Trust grants students lower prices at theater box office
BY SOUMITRO SEN, soumitros@theunion.com
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12:01 a.m. PT Apr 24, 2008
Students who've yearned to attend a theater performance but found tickets too pricey now have a chance: Foothill Theatre Company recently halved its student matinee rates for two upcoming productions.
The theater company is offering $5 tickets to 500 local students, on a first-come, first-served basis, to attend "Doubt, A Parable" in May and "On Golden Pond" in October.
The reduction is possible through a $2,500 grant from Community Players Trust. The local nonprofit gives grants and scholarships to enhance performing arts in Nevada County, board member Mary Mahoney said.
"Doubt, A Parable" is set in a Bronx Catholic school where the principal takes matters into her own hands after suspecting a padre of inappropriate behavior with one of the male students, said Wendy Willoughby, education director with Foothill Theatre.
"On Golden Pond" is the love story of an elderly couple that was immortalized by Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda in a the 1981 movie by the same name, Willoughby said.
Buyers would normally pay $10 for a student matinee ticket, according to Willoughby. A regular ticket for a child, 6 to 12 years of age, could cost as much as $15, while teenagers would pay up to $23 for a show, Willoughby said.
Student matinees are special performances for school children, where they can interact with the actors after the production, Willoughby said. Foothill Theatre also offers apprenticeship programs, acting classes and a Shakespeare summer camp for youth, Willoughby added.
The Community Players Trust accepts applications from nonprofit theater groups producing plays, schools wanting to take their students to performances and individuals who wish to study theater in college, said Bruce Rayner, president of the Community Players Trust.
To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail ssen@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
