BRATTLEBORO — What would you do if you had all eternity?
New England Youth Theatre will present a new production of the beloved tale Tuck Everlasting, opening Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. at 100 Flat St.
Additional performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16, and at 2 p.m. on Dec. 9, 10, 16, and 17.
Eleven-year-old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence in Treegap, New Hampshire, but it's not until she becomes unexpectedly entwined with the Tuck Family that she gets more than she could have imagined.
When Winnie discovers the magical secret of the Tuck family, she embarks on an extraordinary adventure, which leads to making the biggest decision of her life: to return to her life or continue with the Tucks on their infinite journey.
Based on the best-selling, award-winning novel by Natalie Babbitt and adapted for the stage by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, Tuck Everlasting features a soaring score from Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen.
Directed by Executive Director Hallie Flower, this production will be the regional premiere of the play in conjunction with a Samuel French pilot program that introduces new material to regional theaters throughout the country.
The production is also part of NEYT's new Professional Apprentice program, a development program made possible by a grant from the Clowes Fund, which was designed to connect NEYT students with this region's theater and theater-related professionals through personalized, advanced, skills-based instruction.
New England Youth Theatre is a theater 'for kids, by kids,' and this program affords the organization an even greater ability to teach and mentor youths in all aspects of technical theatre, from costume design to set construction and design.
Katherine Partington, a professional dancer and choreographer from New York, brings the musical numbers to life with choreography incorporating traditional theater jazz with contemporary ballet and acrobatics.
Designer David Stern, Artistic Director of Main Street Arts, was on hand to direct a workshop on scenic painting for the students.
Local visual artist Maria Pugnetti contributed her expertise in scenic design and prop construction.
Professional hairstylist Zac Binney will design the period hairstyles with the kids, and Southern Vermont costume historian and designer Veda Crewe worked with a team of students to create the custom patterns for the Forest Corps costumes.
Jana Zeller of Putney's Sandglass Theater led a seminar in which she and the students created the puppet of the toad that leads Winnie into the woods. Additionally, Flower herself is mentoring a student apprentice director, Aiden Meyer, who is learning all aspects of putting together a production of this magnitude.
The Holiday Musical at NEYT would not be complete without the Pit Band Program, a collaboration with Brattleboro Music Center in which student musicians provide the musical accompaniment for the actors.
With costumes designed by Sandy Klein, a set designed and constructed by Jason Clark, and lighting designed by Jerry Stockman, the show will ask audiences to ponder the eternal question: “If you could live forever, would you?”