I love to get to interact with kids and see their laughs and smiles when we perform.”

Elliott Vanasse

The Chamber Theater at Park High School will present not one but two children’s plays in the Park High School auditorium on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend as the shows include audience participation.
Park High’s Chamber Theater, comprised of 50 students, provides a chance for everyone to try out, and anyone who auditions is cast and gets a line. Emily Ball, English teacher and Drama Director at Park High, is excited for this great event and said the two upcoming shows are shortened to appeal to a younger audience and are more ensemble focused. Macy Craig, student director of “Monster Chasers,” enjoys being part of the Chamber Theater.
“It is extremely fun because it is a lot of specific creativity from actors, and it is always malleable. There is never a bad show because there is a lot of spirit and a lot of fun,” she said.
The first show is “Monster Chasers,” an original musical written by director Clark Donnelly that shows what happens when some real-life monsters come to scare children, and they have to call on the Monster Chasers to come save the day.
The second show, “Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit,” is an adaptation of a book of the same name by Chris Van Dusen. In the story, Randy, who is a terrible baseball player but brilliant scientist, must save his town from an impending meteor strike.
In addition to the public performances on Dec. 2 and 3, the Chamber will also tour six elementary schools on Dec. 1 during the school day to give students who have never experienced theater before the chance to see live shows. Elliott Vanasse, an actor, enjoys the school day tour.
“I love to get to interact with kids and see their laughs and smiles when we perform,” he said.
Sarah Glazer, stage manager, shared her thoughts on why the productions are so well received.
“Everyone gets a chance to be seen. We are all diverse, but we all come together to make a great show,” Glazer said. “It is a great opportunity to make new friends, and you get to experience theatre in different settings.”
Tickets are available at https://www.parkwolfpack.org/tickets or at the door for $3 per person with a maximum of $10 per family. The Chamber Theater is also collecting toys for Toys for Tots and anyone who brings in a new, unwrapped toy will receive a free ticket to the show.