Who says Montville is just a football town? The town’s Parks and Recreation Department is offering town youth, from age five to eighteen, the chance to get on stage this fall.
The Montville Youth Theater, a program offered in partnership with The Southeastern Connecticut Regional Youth Theater (SECRYT), runs October 11 through December 20, with no classes on Columbus Day, October 13, or the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 29. Classes will be held on Mondays, 4 to 5:45 p.m. in Tyl Middle School Auditorium, 166 Chesterfield Road, and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fair Oaks School, 836 Old Colchester Road in Oakdale.
The SECRYT is run by Lee and Liz Rummel, Oakdale, who both have a background in theatre productions. Lee also is drama director at Fitch Senior High School in Groton.
The couple has more than nine years of theatrical experience, putting on more than 25 public productions and 100 performances. They have held close to 40 theater workshops, for youth, working with more than 1,000 students and cast members in the process. Their long-term goal is to establish a non-profit organization committed to youth theater in the region.
The Rummels have been directing productions at the East Lyme Children’s Theatre since the late 1990s. In April, the Theatre put on the Fairy Tale Court, featuring young actors from East Lyme, Montville and other area towns.
The Montville youth theater program is designed to help cast members develop confidence and skills as individual actors and as teams. Theater techniques covered in the multi-week program include projection, memorizing of lines, character development and stage presence.
The Montville youth will put on three full-length drama productions for the public. Locations and dates will be announced.
Parents who want to learn more about the program can attend a parents meeting on Monday, October 6, 5 to 5:45 p.m. in the Tyl Middle School Auditorium. Registration fee for the program is $205 for residents and $210 for non residents. Call the Parks and Recreation Department at 860-848-3030, ext. 321 or 322. For more information about SECRYT, see www.thesecryt.com
Montville’s Parks and Recreation Commission encourages town residents to let commission members and department staff know of their ideas and interests in recreational activities. The commission, made up of appointed members, is responsible for approving plans and programs to fulfill the recreational needs of Montville residents. Commission meetings are at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month, in Room 203 of the Town Hall. Minutes of past meetings are available on the town website at www.townofmontville.org