Youth Academy

About PAYA

keepin' the light on

PAYA Program Details

PAYA is a two-week summer program running July 11th - 22nd, weekdays only from 9am to 1pm at Brentwood Neighborhood Church, right next to Edna Hill Middle School. The program will conclude with back-to-back performances on Saturday, July 23rd at 2pm (Cast A) and 6pm (Cast B) - performances will be held at the theater at Liberty High School in Brentwood. 

 

To avoid distractions, we ask that parents refrain from being present during classes / rehearsals. An adult member of the Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble Board of Directors will be present at all times.

We have two tracks that students can choose from - an acting track, and a technical theatre track. Students interested in the acting track will need to audition; technical theatre track students do not need to audition- full details about both tracks are below.

Welcome to Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble’s inaugural youth program, Performing Arts Youth Academy (PAYA)! We we are so excited to announce our 2022 production is  The Wizard of Oz (Youth Edition)!
About the Production

The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition is a one-hour adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, specially tailored for elementary and middle school-aged actors. This adaptation contains all the same beloved characters from the novel and film that have delighted audiences for decades. 

“ 'Iconic' is an overused word these days, but when you’re talking about The Wizard of Oz, there’s really no other—whether you mean the 1939 film with Judy Garland, L. Frank Baum’s book (it came first, you know), or a stage version... this Oz, brimming with color, seduces and delights.” - Collin Kelley, Atlanta In Town.
"Since this classic movie first delighted children and grownups back in 1939, L. Frank Baum’s glorious fantasy has been a continual favorite. Whether on film, in print or live on stage, as it is at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, this fanciful story, with its inspiring lesson about friendship, is one of the most beloved in children’s literature... Did Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen have any idea of the enduring musical magic they’d created when they composed all those wonderful, infectious songs?" - Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
.

Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble encourages all community members to participate in Ghostlight productions. We believe that local live theatre should provide a supportive environment for creative expression for people of all genders, ethnicities and backgrounds. Every day, we work to ensure that Ghostlight is a safe, welcoming space where all members of our cast, creative team, production crew, volunteers and audience members can learn, grow, and create.

We are proactively working towards greater diversity within the cast of our shows. This is an on-going process, and we recognize that it is our responsibility to broaden our reach to ensure that BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community members are aware of upcoming auditions, and to ensure that they feel welcome to join our productions. We are also broadening our reach to attract BIPOC directors and production team members. We know this can make a significant difference in generating greater diversity at our auditions.

Cost $195 for the first child and $175 for additional family members from the same household (payment plan available). Please provide payment through our PayPal widget below.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Cost & Registration

Wizard of Oz and the Technical Academy for the Wizard of Oz are currently at capacity. Please check back for tickets to our shows! 

Cost is $150/participant (payment plan available). Please provide payment through our PayPal widget below.

Acting Track Cost:

Technical Theatre Track Cost:

The Performing Arts Youth Academy is open to children and teens, and is geared towards students who already have performing arts experience and ability, but all interested students are encouraged to audition. We are able to accept up to 30 students in the program. Participants for the acting track have been selected via the audition process, which has now been completed. There are still slots available for our Technical Theatre Track, which is open to children and teens ages 10 - 15. Full details are below.

The program will culminate with 2 performances on July 23, 2022 at 2pm and 6pm. Please review all of the information below for full details.

Ticket Information

Tickets are now on sale for The Wizard of Oz (Youth Edition)! Back-to- back performances will be held on July 23, 2022 at the Liberty High School Theater in Brentwood. The leading roles have been split into two showings - Cast A will perform at 2pm, and Cast B will perform at 6pm. To view the cast list for each performance, click HERE.