725 Avenue G
Ft. Madison, IA
319-372-9559
www.oldfortplayers.com
For immediate release
RE: THE YOUNG FORT PLAYERS CLUB
Daily Democrat – Ft. Madison
Daily Gate City - Keokuk
For immediate release
RE: THE YOUNG FORT PLAYERS CLUB
Burlington Hawkeye
When they chose the name for the Old Fort Players it was the fort that was old, not
the players. “Now after more than three decades of entertaining Fort Madison and
the surrounding communities, let’s just say we’re showing our maturity,” OFP
President, Bob Britton said. “So we’ve decided to meet the issue head on and
actively recruit young people.”
The Young Fort Players Club will be open to ages 10-14. Auditions will be held on
Sunday January 25 at 3pm & Monday January 26 at 5 pm. Auditions will consist of a
prepared but not memorized monologue (choices available for download at
www.oldfortplayers.com) and a few improvised scenes. Leadership abilities and
work ethic will also be considered since YFPC members will be expected to do more
than just act. While at the audition, each young person will also be asked to write an
essay of less than 500 words.
“We can’t expect 20- & 30-somethings to support the arts if they’re not introduced
to the joy of it as kids,” VP Lynn Parson told us. “So after three successful
productions with our Children’s Summer Theater Program, Richar Abel was
inspired to do more. She’s so excited about this it’s infectious. She’s just bubbling
over with ideas!”
“I love working with kids and the ‘Young Fort Players Club’ is the result. It’s going to
be for all kinds of personalities, not just kids who want to grow up to be
entertainers. Teaching them to speak in public and communicate effectively are our
main goals. We want to draw out the shy kids and focus the energy of our more
precocious ones,” Abel said.
An initial membership fee of $20 will be charged to defray some of the costs and
additional monies may be requested later for materials or field trips. But the Board
of OFP doesn’t want finances to stop anyone from joining so there will be limited
scholarship funds available for those who apply.
Abel is still tossing out ideas and roughing out plans for now and hopes to involve
the young people in a lot of the decisions. She’ll ask them to help make the rules and
by-laws for the organization and choose the next play they’ll produce. “There’s
more to putting on a play than showing up on opening night, and I want to expose
them to all the steps. They’ll learn how to organize and motivate a large group and
manage their time wisely. Those are skills that will help them later in life,” Abel said.
They will meet at least once a month on a schedule to be determined by the group.
Then when it comes time for the Children’s Summer Theater Production, auditions
will once again open up to all local kids. The YFPC members will help direct, stage
manage, run lights and sound and market the play as well as fill some of the roles.
There are also tentative plans to take the members to see plays at other theaters and
have guest instructors to teach them about the many facets of Community Theater.
Abel told us enthusiastically that the sky’s the limit. “With the help of parents and
the adults at OFP, we can give the kids a well-rounded theater education.”
Founded in 1980, Old Fort Players celebrates their 35th anniversary this year. Their
theater is located in downtown Fort Madison at 725 Avenue G. You can call 319372-9559, like them on Facebook or visit www.oldfortplayers.com to keep up with
everything that’s going on at the theater.