Dozens of young people perform in three Sudbury theatre productions

Almost 100 youth are participating in three theatre productions happening across Sudbury leading into the Holiday season.

From Frozen to Elf and even Oliver, officials said this week that they hope the shows will not only be an outlet for the 94 performers but will also inspire those in the audience to give theatre a try.

“Theatre has been proven to … enhance people’s public speaking abilities, people’s performance in their overall life,” said Jeff Burton, co-owner of the biggest little theatre company.

“You know, just socially being able to interact with people. So, we really want to get the kids going off on the right foot and get them growing in the theatre.”

The company is putting on Elf Jr., The Musical, at the Dr. Edgar Leclair Community Centre running till Sunday.

“We’re on our eighth show now and we just got our own space, so we’ll be moving into a permanent location as of January,” Burton said.

“We get to double the number of kids that can be in shows, and we can just start offering classes.”

The Sudbury Performance Group has three performances left of Frozen Jr., which has seen sold-out crowds at the Sheridan Auditorium in Sudbury Secondary School.

“Princess Anna and Elsa, and Olaf and Sven and everybody,” said Mark Mannisto, Sudbury Performance Group Theatre director.

“It’s a wonderful Holiday show that is just larger than life and, and really puts people into the Holiday spirit.”

Yes Theatre has 21 youth taking part in its production of Oliver, which also runs until Sunday.

“For a lot of them, this is their first time performing,” said actress Emmnuela Van Allen.

“For a lot of them, this is their second or third time working Yes Theatre. And they are just a wonderful group of talented, incredible individuals.”

All three companies encourage anyone interested to audition for a show and see how it goes.

“The biggest thing I’d say is you just need to get out and try,” Mannisto said.

“I know a lot of the times that’s the hardest part … taking that first step. But all of us here in Sudbury, we just want to make sure that we’re giving an opportunity for the young ones to get involved.”

Tickets to some of the performances are still available and Elf Jr. has a pay-what-you-can option for its Thursday performance.

By Lyndsay Aelick, CTVNorthernOntario.ca Journalist