Weston Playhouse Young Company

Adventures From Ezra Jack Keats Cast	Tomie dePaola with the cast of Strega Nona.	Young Company

- The Weston Playhouse Young Company is composed of Non-AEA performers who are no more than three years beyond graduation or departure from a conservatory or undergraduate training program. The YC program is aimed at providing performance opportunities for young artists as well as offering a forum for sharing the expertise of Weston-related theatre professionals through a series of workshops, discussions and interactive exercises.

- Young Company members normally spend the entire summer season at the Playhouse. Adjustments can be made around the departure date to accommodate the schedules of those returning to school in the fall, if absolutely necessary.

- Young Company members perform in all Act IV Cabaret performances during their summer residency. They form the core company for the cabaret, and its rehearsal and performance will be their primary responsibility. The general cabaret rehearsal commitment is between 10-16 hours/week. Typically at least 2 hours/day are spent in cabaret rehearsal on non-matinee days.

- This summer the Young Company members will all be performing the young audiences musical Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type in our OtherStages space at the Weston Rod and Gun Club. Some of the rehearsal and performance times for this show will be non-traditional to reflect special matinees and other company events.

- The first few weeks of the summer, while involving no public performances, will be particularly intensive because of two sets of rehearsals (for Click, Clack, Moo and the first Cabaret).

- Young Company members are generally invited to perform in some aspect of the summer’s MainStage program. This summer all YC members will be performing “as cast” in Les Misérables with rehearsals beginning July 8. When a YC member participates in a MainStage production, the rehearsal commitment for this work may be up to 42 hours per week. YC members earn Equity Membership Candidacy points for all MainStage rehearsals and performances. MainStage work may also involve some backstage and/or shift responsibilities. YC members are assigned to strike duties for all MainStage productions, under the supervision of the technical staff.

- In addition to cabaret rehearsal commitments, Young Company members will have various responsibilities for maintaining the cabaret space and its production elements (props, stage area, backstage, lighting, etc.). This cabaret production work will be scheduled whenever possible during times of light rehearsal responsibility for the OtherStage and MainStage productions.

- YC members receive up to 6 hours of workshops, instruction, and discussion sessions in any given week, as their rehearsal and performance schedules permit. These sessions are coordinated by Young Company co-directors Tim Fort and Thom Cox and often include master classes with theatre professionals such as Tony Award-winning composer Adam Guettel and voiceover artist Jennifer Server.

- Daily cabaret calls will be handled by the Cabaret Director. All MainStage and OtherStages rehearsal calls will be handled by company stage management. Times for workshops, instructional sessions, and cabaret production work will be established by the Young Company directors.

- The entire Playhouse company is small and inclusive. The Young Company is a critical part of our operation, and we seek constant feedback on how to improve the experience.

SAMPLE WORKDAY SCHEDULE – WPTC YOUNG COMPANY

MONDAY - Day off for entire company