Theatre Young Harris Produces World Premiere of Newly Licensed Play
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — With its students appearing as the originating cast and crew, Young Harris College is pleased to have premiered the musical “Little Piglet Gets a Sister,” now available for licensing through Plays for New Audiences.
At the beginning of each academic year, Theatre Young Harris opens with a Theatre for Young Audiences production. For the 2022-2023 season, the faculty and students of Young Harris College’s Theatre Department produced “Little Piglet Gets a Sister,” written by John Maclay and composed by Brett Ryback.
Never produced by a theatre, the production first saw the stage at Young Harris College, where it was brought to life by an originating cast and crew of Musical Theatre and Music Education students. Directed by Anne Towns, Associate Professor of Theatre, with musical direction by Suzanne West, the play tells a hilarious and heartwarming story about family.
“Working on a world-premiere production is a huge responsibility and also a great honor,” said Anne Towns. “The students who helped bring the characters to life for the first time had no blueprint or ‘baseline’ to which they could compare their own work. It was scary! It was also very freeing, and we shared so many laughs along the way. We are all very proud to be a small part of Little Piglet’s debut.”
The original cast of “Little Piglet Gets a Sister” features recent graduate Kat Miller, Class of 2023, as Little Piglet; Jordan Sharp, Class of 2026, as Hamlet; Jahlaynia Winters, Class of 2023, as Mom; and Logan Alvarez, Class of 2023, as Dad. McCormick Anderson, Class of 2024; and Sienna Nason, Class of 2026, are listed as ensemble. Lydia Mohr, Class of 2023, understudied. Chris Crawford, Department Chair of Theatre, acted as Lighting Designer, while Zack Vandever, Assistant Professor of Theatre, served as Scenic and Properties Designer.
Joining playwright Maclay’s works such as “Goosebumps: The Musical” and “Arthur and Friends Make a Musical,” this show has been made available for licensing, which means that other theatre groups can now purchase the rights to perform “Little Piglet Gets a Sister” for their own audiences, Towns said.
“Theatre Young Harris is pleased that its students have had the opportunity to originate these roles,” she added. “This performance was not only a valuable learning experience for the cast and crew, but also a magical adventure for those in attendance.”
The Theatre for Young Audiences at Young Harris College is supported by the Fred F. Register Endowment, established by family and friends of Register. Each year, elementary school children in the local and surrounding counties of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee are given the opportunity to view these live performances. The annual Theatre for Young Audiences production is attended by more than 6,000 children from the Southern Appalachian region.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has four academic divisions: Fine Arts; Humanities; Mathematics, Science and Technology; and Professional Studies. More than 1,400 students are enrolled in its residential and Early College programs. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
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