have any questions!

Sign up today!

*Note: You may register in person at the beginning of the first or second class sessions, as space is available. To ensure your spot, register online today.

Classes meet each Tuesday beginning October 6th through December 8th. We may find we need to add in a couple of additional rehearsals the week of December 8th. Performances will be with weekend of December 11th and 12th.

*Tuition for the month of December will be $22.50
**Paying in full by the first day of class gets you a 12% discount, for a total of $100.00

Both classes will be rehearsing and performing A Place in the Christmas Choir, by Alan Billingsley and John Jacobson.

“Fa, la, la, la, la…” Santa’s in the midst of rehearsing the elves, the Christmas Cats, a flock of Calling Birds, and a motley crew of bell-ringing reindeer in the Christmas Choir, when “Arrrrgh!” What’s that awful sound?! Happy the Hound Dog is lending his howl to the chorus. With original songs and dances, Happy the Hound dog and his friends help us to learn a special holiday message: that each of us has a special gift to share.

We hope you join us on October 6th when we start rehearsals! Visit our registration page today!

Please take a minute to look around the website. You’ll meet the instructors, get a feel for our philosophy, find out what programs are coming up and see how students, teachers and families feel about our work.