The DG Ghostlight Educational Theater hosted Elf Jr the Musical Dec. 7-10. The production involved kids ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, and brought smiles to the audience and excitement for the actors.
Ghostlight has been preparing shows for years, but this was officially the company’s first holiday production. Directors and staff decided on Elf Jr, due to their past performances and experience with the show.
“We wanted to do a show before the holidays. We’ve directed it before, so we were like it’s gotta be Elf. And it’s one of my favorite movies,” Artistic Director Micki Doherty said.
Doherty played a big role in making Elf Jr a memorable and unique show. Doherty has been working with kids for 24 years and has always had a passion for theater. She hopes to pass her love for performance along to her students.
“I love watching kids saying ‘I can’t’ and realize they ‘can.’ This takes guts,” Micki Doherty said.
As a part of the crew, junior and niece of Micki Doherty Emily Doherty connects with the students and company while filling the role as the costume designer. While having a family member being a director in the program, she still gets to be more hands on with the production and collaborative with the staff.
“I love to do this. At Ghostlight, we’re all kind of like a family. It’s just awesome that we can put on shows like this, now that we’re the older kids to help out,” Emily Doherty said. “The kids are amazing. It can be a little stressful sometimes just like during the shows, but afterwards when they give you that big hug and giant smile it’s all worth it.”
Parents can’t help but notice the joy and excitement their children show while performing with Ghostlight. A sense of comfortability and passion for theater radiates across the stage.
“I think the parents of any kid who wants to try theater in any aspect should find a place that makes their kids feel special, whether it’s Ghostlight or another theater company,” parent of students in Ghostlight Heather Follstad said. “We just keep doing a show every year because our girls love it.”
The company gives students a chance to embrace confidence in theater. They honor them with an empowering involvement with the arts.
“It just gives the kids such a great outlet for them to be creative and be their own unique self,” Follstad said.
