Allison Benbenek and Abby Brann perform in "The King and I"

This past weekend, a student-run performance of “The King and I” was held at the Northbridge Middle School in Whitinsville.

The students in the show came from many of the surrounding towns including Shrewsbury, Grafton, Sutton and Northbridge. Several hundred people attended over the weekend.

Among the 30 students that were in this show, two were Shrewsbury residents, Allison Benbenek and Abby Brann. Allison played Lady Thiang, head wife to the King. Ying, one of the King of Siam’s many children and the narrator of the play, is a role that was shared by Abby.

For all of the performers involved, Apple Tree Arts, which is non-profit community music, and theatre arts school located in Grafton, offers a creative outlet for any child interested in performance.

“We worked on this show for 11 weeks and rehearsed for four hours each week. The kids also helped make some of the costumes and props. They learned choreography and engaged in drama exercises to help improve their skills on stage,” said Lisa Scarlett, Theatre Arts Director of Apple Tree Arts.

The show was a really big collaboration between three directors: Lisa Scarlett, Rebecca Wright and Laurie Baker. The show was a very visual show with bright colors and several costume changes. A drop was rented which had the palace scene on it.

Many of the children start attending workshops and g0t involved with Apple Tree Arts when they are young and continue being involved with it for many years. Many friendships are forged between those from many communities. For Allison and Abby, this definitely held true.

“I loved meeting new friends during “The King and I. The show was awesome. Everyone did a great job. It was a lot of hard work but a lot of fun too. The directors made it fun for us,” said Benbenek.

“Apple Tree Arts is a fun place to go. I love the theater arts program because it is a great place to learn how to act and sing. Playing Ying, the narrator and a wife, I learned a lot about acting. I love connecting with my friends at Apple Tree and hope to do more shows in the future,” said Brann.

Apple Tree Arts also runs a summer program from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. each day for two weeks and then will have a show on the last Friday night. The great thing about this program is that any child that wants to be involved can be. Programs also run throughout the year. This is a wonderful option for any student interested in the arts whether they play a sport or not. Many of the students involved do both because many of the programs are held during the day and evening.

“Anyone can be involved in a production. We just figure out what their strengths are and then we highlight what that strength is. It’s not like you have to audition and if you don’t make it you’re cut. Some kids are really great actors but singing is not their thing or vise versa. Others like to do both," said Scarlett.

Apple Tree Arts originally began over 20 years ago by the Executive Director, Donna Blanchard. It began as a parent/child “Mommy and me” class. They were known for private lessons and early childhood.

Now adults take lessons and there is a community chorus. There are keyboard lessons that develop ear training and make rhythm patterns, much like music theory for kids. For the past nine years, the theatre arts program has really taken off.

Apple Tree Arts is getting ready for its Winter 2011 production of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. The class will meet on Wednesdays for 10 weeks beginning on Jan. 19. The performances will be held at Southgate in Shrewsbury on March 25, 26 and 27. For more information please go to their Web site or call 508-839-4286.