Got the economic downturn blues? Ashlie Welte, program director at Theatre Theatre Maui in Lahaina, has got the perfect antidote: "Theater therapy."
TTM's production of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast Junior" will provide audiences with a good dose of theater therapy this weekend - beginning today with a special performance for youth organizations, and continuing through Sunday at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Ka'anapali.
"This is the kind of stuff that really brings communities together," Welte says. "We're getting a lot of support from families, and it's very encouraging to have the kind of enthusiasm we've seen. Everybody knows we are in hard times, but as long as the arts prevail, we'll pull through!"
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Theatre Theatere Maui photo
It’s prom night for the Beast (Brycen Bartolome) and Belle (Meghan Bradford) in Theatre Theatre Maui’s “Disney’s Beauty and Beast Junior.”
The nonprofit TTM was established in 1991 as a way to bring the performing arts to students and adults on the west side. Every summer, kids ranging in age from 8 to 17 come together at TTM's five-week performing arts camp on theLahainalunaHigh School campus.
This year there are 47 young performers involved - a slight increase over last year's attendance, indicating that the arts are indeed prevailing! Welte and a team of seasoned theater professionals (Vania Lee Jerome, Aly Cardinalli, Lauren Olsen, Dan Rib and Genie Calagna) have been guiding the kids through daily lessons in voice, dance and drama.
The camp is all about "fun, communication and building an ohana," Welte says - what it's not about is creating the next "American Idol"!
Fact Box
"Disney's Beauty and the Beast Junior" will take place in the Haleakala Ballroom at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for youth under 12, free for children under 2; available at the door. For more information,call 661-1168 or e-mail TTMWest Maui@aol.com
On the first day of camp, Welte sat down with the kids and parents and shared her philosophy: "I told them I'm not here to make their kids stars my goal is to instill self-confidence and life skills, like how they conduct themselves in an audition is similar to how they would be in a job interview. I want to teach them to get up in front of the class and not be as nervous as they might have been Of course, those who have the talent and ability and want to continue on will gain the tools to do that."
Welte literally grew up in the theater, with both parents involved in performing arts in Southern California. Her mother likes to tell the story about little Ashlie standing up at a rehearsal to correct the director. "Put that little girl onstage!" the director said.
After attending the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City, Welte went on to perform professionally in musicals, stage plays, reviews, on cruise ships and in other venues before moving to Maui three years ago.
She started working with TTM last summer, assisting with vocal coaching and acting. "I absolutely love children's theater," she says. "There just isn't a lot for kids on the west side, and I love to see them involved in arts and performance since we're losing so much of that in the schools."
Although she's spent plenty of time performing onstage, this is Welte's first time behind the scenes directing a full-scale, main-stage production. The enchanted tale of "Beauty and the Beast" is based on the Disney cartoon, resulting in some unique character (and costume) challenges.
"It's animation set to life, so you've got a lot of fun, quirky personalities, like a talking candlestick, a dresser, a teapot, a clock, a feather duster," Welte says. "It really adds enjoyment to the show because you always pretend you're something you're not when you do a play; but to pretend you're an animated character really raises the bar.
"The kids are having a blast - we're throwing a lot at them, and they are delivering so well."
*****
Tonight:
Last weekend to catch the adventure and charm of "Disney's Mulan Junior," presented by Maui Academy of Performing Arts at Steppingstone Playhouse at Queen Ka'ahumanu Center. Forty-eight students from MAPA's Sum'R Musical Theatre Camp take on the roles of Chinese soldiers, Huns, ancestors, mothers, fathers, daughters and a sassy little dragon named Mushu (played by Ryan Foree), who must "save" the heroine. Meanwhile, the heroine Mulan (played by Mikeila Yamamoto) is already busy on a quest to save China and bring honor to her family. Beautiful costumes, enjoyable music and lots of talented kids make this a perfect family evening. Showtimes are 7:30 tonight, Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for kids 12 and younger; available at the mall's customer service kiosk, online at www.mauiacademy.org or by calling 244-8760. (See the review on the following page.)
*****
This weekend:
Maui OnStage resurrects the infamous real-life bordello, the Chicken Ranch, in the rollicking musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." Natalie Raynes plays the classy madam Miss Mona, and Michael Pulliam is the long-suffering Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd who has always turned a blind eye to proceedings at the Chicken Ranch. Now that TV "Watchdog" Melvin P. Thorpe (Lee Garrow) has gotten the community up in arms about a "whorehouse" in their midst, even politicians who frequent the establishment are forced to take action. Scantily clad women (and men), cussin' and carrying on make this a very entertaining show for adults - not appropriate for children. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays; through Aug. 2. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for students and seniors, $15 for Sunday matinees; available at If the Shoe Fits in Wailuku and Lava Java in Kihei, online at www.mauionstage.com or by calling 242-6969.
