GILROY
– An after-school children’s drama program that previously
showcased its participants’ talents on stage is expanding to
TV.
GILROY – An after-school children’s drama program that previously showcased its participants’ talents on stage is expanding to TV.
The Summer Theater Arts Repertoire (STAR) program is seeking participants for a spring television production that will resemble the long-running comedy program “Saturday Night Live.” Kids 9 to 14 years old will create, write and perform comedic skits based on local and global current events.
Skits will be aired later in the spring on Channel 18, dubbed Gav-TV, as Gavilan College theater students will assist the group in writing and producing the comedy material.
“The kids will talk about current event issues, and the college students will take direction from them and write the skits,” said Producer/Director Julianne Palma. “The skits will really be driven by what the kids want to talk about and what they find to be important issues.”
Classes begin in less than two weeks at the Gavilan College TV studio. Two course sections are scheduled, the first running from Jan. 27 to March 19, the second starting March 24 and wrapping up May 21. The class fee is $225.
Given the TV studio’s size constraints, only 20 children can participate. Palma said there are still a few open slots to be filled.
“I think this program will be competitive to get into in the future. At some point we’re going to have more participants than the studio can support, especially after the shows go on air,” Palma said.
This is not the first time the STAR program has used Gavilan’s TV studio. For the last six summers, a video production program was offered that focused on how to film and edit using video equipment.
“STAR TV will be much more about the on-camera talent,” Palma said. “We want to be able to showcase the talents of our participants and educate them about on-camera performance and educate them on how to operate equipment in a TV studio. And we want to have some fun,” Palma said.
STAR is in its 18th year and has grown from doing fairy tale plays to major musicals.
As for the TV show, STAR Program Director Marilyn Abad-Cardinalli said the goal is to air four weekly shows four times each on Channel 18. No air date has yet been set.
Details: 847-2514.
