Raleigh Little Theatre's summer teen program to present 'The Tempest'

Teens from Raleigh Little Theatre's summer program will be on stage starting this weekend with their production of "The Tempest."

Posted 7:13 p.m. Jul 19, 2017 — Updated 7:13 p.m. Jul 19, 2017

Teens from Raleigh Little Theatre's summer program will be on stage starting this weekend with their production of "The Tempest."

Based on the play by William Shakespeare, this version is a 90-minute musical adaptation and is best for middle school aged kids and up. The Public Theater in New York originally presented the show in 2013, showcasing 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs, who shared the stage with professional actors and community partners. The adaptation requires communities to come together to share the story, according to a press release.

Raleigh Little Theatre's production is a culmination of its Teens on Stage and Teens Backstage summer conservatory program. And, in an effort to include the broader community in the production, the Raleigh version also will include musicians and a choir from Kidznotes, which provides 10 hours of music instruction a week free of charge to all participants, ages kindergarten to seventh grade.

"Our teens who come from all over the city will get to partner with young people from Kidznotes to create the community that will put this wonderful piece on stage," said director Patrick Torres, who is Raleigh Little Theatre’s artistic director, in a press release. "My hope is that in creating our unique community, we will learn how to overcome some of the major themes of the play - power, revenge, and captivity - in our own lives."

Raleigh Little Theatre offers a number of camps each summer, including Teens on Stage and Teens Backstage, which is a capstone program for young actors and theatre technicians. Teens on Stage students attend conservatory classes over six weeks including acting, voice, movement, improvisation and text analysis, in addition to rehearsing for the production. Teens Backstage is an opportunity to learn theatrical design and production from industry professionals in a hands-on environment.

"The Tempest" runs on select dates from July 21 to July 30. Tickets are $12. There will be a post-show discussion with the director and cast after the performance at 3 p.m., July 23.

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