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In September of 1996 the Parks and Recreation Department established The “Star Bright Players” Children’s Theatre group. The “Star Bright Players” consists of three components:
- workshops
- staged productions and
- presenting outside theatre companies.
Each workshop teaches the basics of acting: improvisation, staging (including stage positions and blocking), sets and props and costuming. Each workshop culminates in a mini-production (30 minutes).
Twice a year the Parks and Recreation Department holds open auditions for children in the Williamson County community between the ages of 8 and 15 for large scale productions. For our last regular production, we had over 100 children audition and were able to cast more than half of them. These large scale productions call for auditions to be held, the cast to be announced, 7 weeks of rehearsal and then culminates in three performances. And in order to produce such an extravaganza, the Parks and Recreation Department must hire a theatre director, an assistant director, a music director, 4 musicians, a technical advisor to operate the sound and the lights and a spotlight operator.
The third component of the “Star Bright Players” theatre program is to welcome other touring children’s theatre groups. One such group is the Missoula Children’s Theatre group from Missoula, Montana. They come in to town with all of the necessities; set, props, costumes, make-up, script and score. They hold auditions on a Monday and cast between 50 and 60 local children. They rehearse everything in four and a half days and hold two performances on Saturday. Missoula offers its program to children ages 5 to 18, thus expanding the age realm to provide such an amazing “arts” opportunity to more children in the Williamson County Community.
We are pleased to also tell you that in 1997 the “Star Bright Players” theatre program received the Four Star Award from the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association. This award is given to the most outstanding Arts and Humanities Program in the state of Tennessee.
Currently the “Star Bright Players” is directed by Mrs. Leslie Milstead, with her daughter Erin serving as Assistant Director and Ms. Connie Fuller serves as Music Director.
Star Bright Productions to date:
“You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “Cinderella,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Peter Pan,” “Oklahoma,” “Oliver,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Grease,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Magic Nights,” “Annie,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Meet Me in St. Louis," "Once Upon A Mattress", "Snoppy", "Oklahoma" & "Beauty and the Beast"
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