Kids show off their talents

Six short plays to be performed in August

Friday, July 31, 2009

"I'm really doing the community a service," laughed Cashman, the Twin Beach Players youth troupe director of the theater company's Fourth Annual Kids Playwriting Festival to be held next month. Participants spend the summer preparing for August performances.

"I'm too old to go to camp so it gives me something to do over the summer other than work and it's something I enjoy," said Prince Frederick resident Sarah Merchant, 18, who is acting in two of the plays.

Each play — "The Interview In The Crimes Of Goldilocks" by Ana Collins; "Sophia's Wish" by Lauren Alderson; "Creativity To The Maxitivity" by Kristy Ross; "Teen Court" by Kayla Thomas; "Read All About It: The Antarctica Murder" by Matthew Konerth; and "Fun Times At Zombie Swamp High" by Tawny Cashman — is rehearsed on a weekly basis, which Regan Cashman admitted could be difficult in the summer.

"A lot of the kids are on vacation … but we try to work around it," she said, explaining that they do such by having directors or other actors stand in for other roles. "We have to have everything together."

The kids say that not only is it worth it, but that the relaxed atmosphere during rehearsals minimizes pre-performance butterflies.

"I just love performing in front of people … I just get a rush; it's not stage fright, it's more like ‘I just can't wait to do this.' It's a whole new experience every time," said 12-year-old Regan Hall of Chesapeake Beach, who said she has been acting since age 4.

Some of the young actors chose to use the experience as more than a fun summer activity.

"There are only so many plays you can do at school … and doing this I can kind of inflate a portfolio or a resume and I can do what I like to do even when school isn't in session," said Daniel Manning, 17, of St. Leonard.

Also getting to do what they like are the playwrights, some of whom are acting in their own shows.

"It was surprisingly easy because the play I did was actually a short story and I just had to revise it into play form," said Konerth, 16, of Huntingtown.

Performances will be held Aug. 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. at the Leitch Memorial Gymnasium at The Calverton School in Huntingtown.

Six plays will be done on all six performance dates and the cost to attend is $5.

lbuck@somdnews.com