"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" on Stage in January
The Wallman Hall stage will welcome some beloved cartoon characters in January. The Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts Town & Gown Youth Company presents “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 and 22, at 2 p.m. Jan. 23 and at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27, 28 and 29.
Tickets are $12. To order tickets, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/tickets or call (304) 367-4240. FSU will be closed Dec. 24 through 31 for the holiday season.
This production will be directed and designed by FSU students, under the mentorship of theatre faculty. Sean Marko is directing a cast of local high school students who will bring the well-known Peanuts characters to life, with Andy Shaw as Charlie Brown, Lori Williams as Sally Brown, Ashley Spedding as Lucy Van Pelt, Tyler Merrifield as Linus Van Pelt, Kiersten White as Snoopy, Brady Dunn as Schroeder and Shannon Yost as Woodstock/Blanket.
Marko and the cast have been in rehearsal for two weeks and he said he is very impressed with the level of commitment and focus his young actors have achieved.
“They have blown me away with how much they have done in character research and development and working on their music,” he said.
The mission of the Youth Company is to provide opportunities for area youth to explore the world of theatre. While participants in Youth Company productions develop stage performance skills, they also learn essential life skills in cooperation and teamwork, critical thinking and individual responsibility.
The Youth Company also gives FSU theatre students an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to the process of creating a production from the ground up. The college students learn as much about themselves and their art as their young actors do.
“I realized part of me wants to be an acting teacher,” said Marko. He came to FSU intending to be an actor, but he has discovered he has something to offer young actors.
Marko, his fellow FSU student designers and choreographer, and the young cast, will undoubtedly be learning much more in the next four weeks. All thanks in part to the wit and wisdom of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang.
TheatreCharlie BrownSchool of Fine Arts
