Children’s Theater in Rochester: Page 3
by Carol White Llewellyn
Haber and fellow thespian Stuart Burke eventually left to form a company that did presentations and trade shows for corporate America, but the children’s theater bug had bitten them, and the two teamed up to form Rochester Children’s Theatre. Stuart left the company about ten years ago to teach, and Deborah remains its principal.
2011-2012 marks the non-profit’s 21st season of entertaining children…and people of all ages, really.
“Rochester Children’s Theatre is multi-generational and appeals to everyone from little ones to grandparents taking their grandchildren,” Deborah said. She commented that adult actors are used unless the role calls for children… or puppets…as in the 2012 season show, The Hobbit,
She selects programming with the objective of providing a well-rounded season across age group and genre, from fairy tales and classics to contemporary works. All of the company’s shows are curriculum-based and incorporate NYS learning standards. This makes the troupe a popular touring company throughout New York State.
They are currently doing a 40-school tour of an original work called Sweet House: Hansel and Gretel with a Bold New Flavor, which laces a healthful eating choices message into the favorite Grimm Brothers fairy tale. Deborah wrote the book and lyrics for the show, Emmy-nominated Casey Filiaci worked as co-writer and musical director and Heather Stevenson of PUSH Physical Theater assisted with choreography. Deborah is thankful to by MVP Health Care, Greater Rochester Health Foundation and the Sands Family Foundation for helping to underwrite the Sweet House Project.
Rochester Children’s Theatre also offers children’s acting workshops and summer conservatories for children age 7 and up. The workshops are designed as a fun opportunity for kids to learn about theater and for those children who aspire to go into professional theater. A popular upcoming workshop is “How to Audition” that focuses on giving children the experience, self-confidence and presence to perform a strong audition.
“In all of the programs we do, our goal is to give children an exciting, magical adventure.”
For a peek at the production Sweet House, check out their video on YouTube:
For more about RCT’s programming and theatrical training, visit RochesterChildrensTheatre.org.
© 2012, Carol White Llewellyn. Carol is a television and documentary producer, and author of the Finger Lakes Travel Maven blog at FingerLakesTravelMaven.com.