Youth Theater Program Continues Despite Budget Challenges

By Pryce Hadley, 16, with contributions from Ben Brow, 13, Mandie DeBretto, 11, and Faith Cole, 10

-- Photo: Tony Pruitt and Elizabeth Grugin act out a scene from the Marquette Arts and Culture Center's production of Seussical in 2004 (Courtesy of MACC)

With a dramatic crescendo, the pit orchestra brings the musical to a close. The audience applauds as the cast takes a final bow. The performers’ smiles beam under the bright stage lights as their weeks of hard work pay off.

This may sound like a Broadway play, but in fact it is a youth theater performance commonplace in Marquette. The Marquette Arts and Culture Center Youth Theater program located in the Peter White Public Library has presented 12 musicals with all-youth casts since 2001. Each year, 100 to 200 youth are involved in the productions for an audience of 4,000 to 6,000.

Due to Marquette’s budget crisis, the program was recently in danger. But with some changes in the city’s Arts and Culture Department and with community support, the program is alive and presented Disney’s Aladdin Jr. in March at Forest Roberts Theatre on the campus of Northern Michigan University.

The position of Marquette Youth Arts Education Director, held by Nikke Nason since the program started, was slated for elimination last spring. Without a director, the program would have been discontinued. But with the recent retirement of Marquette Arts and Culture Director Reatha Tweedie, Nason’s position was continued and expanded to assume some of Tweedie’s responsibilities.

“With that there is still slight funding left in the youth theater budget. We have enough to fund one production a year,” Nason said. “But due to parents’ demand and youth demand we are looking to continue the program as it has been in the past by getting community funding and community volunteers within the program. These are both youth and adults. And we are going to be looking for the community to fund our additional programming.”

Mia Cinelli, 16, of Marquette has been involved in 10 of the 12 productions and was deeply concerned when the program faced the funding cuts.

“I was absolutely outraged because you need things like these in your communities to help your children and your community prosper,” Cinelli said.” I love the Marquette Arts and Culture Center Youth Theater program because you learn so much about theater. You learn how to work with other people and you come together a lot of times with people who are complete strangers and you work together to put on a show. It’s just a great experience.”

Elizabeth Grugin, 10, of Marquette has been involved in the program since she was 6 and has been part of every production. She was very worried when she heard the program might be cut.

“I thought it was horrible and I thought it would be devastating,” she said. “It’s like my life. If it stopped it would be the end of everything for me.”

Happily for Cinelli, Grugin and hundreds of other young performers, it hasn’t come to that. However, challenges still exist.

“It is going to take a lot of volunteerism to continue the program as my responsibilities have increased,” said Nason. “A lot of the backstage stuff that I’ve done in the past and coordination of the program is going to need to be met by volunteers.”

Nason is looking to the youth to play a greater role with many of the responsibilities.

“We’re going to have students assist with the fundraising. We have some past participants who are in college now who are going to participate with that,” she said. “We’re going to continue with having youth assist with the costumes and the costume design. We just started this past year with having a high school (assistant) costume designer, which has actually worked out better. We have better costumes.”

Nason said students will be in charge of props and building sets. They will also assist with volunteer coordination, publicity, casting, auditions, directing, hair and makeup and the cast party.

“Our program has evolved into youth taking on more of a leadership role and having complete responsibilities, which really assists with job skills,” she said.

Cinelli is one of a few cast members who have taken on extra responsibilities over the years to support the program.

“I started out in chorus and moved to bigger parts,” she said. “Then I experimented with stage-managing and working backstage and costume designing. And it’s giving me new options in the theater and even career options.”

Carrie Seavoy, 14, of Harvey, has been in 11 of the productions and enjoys the opportunity to take on more responsibilities as well.

“I started out just doing the chorus and being in the show, and lately I’ve been helping out with everything, helping with the set and with choreography. I like it a lot,” she said. “I like how the kids have more of a hands-on role rather than just being in the show. I like how we get to do just about everything and try whatever we want to, from costume designing like Mia, or directing.”

For Cinelli and Seavoy, the theater program has taught them many important skills that will not only be helpful as performers, but as responsible adults.

“I think I’ve gained a lot of leadership qualities from doing this program. I’ve learned how to interact with people my own age, and how to teach things to younger kids,” Seavoy said.

“The arts are just so important because in this world today, we’re competing in the job market and against other people for jobs that Americans usually have. You need the work place to be creative and have art skills in order to succeed,” Cinelli said.

Nason believes the funding crisis has strengthened the program by rousing support from both local businesses and residents. Many have come forth to help maintain the program through volunteering and donations. For Aladdin Jr., support came from older cast members, including Seavoy and Athena Stanley of Marquette who helped cut costs by taking on the role of choreographers.

Additional support has come from parents of current and past cast members who have donated costumes and helped find business sponsors. A parent of a former cast member was in charge of design and construction of the 121 costumes for Aladdin Jr. Many Northern Michigan University students have also stepped forward to help in various ways.

Nason says the annual budget for the program is about $20,000 which doesn’t include her salary but does include line items such as theater rental, royalties, sets, costumes, batteries for microphones and more.

Though volunteerism has helped to cut costs, the participation fee for cast members was raised to meet expenses. The fee was increased from $60 for residents and $70 for non-residents for the last production to $90 for residents and $110 for non-residents for Aladdin Jr. Full scholarships are available for families in need.

Aladdin Jr. featured 73 local youth, ages 4 to 15, performing in two rotating casts, each doing two shows. This gave cast members a unique opportunity to play two separate roles. The production, lasting an hour and a half, featured special effects including a flying magic carpet.

The youth theater program will present Into the Woods Jr. performed at the Lake Superior Theater boathouse this summer, and a Kid’s Sing Broadway production in the fall.