Youth Theatre Productions

Our Youth Theatre Program is designed to pique the interest of area youth and cultivate their knowledge of the theatre. All youth are welcome to participate, and parents and siblings are encouraged to help with costumes and scenery!

Theatre is comprised of many elements aside from acting. Local youth also serve as the backstage and technical crew for each show. Sound and lighting technicians as well as backstage crew and stage managers are always needed and are just as important as the actors. If you're interested in helping behind the scenes contact the Centers directly by calling 495-8989 or emailing youththeatre@artsbonita.org.

For a listing of Youth Performing Arts classes and camps, visit the Youth Education page.

New this season—the Centers are offering money-saving Theatre Passes to our exciting lineup of live theatre performances.

Upcoming

Footloose

Friday, April 14, 2023, 7pm-16
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 2pm & 7pm
Sunday, April 16, 2023, 2pm

Directed by: Kody C. Jones
Music Directed by: Joseph Brauer
Choreography by: Christina DeCarlo

Footloose is the story of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago. He and his mother move to the small town of Bomont. Ren finds himself at odds with most of the town, including the Reverend Bomont, who has convinced the town to outlaw dancing. With the help of Ariel
(the Reverend’s daughter) and Willard (a country boy who becomes his best friend), Ren convinces the Reverend to let the teenagers dance, and in the process helps the town to heal from a tragedy that affected them all.

Matilda-Jr-Featured

Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical JR.

60-Minute Broadway Junior Version

Ages 8-18
Performs June 16-18, 2023

Click Here for Audition Signup

The children are rising up. Join the revolt in this Broadway Junior adaptation of the Tony Award-winning hit!

Rebellion is nigh in Matilda JR., a gleefully witty ode to the the anarchy of childhood and the power of imagination! This story of a girl who dreams of a better life and the children she inspires will have audiences rooting for the "revolting children" who are out to teach the grown-ups a lesson.

Matilda has astonishing wit, intelligence... and special powers! She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however – the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don't abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils' saving grace!

Packed with high-energy dance numbers and catchy songs, Matilda JR. is a joyous girl power romp. Children and adults alike will be thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.

Bulletproof-Backpack-Featured

Bulletproof Backpack

By Eric Coble

*This production contains mature themes

Ages 13+
Performs July 21-23, 2023

Click Here for Audition Signup

Devised from interviews with Florida high school and college students, this powerful script written by Broadway playwright Eric Coble brings student voices into the conversations surrounding gun violence by distilling real daily conversations into the dialogue of 10 characters from different political, economic, and family backgrounds.

“Teenager Cloe accidentally sees a list of names another student is compiling. Is it a hit list for a planned school shooting, or is it something more innocent? Now Cloe has one night to make the hardest decision she’s ever faced: Say nothing and risk a mass tragedy, or report the student and possibly ruin his life over nothing. In a cascading series of phone calls, Cloe, her friends and two adults race against the clock to find the balance between responsibility and panic. Active shooter drills are supposed to prepare students to survive, but what’s preparing them to live under a constant threat of violence?”

Directed by Kody C Jones, who directed the world premier at Florida Repertory Theatre and conceived the production with Eric Coble.