Local artists announce free youth theatre program

The Quinte Youth Theatre will be available for auditions next week. This is the first step in achieving their goal of a full-length musical production by November. Photo by Quinte Youth Theatre

By Jacob Willis

BELLEVILLE – Concerns about children’s mental health under lockdown inspired two local artists to launch an initiative to help this summer. It will all depend on the pandemic.

Annastacia Smith, the musical coordinator of the newly announced Quinte Youth Theatre, says the program will jump at the opportunity to help kids heal as soon as possible, an outlet to re-socialize through the power of the arts.

“In isolation, our children don’t have enough creative outlets,” Smith told QNet News Tuesday. “It can have devastating effects. What helped me get through tough times when I was young was performing and feeling like I belonged somewhere.” 

The Quinte Youth Theatre was officially launched Monday. Auditions and rehearsals will run through the Ontario Dance Academy on North Front Street and the Stirling Theatre in Stirling, Ont. 

Children aged 8-18 can apply for the program early next week. The actual auditions are slated to be held in June. By November, the group expects to perform a full-length, family-friendly musical with a cast of 20-30 young artists. 

“With a larger age range, there is a great opportunity for mentorship,” Smith said. “Older students are going to get the opportunity to work with younger students and really show them the ropes. And in turn, they’re going to have a lot more confidence when they see how much they can contribute to others.”

The program is free, said Administrative Director Crystal Clark.

“Oftentimes, the biggest hindrance for children is the financial aspect of the arts,” she said. “We have a lot of very talented youth in our community who unfortunately aren’t able to participate. Our goal was to take away the cost factor, so we could truly bring together kids from all backgrounds with the same interests to become friends and build something.”

Through the generosity of local sponsors and a grant from the City of Belleville arts and culture fund, the Quinte Youth Theatre is able to operate at no cost to its participants. 

“The city was amazing. It was a really smooth process (to apply for the grant),” Clark said. “The additional support we’re getting is from private sponsors. There are a lot of local businesses willing to donate funds so we can have as many participants as possible.”

The public can sponsor a child for roughly $250, which covers everything from costumes, scripts, and music to theatres, lighting, and rehearsal space. In the name of affording the largest possible cast, the QYT is calling for more community support in the coming months. The group is doing additional fundraising through various other campaigns.

Ticket sales from this November’s production will go entirely into funding for the next season’s show, as the Quinte Youth Theatre works to entrench itself into the Belleville arts scene for the foreseeable future. 

With a crew of directors and teachers composed entirely of volunteers, Clark and Smith view the Quinte Youth Theatre as a passion project, their way of giving back to the community. Aside from the QYT, these two are professionally training elite-level dancers for 15-20 hours a week in an extensive competitive program. 

Belleville has another young people’s theatre group called the Opening Act under the umbrella of Youth Unlimited, a non-denominational Christian organization.