r By Janice Helmick
We covered “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” as it neared the end of its production run. It was put on by the Spanish Fork Youtheatre, and I was amazed at the great performances by even the youngest children. Karma Christensen and her staff, that includes Cami Jensen and Laura Brockbank, directed and coordinated the children perfectly. When we asked her about it, she said it takes practice, practice, practice. What a commitment on her part, and on the part of the parents who saw to it that their children and adolescents were where they needed to be at the right time.
Dreamcoat has little spoken dialogue and is almost entirely sung. The costumes were great, especially the Dreamcoat. After the presentation, we stopped for dinner and the actor who played Elvis (Yes, Elvis) came into the restaurant. I recognized him as one of the players, and we talked with him about how great his performance was. He seemed pleased that we would compliment him. As we were talking to him we heard a voice agree with us. It was the father of the actor who played Jacob, the father of Joseph. He was also pleased with the talent and opportunity for that talent to be expressed.
This same group is working on its next production, which will be “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. That production will be at the Maple Mountain High School March 27 – 30 at 7 p.m. You can bet we will be involved with this play from the beginning, so watch for the stories to appear in this newspaper soon.
Spanish Fork Youtheatre offers great opportunities for the youth in Utah County to be involved in a positive theatre experience. The shows that they put on are a wonderful way for a child to develop their theatre talents. Enrollment in a show will cost $40.00 a month, with a $5.00 a month discount if paid before the second class of the month. A lab fee of $40.00 per show will also be charged. This covers costume, script rental and T-shirt. For more information call Karma at 801-484-4730.
