Encore Youth Theatre
For more than 10 years, our Encore Youth Theatre productions have provided theatrical education and entertainment to the Fond du Lac community and surrounding areas.
Now, Encore Youth Theatre is expanding! This year for the first time, we are offering two different Encore productions.
Our usual Encore production, now just for students entering grade 6 up to age 15. This year’s production will be “Shrek the Musical Jr.”, July 31-Aug. 3. Auditions will be held April 27 and 28. Learn more and sign up to audition for Shrek Jr.
In addition, we are planning a special accelerated program for students entering grade 3-5. Rehearsals for this younger Encore production will run from June 2-June 19 with two presentations of “101 Dalmatians Kids” on June 20 and 21. Auditions will be held May 17. Learn more about auditions for 101 Dalmatians Kids.
Why the change?
Since Encore’s beginnings in 2014, we have been thrilled to see increasing participation every year. Especially in the last few years, the program’s popularity has boomed: our 2024 production of “Mary Poppins Jr.” contains over 120 children in a single show! While we love the boundless joy that we see in these mega-size productions, we know it’s time to restructure our programming to increase the attention we give to each student and create more opportunities for our young performers. Over the last year, we have been hard at work interviewing parents and students and considering many different options, and we are very proud of and excited for the new structure we’ve developed.
FAQ: Mentorship Opportunities
In our conversations with parents, we heard that many younger students benefit from having older kids to look up to as mentors and role models. We want to preserve these opportunities, so we will be inviting older students to be part of our rehearsal process for 101 Dalmatians Kids. If your child might be interested in serving as a mentor, please reach out to us!
FAQ: What if I have a child in both age groups?
Throughout the three weeks of “101 Dalmatians Kids”, rehearsals for both Encore productions will largely happen at the same time: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Parents and families will simply drop off their younger student(s) at Goodrich Little Theatre and their older student(s) just down the street at our FDLCT firehouse.
101 Dalmatians Kids
JUNE 21-22, 2025 | GOODRICH LITTLE THEATRE
An Encore Children’s Theatre special offering for children entering 3rd-5th grade: just 3 weeks of rehearsals culminating in a staged performance where the monstrous Cruella De Vil must be thwarted by Roger and Anita’s family of Dalmatians. These performances will be free to attend.
Shrek the Musical, Jr.
JULY 31-AUG 3, 2025 | GOODRICH LITTLE THEATRE
“Shrek The Musical Jr.”is a fun-filled stage adaptation of the popular animated film. It follows an ogre named Shrek’s quest to rescue Princess Fiona, accompanied by his talkative friend Donkey. Along the way, they encounter fairy tale creatures and learn valuable lessons about friendship and acceptance. With catchy songs and humorous moments, it’s a delightful show for all ages. These performances will be ticketed as usual through hometowntickets.com.