50 years old but forever young

By TRACEY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HE YOUNGSTOWN PLAYHOUSEYouth Theatre turns 50 this season, and will mark the milestone by presenting favorite plays from its past.
The theater began in 1952, when Rennie Griffith of the Junior League of Youngstown believed there was a void in the arts for area children. She and four other members of the Junior League -- Anne Zimmerman, Mary Frances Bateson, Gloria Jones and Sally Hosack Schaff -- set out to fill that void.
With the support of the Youngstown Board of Education and area educators and the sponsorship of the Junior League, Griffith and her friends founded the Civic Children's Theatre, which later became the Youth Theatre.
This season
Patricia Fagan, the current Youth Theatre director, said this season's shows have been selected with the 50th anniversary in mind. Past hits will be shown on the main stage, including "The Adventures of Amelia Bedelia," which will run Monday through Oct. 26.
Later in the season, award-winning playwright Katherine Schultz Miller and Cleveland author Nancy McArthur will be invited to productions of their shows, the stage adaptation of "The Time Machine" and "The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks." Each show will be given a "special spin" to help celebrate, said Fagan.
She also hopes to gather as many Youth Theatre alumni as possible for an end-of-the-season awards ceremony with a salute to the 50th anniversary.
History
Griffith said the theater originally held its performances at The Rayen School and Princeton Junior High. When the Youngstown Playhouse began to raise money to build the theater it's currently housed in, the Civic Children's Theatre approached it with a proposition. The theater would help with the drive in return for space in the new building.
The Playhouse agreed, and in 1959 the Children's Theatre moved in, eventually merging with the Playhouse in the mid-'80s and taking its current name.
Fagan's mother bought season tickets to the Civic Children's Theatre. Fagan recounts the experience of attending her first live show at Princeton Junior High School.
"I tried to get my mother to explain to me what it was I was going to, because I couldn't really understand what the experience would be like, but I have never forgotten that first play. It was just terrific to be able to go and see this action on stage, and kids like me doing it. And then I thought, 'Well, I could do that.'"
An invaluable experience
Fagan and Griffith agree that the theater experience is invaluable for children, whether they pursue a career in theater or apply the skills they learn to other areas of their lives.
"We demand a lot of them. We demand that they take responsibility and they almost always live up to it," said Fagan. Griffith notes that most of the pupils involved in theater productions improve in schoolwork and develop higher self-esteem and more confidence.
"They learn that you have to apply yourself to achieve, and that is reflected in their schoolwork as well," said Griffith. "The theater experience brings out so many attributes that a person didn't realize they had."
Fagan said Youth Theatre participants have gone on to professional careers in theater, film and music, but several others have been successful in fields such as advertising, marketing, teaching and medicine.
These people often tell Fagan their participation in the Youth Theatre was responsible for their success in life.
"That's what it does for everybody. If you can get one role and go through with it then all of the sudden you're a different person because you think, 'I can achieve,'" she said.
Although being involved in the productions usually requires missing some school, Fagan said, most schools are cooperative because they recognize what the experience can do for the child.
'Small Fry'
Fagan developed the "Small Fry" series in 1988 for children who can't afford to take time from school. The plays are shown weekends in the downstairs area of the Playhouse, called the Actor's Arena.
"The 'Small Fry' series are shows that are smaller in terms of number of actors and scenery. We can also get into subject matter and social issues that the school's might not be as receptive to," said Fagan. "For example, last year we did 'Huckleberry Finn.'"
Fagan said the Youth Theatre has a literature-based program and tries to stay current with shows it offers. The plays are chosen based on reading lists submitted by area teachers.
Acting classes are also offered three times a year for pupils in grades one through 12. Fagan said they are hoping to turn the summer session into a more elaborate learning period, such as a summer theater camp that would culminate in a musical production.
Fagan encourages the apprehensive or shy child to give the theater experience a try.
"We are a one-size-fits-all organization, and there is a place for everybody here, and everybody can have a place," said Fagan. "All they have to do is walk in the door and give it a try, and we'll take it from there."