SFYCT to Perform Family Show and Laramie Project

The Spring-Ford Youth Community Theater will be putting on a few shows over the next two weeks. The first show is a double feature of The Emporer's New Clothes and the Princess and the Pea, which starts this Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

"The one we have coming up this week is the family show, which we try to do a family-oriented show at least once a year to try to reach out to everybody across the area," said Janice Johnson, public relations and vice president of the board. "We're doing two shows in one and our Saturday showing has two matinees, one at 11 a.m. and one at 3 p.m. We don't normally do that but we're trying to target young families, so this may be convenient to them.

The family shows will run Thursday - Saturday at the , 700 Washington St. in Royersford. Tickets are $6 in advance through cast members or $8 at the door.

The SFYCT is also putting on "the other extreme" next week, according to Johnson: The Laramie Project.

"Laramie is based on a true story of a young man who was basically abducted and beaten and tied to a fence post and left," Johnson said. "Eventually he died. The group that wrote and produce the play went back to Laramie and interviewed all of the different people involved. It's all of their different perspectives."

The show will take place on May 3 - 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Eighth Grade Center. Tickets are $6 in advance through cast members or by emailing tickets@sfyct.org. People can also buy them for $10 at the door. Below is a description provided by Johnson:

The extensive research that would ultimately become The Laramie Project began in November 1998, one month after Matthew Shepard, a young, openly gay man, was abducted, brutally beaten, tied to a fence and left to die on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. Over the course of eighteen months, the writers traveled to Laramie six times and conducted over 200 interviews with its residents to document the community’s views on homosexuality, their reaction to the crime itself as well as to the fact that the perpetrators were two local youth.

The New York Times hailed The Laramie Project as an “. . . enormously good-willed, very earnest and often deeply moving work of theatrical journalism . . .” and Curtain Up called it “. . . a play of forceful but never showy dramatic impact, its seriousness leavened with laughter”.

The Laramie Project asks the audience to call into question the beliefs and values that form the very foundation of modern society: faith, trust, tolerance, forgiveness, community, and the desire for truth.

Tickets for The Laramie Project are available at the door at a price of $10, advanced tickets are available for $6 from any cast member or by emailing tickets@sfyct.org.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to adult language and themes, this production is only suitable for mature audiences.

The SFYCT is comprised mostly of high school students in the Spring-Ford area, although some under-eighth-grade students participate, as well as Pope John Paul II students and others around the area.

"We don't turn anybody away," said Johnson. "Everybody is welcome to audition. There's always a part for you, even if it's not a speaking role. We're trying to encourage students getting involved and engage in the program."

The money from ticket sales go right back into the program according to Johnson, for costumes, sets, and public relations. Johnson said the crew is working on becoming a non-profit and is fortunate the school allows them to use the facilities for productions.

Overall, the kids are excited to put on a performance for the community.

"It's very interesting - they get very into it," Johnson concluded. "Every once in a while a kid can't come out for a show for another commitment and they really miss it. They love putting it all together. They really step up to the plate and take the responsibility, and they enjoy performing up there. It's neat to see them grow from shy and timid to confidence and knowledge. It's why I do it - to see these kids evolve through it."