Fish, jellyfish, ducks, grasshoppers and more took to the stage in dance and song on Tuesday during the final weeks of the Hawai‘i Children Theatre’s Summer Stars summer program.
“We have 46 students in the morning group, and there are another 37 students in the afternoon group,” said Director Tom Frascatore. “I spend my entire day with the kids. For the morning group, we broke up the class into four groups. Jessica Brown wrote the script for the entire group, and on Tuesday the four groups are coming together for the first time to walk through the production.”
The morning group, called the Rising Stars by the HCT administrators, will present the Summer Showcase on July 20 starting at 6:30 p.m. at Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e for one night only. The showcase will be an opportunity to witness the hard work and dedication of the young performers, adult organizers said.
Tickets for the event are $8 in advance from any of the cast members, or $10 if purchased online or at the door on show night.
The afternoon group, which includes a lot of students from the morning group, will be engaged in presenting “Finding Nemo Jr.” for three shows starting Friday, Saturday and a Sunday matinee.
The students will offer a free preview of their presentation on Saturday, when they are part of the entertainment lineup during the Kukui Grove Center annual Back to School Bash in Lihu‘e.
Tickets for the three performances at the convention hall are $10 in advance from the cast, some of whom will be at the Kukui Grove Center performance, $12 if purchased online at the HCT website, and $15 at the door.
“Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre is proud to present these exciting Summer Stars performances,” said Frascatore. “Our talented young performers have been working hard all summer to bring these productions to life, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience their energy and enthusiasm on stage.”
In addition to the stage performances, Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre is hosting an online silent auction, “Auction for the Arts” that opened July 10 and will be available through July 23, at hctkauai.org. Proceeds from the auction, which features a variety of items from artwork, jewelry, gift cards and more, will go toward supporting HCT’s youth theater programming.
“Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre is committed to providing opportunities for young people to experience the joy of theater,” said HCT Executive Director Allegra Gaines. “We believe that every child should have access to the arts, and the funds raised from ‘Auction for the Arts’ will help us continue to offer these opportunities to the youth and families in our community.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
