FAIRFIELD CENTER STAGE
YOUTH WORKSHOP
@ ROCKWELL DANCE CENTER
GUYS & DOLLS JR.

for Ages 8-18
Saturday mornings, 10am-1pm
Sep 9-Oct 21, 2023
performances for families: Sat Oct 21 @ 3pm & 7pm
(+ added tech rehearsal Fri Oct 21 5-9pm)

About the Workshop:
During our seasonal youth sessions, we will mount a workshop style production of a show, starting with the initial audition and followed by a rehearsal process, culminating in an exciting performance with costumes where family and friends can enjoy your hard work. No previous experience required!

GUYS & DOLLS JR OVERVIEW:
for Ages 8-18 (must be 8 years old in Sep 2023, email us if on the edge!):
Dates: 7 week session Sep 9-Oct 21
ADDED REHEARSALS: Fri Oct 20 5-9pm (tech rehearsal), as well as an added weeknight rehearsal for SOME principal actors tbd based on performer, staff, and studio availability

REHEARSAL/PERFORMANCE TIMES/SCHEDULE
SATURDAYS Sep 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct 7, 14, 21 10am-1pm
FRIDAY Oct 20 from 5pm-9pm added TECH REHEARSAL

Oct 21 dress rehearsal & performances:
10am-noon DRESS REHEARSAL
12pm lunch break (families should pick up)
1:30pm ACTOR CALL TIME
3pm show #1
4:30-6pm dinner break (families should pick up)
6pm ACTOR CALL TIME
7pm show #2

Weather cancelation policy: We have built into the existing schedule a ‘buffer week’, meaning an extra week to account for any potential cancelation of a single rehearsal. If we lose a rehearsal due to weather that forces a studio closure, it would most likely not need to be made up. If we miss more than one rehearsal we would seek to add a Sunday in a similar timeslot, details tbd.

Rockwell Dance Center in Trumbull
Live performances for families Sat Oct 21 @ 3pm & 7pm (each actor is allocated 4 total tickets at no charge; after initial ticket assignments, additional tickets will then be released for sale for $15 each, max 4 per family, we will alert when all this happens!
Cost: $545 + $50 costume/makeup fee* (pay-in full option, or $100 minimum deposit due at signup to reserve your spot; any remaining balance due in full by Sep 1) = $595 total commitment

About the Show:
A one-hour edition of the hit musical, specially tailored for young actors!

Guys and Dolls JR. is an adaptation of the show considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy. Its namesake ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950, and won numerous Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Frank Loesser's brassy, immortal score and witty book makes Guys and Dolls JR. a perennial crowd pleaser.

Set in Damon Runyon's New York City, Guys and Dolls JR. follows gambler, Nathan Detroit, as he tries to find the cash to set up the biggest crap game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck. Meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they've been engaged for fourteen years without ever getting married. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, but Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown. Guys and Dolls JR. takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, but everyone eventually ends up right where they belong.

The large cast features both a variety of ensemble and star roles.  There are ample opportunities to expand the cast by adding Hot Box Girls, gangsters, missionaries and city dwellers.

Double casting policy:
In order to provide as many opportunities for speaking roles as possible, we may decide to double cast some principal roles. Each actor sharing that role would get one performance in that part. They may appear in the ensemble for the performance during which they aren’t playing their principal role, or they may be assigned as an off stage singer. This is at the discretion of the production team, as we have a very short rehearsal window.

Sample Day: 
10-10:15am Vocal and physical warm-ups 
10:15-11am: Music Rehearsal 
11-11:15am: snack break
11am-1pm: Choreography/Blocking Rehearsal

Performance/Ticket Policies:
Performances will take place inside Studio 1 which is a small black-box style dance studio. Space is limited, therefore each performer will be limited to 4 tickets total (may be split over the two performances, i.e. 2 tickets to the 3pm performance and 2 tickets to the 7pm performance). (If siblings are both signed up, that family would qualify for 8 tickets). With that said, we always try to get in everyone who wants to come support your little one — we are occasionally able to release a couple extra tickets for families who need them. Families will be provided a link to reserve their tickets about a month before the show.

Additional ticket release:
After the initial ticket reservations have been claimed, additional tickets will then be released for sale for $15 each, max 4 per family, we will alert ahead of when all this happens!)

Rehearsal/Performance location:
Rockwell Dance Center
18 Lindeman Dr., Trumbull 06611

Costume/Makeup gameplan:
The $50 costume/makeup fee will cover the performer’s costume and fun makeup for the show. Any allergies please alert us, meanwhile we will communicate along the way the gameplan for costuming and makeup. In addition to the costume fee, families are expected to provide appropriate footwear (dance shoes, style tbd) for rehearsals and the performance (FCS does not provide footwear, nor does the costume fee cover footwear).

Covid/Mask Protocols:
Fairfield Center Stage follows Covid guidance from the various venues we rent from. These guidelines are dynamic and we thank you for your understanding. Our goal is to be able to successfully present live performances to live audiences. Current policies at RDC include a mask-optional environment. Full policies can be found on the RDC website here: https://www.rockwelldancecenter.com/.

Liability Forms:
FCS staff will be in touch at some point over the process regarding standard medical forms and other waivers. Please remember that your child’s forms must be filled out before the first rehearsal on Feb 4. Balances are due by Jan 10 or the deposit is forfeited and the slot is given someone on the waiting list.

Fees/Discounts/Policies:
Total fee is $595 ($545 program fee + $50 costume/makeup fee). $100 minimum deposit due at signup to reserve your spot, or pay-in-full option; any balance due by Sep 1. Sibling Discount: $100 discount per sibling (i.e. brother and sister would pay a total of $1,090 including their costume fee). Deposit is non-refundable. Once program begins, any/all fees paid are non-refundable. In the unforeseen case of a full cancelation of the program, a full refund would apply. If an individual rehearsal is canceled due to a covid related situation, our goal would be to make up the rehearsal on another Saturday by starting earlier or ending later. With that said, we have built in a week extra padding in our planning in the case of a canceled rehearsal. Late pickups: most of our staff do have other commitments immediately following the rehearsal day -- if you are later than 15 minutes late, we will require a $25 late fee, which goes directly to the affected counselor/staff member.

Questions?:
christy@fairfieldcenterstage.org

DIRECTOR: Christy McIntosh-Newsom. Christy is a professional actress and Artistic Director of Fairfield Center Stage. As a voice teacher and audition coach, her students have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, locally and on national television and feature films. Christy is proud to have helmed BTC Jr. (which then merged into DCT Jr. at the Downtown Cabaret, where she served until 2018 as Associate Artistic Director). In her tenure with these programs and Summer Stage, she has produced over 20 children’s productions. She was also an instructor for the Playhouse on the Green summer program, Project Broadway, Coleytown Middle School, and Broadway 101 for the Trumbull Youth Association. She is currently the Drama Director at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. Some directing highlights include “CATS Youth Edition”, “Footloose”, “A Christmas Carol Experience,” “Matilda,” “The Secret Garden,” “Barnum,” “The Music Man,” (Fairfield Center Stage) “The Hunchback of Norte Dame,” "In the Heights," "Hairspray," "Memphis," "Fancy Nancy," and "Rapunzel,” (Downtown Cabaret). Christy is a proud member of the Actors' Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA. Proud mommy to CJ and Melody.

PRODUCER/MUSIC DIRECTOR: Eli Newsom. Along with running the day-to-day operations for Fairfield Center Stage, Eli staffs and supports all of the production teams throughout the season. He also works as a Director/Music Director/Producer for various Fairfield county school productions throughout the year. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, after many years in non-profit and professional theatre as a singer/actor/dancer, he eventually discovered he much prefers directing and producing. Eli is a proud resident of downtown Fairfield with his wife Christy (also FCS Artistic Director!), kids CJ and Melody, and dogs Abby and Fozzie Bear.

PARENT LIASON: Maggie Meath. Maggie has worked in theatre education across Fairfield County for nearly 20 years. She has been a part of Fairfield Center Stage since its inception, and has worked with Christy and Eli Newsom since 2010 as a producer, director, stage manager, performer and more. She has worked in various capacities for summer camps, including Fairfield Summer Stage, BTC Jr., Broadway Boot Camp and Camp Gan Izzy. She worked in after school programs in Darien, Bridgeport and Fairfield Public Schools, and she was director of Kids’ Theatre at The Bijou and Darien Arts Center. In theatre administration, she was previously Artistic Director of The Bijou Theatre and Operations Manager at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre. Her band, The Dark Arts, recently released its first album. Maggie is a small business owner at SukiShima.com and is a proud mom of two.