The Young Actors
Guild had its beginnings in the late 1950s or
early 1960s as a project of the Fort Smith Junior League.
The ladies wanted to introduce the children of Fort Smith
to the theatre. All of the cast members were ladies;
they even played the male roles. Fourth and fifth graders
from the city schools attended the performances. After
the League felt they had developed the project, it was
turned over to the community.
The
Fort Smith Community Children’s Theatre produced
about four productions each year. Some plays were performed
with adults only in the cast; others had both adults and
children. The performances were held at many different
locations; Brunswick Square Church, Westark Community College
now UA Fort Smith, Ramsey Junior High, and the Fort Smith
Little Theatre on North O Street were some of the sites.
The organization was renamed the Children’s Theatre
and in 2001 became the Young Actors Guild.
While
discussing the summer 2005 production, the Board
of Directors learned that in earlier years there was a
theatre elf, Chee, who made an appearance at each production
and was part of the FSCCT’s logo. Micki Voelkel recalled, “No
one wanted to be Chee because of the costume.” Chee,
and a smaller version, Wee Chee, were the emcees or hosts
of the summer production. It is a tradition we plan to
continue. Another tradition is the Christmas play, The
Best Christmas Pagent Ever; the first performance was in
1983.
Some things have changed, as
all the roles in recent productions
have been cast with children 18 years or younger. One thing
that has not changed is the Guild has no permanent home
stage. But, as of 2004, we do have an office and rehearsal
area. Although the name of the organization has changed,
the mission is the same: to bring the theatre to the children
of the Fort Smith area. |
