Every year, The Naples Players welcomes 600 students, ages 4-18, for its youth education program, KidzAct. Created in 2002, KidzAct has blossomed from an after-school program into a full-fledged theater program, staging multiple productions each year. Through scholarships and outreach programs at area schools, no child who wants to participate is turned away.
Comprised of three different sessions—Summer, Fall and Winter/Spring—KidzAct offers a variety of levels of classes geared for children ages four to nine; workshops and intro to acting classes for preteens; and teen programs for kids 12 and up. The KidzAct production classes, open for kids nine and older, work towards full stage productions each year, including the annual presentation of The Nutcracker Goes Pop! this December.
Scheduled for December 12-14 and 19-21, The Nutcracker Goes Pop! is a twist on the holiday classic with a cast comprised of children from KidzAct. As with any stage productions, kids must go through the audition process and participate in rehearsals to hone their singing, dancing and acting skills. The production includes students from each KidzAct under classes, with the bunnies coming from the PreAct class (ages 4-5), the mice from KinderAct (ages 5-6), the toys coming from FirstAct (ages 6-7), toy soldiers coming from SecondAct (ages 7-8), and the ThridAct (ages 8-9) performing two numbers in the production, as well as students nine and older from the KidzAct upper classes. Since September, production classes have concentrated on several of the numbers and advanced pieces from the show, honing their singing, dancing and acting skills for the big Sugden Community Theatre main stage debut this week.
- Showtimes: December 12-13 and 19-20 at 7 p.m.; December 14 and 21 at 2 p.m.
- Tickets cost $15 for adults, $10 for students.
- For more information, call the box office at 239-263-7990 or visit naplesplayers.org/kidzact.
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