Playhouse Youth Theatre

Welcome to the Howmet Playhouse Youth Theatre page,
a special page devoted to all things related to Youth Theatre at the Playhouse

White Lake Youth Theatre

Open to 10 through 18 year old actors

The Playhouse hosts an incredible summer workshop through the seasoned “White Lake Youth Theatre” program which has given young actors of the White Lake area a stage to perform on and a summer project to look forward to for many years.

WLYT Auditions & Techniques Course

The White Lake Youth Theatre educational branch will host an Audition and Techniques course in advance of the auditions to prep students for the challenging roles of its forthcoming winter production (see below). The workshop will be taught by the tremendously talented, local professional performer, Kim Harsch. Auditions will be open to all students ages 12-18 (actors must be 12 by audition dates).

Before we set these dates in stone, we would like to hear your thoughts on any conflicts you may know of with the following dates:

• Mandatory sessions for Workshop
  • Techniques- Dec 27, 28, 29, (12-4pm)
• AND More Flexible with Conflicts
  • Scene Study and Monologues- Jan 2-3, 9-10,16-17, (6-8pm)

All December sessions will be mandatory and the class will close at 12. Please use the Contact Form if you or your student would like to participate. Your student does not need to attend the workshop in order to audition for the play, but there will be skills taught in the course which will certainly benefit the students who are able to attend. Scholarships will be available, as always.

WLYT Winter Production—the Yellow Boat

Auditions for The Yellow Boat will be held January 18-19, 2012. There will then be 2-3 rehearsals per week until the performance on the weekend of March 9-10. Please look at the descriptions below and use the Contact Form if you know of any potential conflicts for your schedule (if you hope to be involved in the workshop or auditions). Thanks!

The Yellow Boat by David Saar

A Scandinavian folksong tells of three little boats: "One was blue, one was red, and one was yellow as the sun. They sailed far out to sea. The blue one returned to the harbor. The red one sailed home too. But the yellow boat sailed up to the sun." Benjamin always concluded his bedtime ritual by saying, "Mom, you can be the red boat or the blue boat, but I am the yellow boat." This remarkable voyage of Benjamin was extensively developed and widely produced in America for several years, always to ovations.

The Yellow Boat is based on the true story of David and Sonja Saar's son, Benjamin, who was born with congenital hemophilia, and died in 1987 at the age of 8 of AIDS related complications. A uniquely gifted visual artist, Benjamin's buoyant imagination transformed his physical and emotional pain into a blaze of colors and shapes in his fanciful drawings and paintings.

The story of The Yellow Boat is a glorious affirmation of a child's life, and the strength and courage of all children. Recommended for children of age 8 and older, parents, families and adults. The content is highly imaginative and all actors must be willing to take big risks and draw on their creativity. The content is not in any way inappropriate or politically influenced, but rather, tells the story of a boy and his family and their beautiful journey through a short life.

(The story description is taken from the Good Reads website review.)

The cast consists of 4 men and 3 women. (Flexible!) as follows:

• Mother
• Father
• Benjamin
• Chorus of Four (males and females who play the following roles throughout):
  • School Children
  • Teachers
  • Parents
  • School Administrators
  • Kids
  • EDDY
  • JOY
  • and various Doctors

Questions? Just use the Contact Form …

More Youth Theater Education Opportunities

The White Lake Youth Theater is planning some great workshops for 2012, and will be passing that information along by email and posting it on this website as it becomes available.

WLYT Summer Theatre

For Summer 2009 was no exception as we created an exciting and educational theatre experience for White Lake youth actors with our WLYT production of The Legend of Scarface and Bluewater by Blanche Marvin.

For Summer 2010 the Youth Theatre performed Skupper Duppers, a play is about the schooner Skupper Dup, a voyage in search of culture, some adventure, excitement, and folklore.

For Summer 2011 the WLYT performed Alice in Wonderland with a cast and crew featuring 48 students from the White Lake and Muskegon areas.

Do you have questions or concerns? If so, please contact Katie Trzaska, Playhouse Manager, at 231-894-4048, or contact her via the Contact Form on this website.

We hope that you can be involved! If you or someone you know is interested in assisting with WLYT, through costuming, set dressing, props creation, general crowd control for performances, or our Adopt a Costume program, please contact Katie as described in the preceding paragraph. We’d love to have you and would appreciate the help!

Performing Arts Workshop 2012

The 2012 version of PAW will be held April 2 - 5. Look for further information to be posted in February 2012.

Performing Arts Workshop 2011

The Playhouse and the Nuveen Center for the Arts again presented a fun-filled PAW (Performing Arts Workshop) over Spring Break, April 4-7, 2011 at the Playhouse. Students had a chance to participate in many aspects of theatre performance, including drama, dance, lighting, set design, audition skills, and makeup and costuming. Each subject was taught by a specialist in that field, creating a well rounded performing arts experience.