The Fall Session Youth Theater students at North Georgia Community Players presented their graduation program Saturday night, November 22, at the Dillard Theater. The Big Show, a nearly two-hour event of skits and songs, performed everything from Shakespeare to well-known musical numbers to skits written by the students.

 

Dillard Theater was close to capacity as theater-goers, friends, and, of course, proud parents and families laughed and applauded actors who ranged in age from 7-16. Some 18 students had attended classes every Saturday morning for three months; The Big Show was the end product. 

 

It was adorable and inspirational. Students performed 15 separate “shows,” typically one to four minutes in length, on a black-curtained stage with minimal props, but with exceptional and often elaborate costuming. Director Foy Tootle explains: “We found a tool that safely cuts cardboard. The kids asked, Can we make masks and stuff? They did, and my wife Julie said, Now we need to get these into the Show! And we did!”

 

Julie Best and Foy Tootle have been championing kids’ theater classes and training at NGCP for years. Tuition for the program is very reasonable (around $200), but Foy emphasized in remarks, “If you have the desire, don’t worry about the money!” This year, a donor underwrote the fees for every student who needed some financial help.

 

The Big Show’s finale was a musical delight. NGCP regular Abbie Boggs belted out a solo of “Good Morning Baltimore.” Boggs, Antonella Singleton and Johanna Haas then nailed “I’m a Big Girl Now” and brought the house down.

 

A Big Show, indeed. Enrollment for the next Youth Theater session will be announced soon on the NGCP website at Ngcommunityplayers.com. North Georgia Community players are celebrating their 25th season in 2025.