Top Ten Productions by Young Actors 2013

During 2013 I was honored to attend two dozen productions put on by students. They ranged from small plays put on by a few talented students at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School to full scale musicals with many young people that filled the stage with color and song. Oh and two Little Mermaids, two How to Succeeds, two In the Heights, two Into the Woods and three Seussicals!

Back in May I wrote this about Amity High School's Sweeney Todd: "[It] marks the ninth performance by young actors I have attended this year and I have already added three more to my calendar. Many fine shows like this one will be vying for the top spot on my top ten list and I can already see that it will be a very difficult list to make." And so it was.

I enjoyed each and every one of the young actors shows and appreciated the amount of hard work that went into getting them on the stage. Here is my ranking of the best of the best shows by up and coming performers.

Click the title of the show to read my entire review.

10. Little Mermaid Jr. by Curtain Call Kids - A strong cast of many talented young actors went "Under the Sea" at the Nancy Marine Theatre. 

9. Alice Through the Internet at Naugatuck High School - NHS Drama Club students took us on a journey in cyberspace and the characters of Brian (Preston Bogan) and Michelle (Kaylin Spaulding) were superb. 

8. Disney's Beauty and the Beast at Western School - Stephanie Colella and her Western Elementary students brought "tale as old as time" to life on their stage. 

7.  Fiddler on the Roof at Watertown High School - Strong performances and an amazing dream sequence made this production memorable. 

6. Annie at Blessed Sacrament School - Bob Tansley returned to BSS to direct two casts for a professional production of Annie. 

5. Annie Get Your Gun by Naugatuck Teen Theater - Alex Hernandez and Zach Carter led a top notch cast in this excellent production at St. Michaels Church Hall.

4. Into the Woods at WAMS - This stunning production of the Sondheim classic set the bar very high. 

3. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Newtown High School - CTHSMA Outstanding Lead Actor Taylor Varga and his classmates did a wonderful job in this musical. 

2. Sweeney Todd at Amity High School - In the end, the musical that was mired in controversy was outstanding.

1. Seussical by the 1214 Foundation - This production featured the amazing John Tartaglia in the role of The Cat in the Hat, but the rest of the cast members rose to his level of perfection. The production values and heart of the two casts made this Seussical the top show on my young actors list.