From left: The Sheriff of Nottingham (Michael Alcide) and Robin Hood (Antoine "RL" Joyce) in the climactic sword fight from the Youth

Coming off a season, which included the production of Casper Hauser (A Language Game), Robin Hood: A Political Romance, and two All Stars Hip-Hop Cabarets, Youth Onstage! (YO!) is gearing up for a busy summer.

YO!, the youth theatre of the All Stars Project, also runs a performance-training program, the Youth Onstage! Community Performance School.  Courses and workshops, which are taught by theatre professionals on a volunteer basis, are provided in movement, voice, improvisation, character development and theatre history. The integrated semester of study is free to students who must, however, audition to be admitted.

Casper Hauser (A Language Game)

During the summer, the school takes center stage.  While in the fall and spring, it meets after school on Wednesdays and all day on Saturdays, in the summer the Youth Onstage! Community Performance School transforms into an intensive six-week program that meets four days a week, Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. This year the YO! Summer Theatre Institute runs from July 6 through August 11, with a play created by the students and teachers showcased to the public on the afternoon of Saturday, July 13.  Young people interested in applying for the fall semester, which begins on October 1, can access an application form here.

In addition to the school, next season Youth Onstage! will be producing two more Hip- Hop Cabarets (co-produced with the All Stars Talent Show Network)  along with an experimental theatre workshop in November and Fred Newman’s Left of the Moon in February 2006.

Don’t miss any of YO!’s productions.  As Linda Armstrong wrote in the Amsterdam News earlier this year, “When you leave the theatre, you’ll find you have been entertained and also educated.  And, you’ll realize that Youth Onstage! is doing incredibly positive things with cultivating young and talented performers.” For more information about Youth Onstage!, or to get involved, call Dan Friedman at 212-941-9400 ext. 350 or at dfriedman@allstars.org.