CATCHING ACTING BUG CANYON THEATRE GUILD INSPIRES FUTURE ACTORS.

Byline: Sharon Cotal Staff Writer

NEWHALL - In addition to having a new theater in a new location, the Canyon Theatre Guild is also offering new programs for the community including Children's After School Theatre (CAST).

Under the direction of Barbara Wright, children 7 to 18 can develop an appreciation and understanding of theater in CAST I or put their theater knowledge into practice by staging an actual production in the more advanced CAST II.

``There is a lot of theater available for adults but not as much for children, although schools do what they can with limited resources,'' Wright said. ``The Canyon Theatre Guild's mission is to bring arts to the community, so this is a natural extension of that - and children are the future of theater.''

Wright recently returned to California after founding and directing a theater in Alabama, and she is the performing arts and music teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Newhall. She wanted to be a part of the guild's new program for children because she loves theater and loves sharing what she has learned with others.

``I don't need to be up on stage doing it - the reward for me is watching others develop a love for theater,'' she said.

CAST students don't necessarily all have dreams of future stardom. Seven-year-old Sage Brown enjoys the classes but plans to become a math teacher when she grows up because ``sometimes I'm shy,'' she said.

``I like playing dress-up and I really liked the tour we took when we first got here,'' Sage said, referring to the behind-the-scenes tour of the theater's backstage, dressing rooms and other areas usually off-limits to visitors and given at the beginning of CAST I.

Mora Sandeen, 13, is a member of CAST II and caught the acting bug when she landed the lead role in a fifth-grade school performance.

``I think it might be fun to be an actress, but there's so much competition,'' Mora said. ``These classes will help me to be better prepared if I choose to pursue that.''

A new session of CAST I begins Tuesday and meets 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the theater for four weeks at a cost of $150. Openings are still available for this session.

CAST II costs $300 and is currently in the middle of its eight-week session, but future sessions of both courses will be offered, Wright said. Those interested in taking classes at the theater should call [phone].

The CAST II production of ``Cinderella'' will take place at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. March 8 at the theater, 24242 San Fernando Road, Newhall. The performance is free and open to the public.

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(1 -- 2) Barbara Wright, left, dresses Heather Brown, 9, as a duck as Sage Brown, 7, watches at the Guild Theater in Old Newhall. Kamber Moen, 14, prepares to go on stage and portray an emotion during Wednesday's after-school theater workshop.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer