The Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department (WCPR) and WCPR Children’s Theatre have announced some changes and additions to their program offerings that will be starting in fall of 2023.
Stars to the East
Stars to the East will bring two award-winning audition-based children’s theatre programs to the east side of Williamson County.
Star Bright East will produce one large-scale musical theatre production each year for ages 12-18, and Rising Stars East will produce one junior musical theatre production each year for children in first through eighth grade.
Both programs will rehearse at College Grove Artsitorium (CGA) on Mondays and Thursdays with performances taking place at the Williamson County Performing Arts Center in Franklin. Blandina Vergara-Cruz will be the director.
The CGA is located at 8601 Horton Highway in College Grove.
STAR Program
Formerly known as the Musical Theatre Experience Program, the STAR Program (Student Theatrical Arts Resource) has announced Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids as its fall production and introduce Ashley Taft as the new program director.
The STAR Program offers weekly musical theatre classes for ages 7-12. Classes meet for 10 weeks, followed by a week of technical rehearsals and performances.
For fall 2023, two class options are available: Tuesdays from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the College Grove Artsitorium starting August 22, 2023 and Thursdays from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at Franklin Rec Center starting August 24, 2023.
Both classes will perform November 10, 2023 and November 11, 2023 at the College Grove Artsitorium.
Little Stars
The Little Stars program will be offering two Disney Villains classes this fall for ages 4.5-8, directed by Ashley Taft.
Both classes will meet for a total of 12 weeks; one class will be held at CGA on Tuesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., while the Franklin class will meet at the Franklin Recreation Complex located at 1120 Hillsboro Road on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Both classes will have a final performance showcase during the week of November 13, 2023. Class enrollment is now open.
Note: There will be no changes to the Franklin programs for the Star Bright Players or Rising Stars. These programs will continue to rehearse Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in Franklin under the direction of Blandina Vergara-Cruz. Auditions will be held September 10, 2023 for the next production with the Franklin Star Bright Players.
For more information about WCPR Children’s Theatre programs, visit wcparksandrec.com/activities/children_s_theatre.