Saturday, March 15, 2025
Long Beach’s Professional Youth Theatre is celebrating a decade of fostering young performers with a lineup of productions for its tenth anniversary season.
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” PYT Co-Founder Brooke Robyn Dairman said. “I’m so proud of the growth of the program and how it’s become a fixture in the community. The residents of Long Beach have really supported us, even through tough times, like the pandemic, when we were producing outdoor shows in a parking lot.”
Kicking off the year, the theatre staged “The Little Mermaid” from Jan. 26 through Feb. 2, and for the senior production of “Bonnie & Clyde,” which ran from Feb. 8 to 10 at the PYT Ballroom Theater on East Walnut Street. The milestone season will continue with “Into the Woods” in June and “Grease” in July.
“The Little Mermaid” production featured a junior cast of students ages 8 to 13 under the direction of Dairman, with musical direction by Thomas Riley. The production included nearly 40 young actors, many from the barrier island, with others traveling from towns across Nassau County. To provide multiple students with the opportunity to perform principal roles, PYT rotated lead performers throughout the eight-show run. When not in a leading role, students joined the ensemble, participating in larger group numbers.
“We frequently double, triple or even quadruple-cast our productions because of the abundance of talent that we train here at PYT,” Dairman said. “Students learn the valuable skill of performing in two tracks — both their principal role and their ensemble role. It’s very important to us that students learn the importance of being part of an active and engaged ensemble.”
Since it’s founding, PYT has provided young actors across Long Beach and Nassau County opportunities to train and perform in professional-caliber productions. The anniversary season reflects the organization’s commitment to its students, many aspiring to pursue theater in college or professionally.
The upcoming senior production of “Bonnie & Clyde” will showcase 17 students ages 13 to 18. Directed and choreographed by Broadway actor and PYT resident acting teacher Laura Stracko, with musical direction by PYT Associate Director Lauren Barchi. The production presents a challenging score and dramatic storyline; the 2011 Broadway musical has since gained popularity in regional and community theater. Set and lighting design will be done by PYT’s resident designer Pierre Morita, along with professional sound design by Aaron Hollon.
With a full year of productions ahead, PYT’s 10th anniversary season highlights the organization’s dedication to providing young performers with opportunities to gain experience and develop their talents. As students prepare for upcoming performances, PYT continues to be an active part of the Long Beach arts community.
“To celebrate our anniversary, we kicked off our performance season by reviving the very first show we ever produced back in 2015, ‘The Little Mermaid,’” Dairman said. “Back then, it was a cast of 14 kids, and now we have 39 kids on stage. We’re also bringing back our popular summer camp program for kids ages 6 to 17, and we’ll be producing a show at the end of camp that we’ve never done before — Grease. We can’t wait.”
To purchase tickets and learn more information on PYT, visit ProfessionalYouthTheatre.com.
