From film to stage: GRT youth camp showing Mary Poppins Jr. next week

From film to stage: GRT youth camp showing Mary Poppins Jr. next week News Staff Fri, 05/31/2024 - 8:56 am

• (ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham Regional Theatre hosted 'Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr.' as the show for their 2023 Summer Youth Theatre Camp. The camp this year will be held next week and lead into two performances of 'Mary Poppins Jr.' at 7 p.m. Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8.
• (ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Children in the production of 'Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr.' sing at the Graham Memorial Auditorium. The play was part of the Graham Regional Theatre Summer Youth Theatre Camp which will take place next week.

Tayte Ward news@grahamleader.com

Putting together a performance in only a week might seem unlikely, but as a famous nanny once said, “Everything is possible, even the impossible.”

The Graham Regional Theatre Summer Youth Theatre Camp will present “Mary Poppins, Jr.” at 7 p.m. Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at Graham Memorial Auditorium. This performance will be following a week-long youth theatre camp held Monday, June 3 through Friday, June 7.

Co-director Katie Huitt said she is thankful for the opportunity to use the Graham Memorial Auditorium to practice and showcase the upcoming camp performances.

“We love this space, and it’s so wonderful to have all of the kids experience that space, kind of from a backstage standpoint,” Huitt said.

The play will be performed by a cast of 50 children across a broad age range, who have auditioned and taken time to familiarize themselves with their part.

“Everybody already has the script in their hands because they received them when they went to auditions,” Huitt said. “We’ve got choreography planned for the first day. We hit the ground running, and it’s such a crazy thing to watch these kids soak up the material, just like a sponge.”

Huitt and co-director, Kay Berru, said this performance will be unique as it is the junior version of the classic film but said it still holds true to the heart and morals of the movie.

“People think if you’ve seen the movie Mary Poppins, you know everything there is to know, and that is absolutely not the case. We will definitely surprise people with this,” Huitt said. “And I think it’s always a surprise when we do the curtain speech and tell people we did this in a week.”

Huitt and Berru are proud to be able to host this camp every summer. The nonprofit theater group has performed many classics with their camp program such as The Little Mermaid Jr. and Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr.

“It’s to give our kids in the community something fun and cultural to participate in,” Huitt said.
Huitt and Berru also believe theater empowers children to become involved in activities, form organization skills and overcome unforeseen obstacles.

“There’s so many skills that you learn,” Berru said. “You have to be able to get along with people you didn’t even know before Monday morning and trust them.”

Huitt and Berru are excited to watch the pieces come together for the play throughout the upcoming week.

“You don’t have to worry about looking silly because that’s kind of the point,” Huitt said. “We all get to look silly together while we’re telling this fun story.”

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at grahamregionaltheatre.com or at the event.

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