An exciting new adaptation of a Halloween classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, will be presented by Midland Center’s Youth Theatre on October 27 - 29, 2023 in the Little Theater. Auditions for students in grades 6 - 12 will be held on September 6 and 7, 2023. The stage play is directed by Travis Kendrick and written by Christopher Castanho, adapted from the Washington Irving short story.

In this inventive and theatrical retelling, a group of children act out The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on a stormy Halloween night when they discover a copy of the book in the attic. Originally published in 1819, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the story of Ichabod Crane and his attempt to win the heart of his love, Katrina Van Tassel. This comical and ghostly tale follows Crane through the town of Sleepy Hollow, NY, where he is visited by a mysterious ghost, the Headless Horseman.

“This production will be a great amount of fun to work on, and I’m excited that we continue to expand our Youth Theatre opportunities at the Center,” said director and Manager of Produced Theatre and Theatre Education, Travis Kendrick. “Students will get to explore shadow puppetry, perform multiple characters, tell eerie ghost stories, and work with a playwright in the rehearsal room!”

Midland Center will offer a Beginning Stages (BeSt) class for students in grades 6 - 12 looking to develop theatre skills through experiential learning themed around the stories of Edgar Allen Poe. This program will meet twice per week and does not require an audition to register. Students will receive performance and technical theatre experience to create a fully realized world on stage using storytelling techniques like shadow puppetry. More information about the BeSt program can be found at www.midlandcenter.org/YouthTheatre#BeSt. 

Auditions for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow will be held September 6 and 7, 2023 in Rehearsal Room B at Midland Center for the Arts. Rehearsals begin in September and are held four times per week leading up to the performance. For more information on auditions and what students should prepare for, please visit www.midlandcenter.org/YouthTheatre. A limited number of Art From the Heart tuition scholarships are available, more information can be found at www.midlandcenter.org/scholarships. 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow will run October 27 - 29, 2023 on the Little Theater stage. Tickets are available online at www.midlandcenter.org, by calling (989) 631-8250, or by visiting the box office at 1801 W. St. Andrews Rd., Midland. There will be a Student Matinee performance on Friday, October 27 at 10 AM with limited seating available for school and homeschool groups. Matinee registration will open on August 1 and interested educators can learn more at www.midlandcenter.org/matinees. 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is sponsored by Grace A. Dow Memorial Library.

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For more information, please contact Alex Woody at woody@midlandcenter.org