Youth present musical May 16-17

ENTERPRISE — Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Woods? Not these young actors!

Another Eagle Cap Youth Musical production that is written, composed and directed by Amy Fairchild will debut at the OK Theater, 208 W. Main St. in Enterprise, on Friday and Saturday, May 16-17.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is by donation at the door, which supports music programs and scholarships for children in Wallowa County.

Eagle Cap Youth Musicals, a program of the nonprofit Wallowa Valley Music Alliance, provides performance opportunities to the county’s children in grades one through six.

Fairchild, composer/educator, is the creator of these productions and a board member of the WVMA.

“Our community is so generous, with small businesses and individual community members donating funds, supplies for sets and costumes, and countless hours of time to make magic come alive for these young performers,” she said. “But as with all fledgling arts programs, in order to grow and meet the needs of our youth, we must cast a wider net for support. I long to create sustainable programming that provides learning and performance opportunities for a larger age range and more youth. Theatre and music bring people together and put us in touch with the best in ourselves and others.”

Her latest production is full of characters you will know— Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and more. But the clever script and musical numbers presented by these young actors may cause you to reconsider the stories you thought you knew.

The actors revealed that the storyline is funny, scary, happy, sad and full of lessons: good versus evil; how stories change over time as told by different people; the way you see things may be different from the perspective of another.

The actors were quick to add that, beyond the script, there are life lessons they are learning.

“Acting is a way to convey a different story. It’s fun to embody someone you aren’t,” said Desmond, 11, who plays Hansel.

Lincoln (a lumberjack), 11, said, “…this helps me be more confident in front of people, like at school.”

The entire cast, when asked, heartily agreed that participating in this production not only improved their acting, dancing and singing skills but also allowed them to make new and deepen existing friendships.

Their enthusiasm is contagious, and the show promises to be another big hit.