Summer Theatre Workshops
2024- Season 26
Stepsisters (Musical): June 3rd- June 15th
PERFORMANCES: June 14th @ 7:00 PM, June 15th @ 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Everybody knows the Brothers Grimm’s most famous fairy tale. But what if they told it from the wrong point of view? Stepsisters tells the totally-true-and-not-at-all-made-up version of the little cinder girl. When Drew and Beth are thrown into the dungeon for conspiring against the throne, these stepsisters, who are not wicked, evil and certainly not ugly, are forced to tell their fellow prisoners the real story of what happened with Cinderella. Part flashback, part story theatre and all high-octane musical comedy, the story unfolds in ways the Grimm tale never did. You see, Harrison is a great prince, but he gets tongue-tied when he has to talk to girls. And how many men did the stepmother marry, and why do they keep dying? Is trying on a shoe really the best way to choose a bride? Drew, Beth and Ella are really the best of friends and—spoiler alert—Drew is actually Ella’s fairy godmother. So bibbity-bobbity-boom! How can two sisters play matchmaker for their tomboy stepsister while trying to out-connive a conniving mother, outwit a sadistic chancellor and make everyone’s dreams come true before the jailer takes their heads? With 13 songs, all shorter than two minutes, the breakneck pace gallivants onward, giving us a fresh take on a story we all thought we knew. But those Brothers Grimm got it wrong again.
FULL
Just Another High School Musical: June 17th- June 29th
PERFORMANCES: June 28th @7:00 PM, June 29th @ 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
A group of high school actors, abandoned by their drama teacher for good reason, have to fend for themselves opening night in front of a live audience. Their first song, “We Apologize in Advance,” shows just how unprepared they are! The student assistant director and the stage manager find a box of scripts which they pass out to the cast, and try to throw something together. What follows is a rollicking show full of physical comedy, gags, and satirical re-writings from Shakespeare (“Life Is Like a Snow Globe”) to Louisa May Alcott (“Dress Them Up in Drag”). Even melodrama gets a nod with a boisterous, under-a-minute-long song. But it doesn’t help. In desperation they sing the song “Intermission” with the lyrics, “This means our show is more than halfway done. Maybe Act Two will be better than Act One.” In Act Two (“Back Down to Business”), the actors put their own spin on Dickens (“A Christmas Carol Rap”) and Thornton Wilder (“Our Town, This Town”). Finally, they perform their “Gratuitous Number.” Will it be enough to rescue this disaster before their teacher returns—if he ever does? A final number, “A Spotlight Big Enough for All,” closes the show on a comically uplifting note!
FULL
SeussOdyssey (Play): July 1st- July 13th
(Note: rehearsals will still take place on July 4th)
PERFORMANCES: July 12th @7:00 PM, July 13th @ 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Not in the mood for homework? Let Narrator 1 and 2 take you on a literary journey, and watch as Homer's Odyssey is transformed into the style of Dr. Seuss. Complete with a singing Cyclops ("Oh the sights you can spy with only one eye!"), the slaughter of the suitors acted out with teddy bears, and the sorceress Circe serving up crew members with a side of green eggs, The SeussOdyssey is a hilarious and speedy reimagining of the classic epic.
Totally Awesome! (Musical): July 15th- July 27th
PERFORMANCES: July 26th @ 7:00 PM, July 27th @ 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
The Awesome family has been so successful at fighting Champion City crime that they have decided to release all the villains. Yes, General Mayhem, Corporal Punishment, and the others in the Army of Evil are free.
The Awesome family now travels to where crime fighters are needed. Meanwhile the youngest, Annie Awesome, is at odds with being in a superhero family as she’s often stuck doing not so heroic tasks. She meets normal citizen Fiona who dreams of making a real difference in the world. They sing “Only Me” and decide to trade places for the day.
What are the villains up to after ten years in prison? Well, pickleball of course! Oh! And they decide to rule the world by making everyone crazy with “Little Tiny Annoying Things.” They are successful and the citizens of Champion City are overwhelmed. So are the heroes who go on strike.
Annie inspires the citizens to realize they don’t need powers to be super in the song, “We Can Be Super.” Together in an epic slow-motion battle they defeat the Army of Evil, thus saving the mayor’s job, protecting the tree frogs, and most important, rescuing the Awesomes!
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About Summer Theatre
Hutton's Hamlet will celebrate 24 years of Youth Theater Workshops in 2023. With each new production, the Hamlet welcomed returning veterans of prior theater workshops as well as newcomers from throughout Stanislaus County and beyond. Prior to beginning the workshops in 1999 at Hutton's Hamlet, Annette Hutton (Director) worked extensively in theater in Stockton, Lodi, and Groveland, as director and musical director for both community theaters and children's theater. She holds degrees in music education and piano performance from the University of the Pacific.
WHAT: Theater Arts/Drama/Music workshops. The workshops emphasize acting techniques, stage presence, and vocal training. The workshops culminate in a fully-staged production open to the public.
WHERE: Hutton's Hamlet Performing Arts Center, 132 West G Street (the chapel at the northeast corner of West G Street and South Church Avenue), Oakdale.
WHEN: Monday through Friday mornings, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for two-week workshops.
ELIGIBILITY: Students ages 8-20. Enrollment is first-come, first-serve. No auditions. (Note: These are only two-week workshops. Regular attendance every day is mandatory; it is critical that you do not schedule anything else for the participant that will interfere with attendance on any day during a workshop that you select.)
TUITION: $250 per participant. Call (209) 848-1216 for more information.
DIRECTORS: Annette Hutton has worked extensively in theater in Stockton, Lodi, Columbia, and Groveland in the capacities of director and musical director for community theaters and children's theater. She holds degrees in music education and piano performance from the University of the Pacific. In 2003, Annette was honored with the Excellence in Music award as a Woman of Distinction (in Education) by Soroptimist of Oakdale, in May 2007.
Emily Frantz is a graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Theatre. She participated in Hutton’s Hamlet theater from ages 6-18 and was a First Assistant for Annette for many years. She has been teaching college-level workshops (Intro to Theatre, Clowning, and Dance Technique) at Hutton’s Hamlet in 2020-present. She is so honored and excited for her chance to direct some of the shows this summer and cannot wait to work with you all again!