Preview, Theatre, Youth

Northglenn Youth Theatre is All Grown Up

By Mare Trevathan

Raise your hand if you did theater as a kid.

That’s a lot of hands.

Most of us loved the attention, sure. And the camaraderie. Plus our imaginations were nimble and our sense of propriety virtually non-existent. Kids are natural actors.

The Northglenn Youth Theatre (NYT) is no longer a kid itself, but has provided onstage opportunities for more than a thousand 8 to 18 year olds throughout its twenty years.

Director Kimberly Jongejan has been with NYT since 1996 and has directed 62 of the nearly 70 productions. “I missed three of them when each of my daughters were born,” she says.

Kimberly Jongejan

Kimberly Jongejan

Much has changed during Jongejan’s tenure with NYT. “In the early days everything– and I mean EVERYTHING– fell onto my shoulders and our various technicians. We built the sets in our garage. I had to play the piano and do all the musical direction. And even some choreography, which I am horrible at.

“But the kids had lots of fun and there was a real desire and need for a youth theatre company here on the north side and the program grew and grew.”

NYT now hires professional designers to handle all the artistic elements. It recently acquired a new LED lighting system, new wireless microphones and re-vamped their sound-system, too.

“We get comparisons to Arvada [Center for the Arts and Humanities] all the time – and these are not family members of the kids, either.”

A new crop of 46 young ‘uns hailing from Lakewood to Erie are taking to the NYT stage April 25 through  May 4 in “Narnia,”  directed by Jongejan, with musical direction by Dr. Andrew Stonerock. To best support the music written by Thomas Tierney (lyrics by Ted Drachman), NYT is using live musical accompaniment.

Narnia Northglenn production 2014Jules Tasca’s adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s book “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” is set in the allegorical wonderland of Narnia, where a battle rages between the forces of good and evil. The White Witch holds its inhabitants under her cold rule, while Aslan, the Great Lion, fights to free the Narnians.

(Side note: “Narnia” is kismet season planning as the show coincides with the Denver Center Theatre Company’s production of “Shadowlands,” a play about the latter part of C.S. Lewis’s life.)

“For a few kiddos this is their first show ever, and for others they have done upwards of 20 shows here and around the Denver area. Some have movie and tv credits. We even have a couple of published authors!” says Jongejan.

High school sophomore Brendan Lynch plays Edmund in the show. “I’ve been acting with NYT since I was eight years old and watching productions here since 9 months.”

While Lynch also acts in school productions, he says NYT gives a unique experience. “It’s a midway point between the professional world and the youth theatre world. At NYT we are expected to excel in acting, memorize lines, and know our dances with no excuses. If you aren’t putting 100% of your heart into a production it isn’t enough.

“It also is a place where everyone is accepted and there are no cliques,” says Lynch. “At NYT an eight year old can talk to an 18 year old without anyone thinking twice about it. We all are treated with the same respect no matter age, school, talent, or extracurricular interest. It’s a second family for me and many others.”

Jongejan now has second generation of NYT actors, in fact. “I’ve had children come back time and again – and now they are bringing their own children to be in an NYT production.”

Performances of “Narnia” at the D. L. Parsons Theatre in Northglenn are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., April 25 – May 4. Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for seniors and children. Call (303) 450-8800 for ticket reservations. Two shows for groups are scheduled at a reduced rate on Wednesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 1 at 10 a.m. Call (303) 252-3866 for group pricing and reservations. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER 6 DUE TO DARK STORY ELEMENTS.

The D.L. Parsons Theatre is a 300-seat venue owned and operated by the City of Northglenn located ½ mile south of 120th Ave. and Grant St. in Northglenn.

Want some tips on prepping your kids to go to the theater?  Check out this About.com article for some guidance.

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