choreography rehearsals. Plays are usually on a six-week
rehearsal schedule, set by the director.
The Juniors perform two shows per year, one being a
musical and the other a play or revue. The children who
participate in the Juniors program come from all areas of
Pittsburgh including McKeesport, White Oak, Elizabeth,
Port Vue, East McKeesport, Norwin, West Mifflin, Munhall,
Sutersville, Monroeville, Pleasant Hills, Natrona Heights,
Gibsonia and more.
“The Juniors program is a program like no other in the
area,” says Gerber. Classes start the Thursday after Labor Day
and run through the last show in June. The cost for the entire
year is only $30 per student, and scholarships are available
to those in need. “Running a Juniors class is a balancing act,”
continues Gerber. “It is a challenge to teach the new students
while keeping the older students engaged, or keeping the new
students from feeling intimidated when they watch the older
students do improv of their monologues. It is also a challenge
to find shows that will appeal to both fifth graders and high
school seniors.”
While the main stage theater only deals with experienced
and trained actors and actresses, the Juniors program works
with children who have little or no experience at all. “They
are basically blank slates for us to work with,” says Gerber.
The program teaches them a multitude of theatrical skills,
including how to think on their feet and perform improv, what
stage directions mean, to express themselves through facial
expressions and tone of voice, how to create a resume, how
to audition and so much more. The group even goes on field
trips every couple of years to New York City where students
take a class taught by a Broadway actor on how to audition. “If
students stay with MLT Juniors for more than a year or two—
even if they never do theater again—they walk away with a
confidence they did not have when they started. They have
learned how to share the spotlight with others and how to
command an audience. They have learned the skills necessary
for dealing with people—skills that will serve them all of their
lives no matter what their career path,” says Gerber.
“Having an outlet for children’s theater is important not
only because of all it offers our students, but it gives our young
audiences the opportunity to see characters they have read
about in books—in person!” she adds. “It gives children who
might otherwise not get to see live theater a chance to
do so.”
McKeesport Little Theater is a staple in the McKeesport
community and continues to give locals the opportunity to
see wonderfully produced and performed shows that rival
those done in professional theaters, but at a much lower cost.
“The best thing about being involved in McKeesport Little
Theater is being a part of the process of producing wonderful
shows for the community,” says Gerber. “You walk in looking
at a blank stage, and over a short period of time you get to
watch that stage magically become the plains of Oklahoma,
an apartment in New York City, the Land of Oz, the Addams
Family home or the pages of a story book! Live theater is an
experience like no other.”
For more information about McKeesport Little Theater and
the upcoming season, to audition or to become involved, call
412.673.1100, email [email protected] or
visit mckeesportlittletheater.com. n
Support McKeesport Little Theater—
Sign Up for a Subscription Today!
Subscriptions offer a great value to patrons and are a great
way to support McKeesport Little Theater. There are four
levels of subscriptions:
Subscriber: $50 for one season ticket (one ticket to each of
the four main stage shows)
Patron: $120 for two season tickets (two tickets to each of
the four main stage shows and a listing in all programs)
Donor: $190 for three season tickets (three tickets to each
of the four main stage shows and a listing in all programs)
Benefactor: $300 for four season tickets (four tickets
to each of the four main stage shows and a listing in all
programs)
All are welcome to be members of the theater—a yearly
membership fee is only $30! Membership benefits include:
· A discount ticket price of $5 per performance for as
many performances as you like. In addition, if you
contact the Hospitality Committee prior to the
performance you wish to attend to serve as an usher
and help with the refreshment sales, the $5 fee will
be waived.
· A subscription to the MLT newsletter, The Muse.
· An invitation to the Annual MLT Awards banquet and
voting opportunities for the annual awards.
· An invitation to the annual MLT Christmas Party.
· An invitation to the Annual General Membership
Meeting and the party held each May when new board
members are elected and annual reports are presented,
as well as an opportunity to run for the Board of
Directors as a MLT member.
· A standing invitation to the monthly Membership
Meeting, held on the third Tuesday of each month at
7 p.m. in the upstairs lobby of the theater.
** Membership is a privilege that is extended to willing
participants. As part of the membership process, it is
requested that each member choose at least one committee
in which he/she is willing to participate.
VOLUNTEERS (both non-members and members) are always
welcome!
McKeesport Area | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 15