T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E
Sisters, Meredith Farren and Suzannah Linnett,
co-producers, managers and visionaries of Silvermoon Children’s Theatre
experience, headshots and headshot boards and most of our social media presence.” “We also have the great gift of being able to work with our parents in this endeavor,” Farren continues. Always willing to help SCT shine, the girls’ mother, Diana, also known as “Ms. Honey,” has become Seamstress and Musical Director. Ms. Honey has come up with the most beautiful costumes, including the beautiful ‘coat of many colors’ for Joseph in the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “She has such a gift of working with fabric and always makes our actors look amazing. She’s a dream!” Linnett’s dreams of set design are brought to life by their father. As the ‘set guy’ he is the one who comes up with creative solutions, keeping in mind budget and the size parameters of the theatre’s stage. “He helps with many technical issues too,” Farren says, “such as focusing lights and figuring out special effects. He’s a genius!” Anything the girls need done, their parents are always there to help. Farren lovingly claims, “They are the real MVPs of this operation!” Silvermoon has brought much joy over the years to both the children participating and Texarkana’s residents by producing and bringing a combination of musicals and plays, some purchased, and some adapted in house from classic stories, such as Godspell , Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , A Christmas Story , Annie , Pollyanna , You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown , Into the Woods , Shrek and their most
recent and 21st main-stage production of Clue: On Stage . In August, they will begin auditions for their upcoming show, Legally Blonde, Jr . Auditions are generally open for kids in Kindergarten through 12th grades, but the age range may narrow if the subject matter is better suited for older kids. For musicals, the children are asked to prepare a section of a song to sing a cappella that highlights their voice range and personality. Also, for a musical audition, they walk the kids through a pitch matching exercise so they can determine how well they can hear a note and match it with their voices. “We want kids to be able to answer questions, take direction and have fun. It is not about having a perfect audition,” Farren shares, “but about being able to roll with the punches and handle the experience with confidence, even if they are nervous.” Silvermoon also offers summer camps. Kids will put in about 25 hours of training and playing during a week of camp and learn the entire process of how to put a show together in only one week. They then have public performances at the end of the week to show off all they have learned. It is fast and furious, but can give kids a taste of the work that has to go into a main-stage show with only a week’s commitment. The week-long camps are for ages seven to fifteen. This summer, the week-long options are The Grunch , which is a musical inspired by The Grinch Who Stole Christmas , and the non-musical option, Survivor: All Stars . They also offer Production Camp,
which is for older kids finishing seventh grade to kids finishing twelfth grade, who have had theatre experience. Production camps are two weeks, and, in that time, they put together a full-length show. This summer’s production camp show offering is Snoopy: The Musical . For more information or to register your child, please visit the SCT website at silvermoonkids.com. “Silvermoon Children’s Theatre is a wonderful place run by two amazing women!” shares Jamie Martin, parent to Joshua Martin. Joshua has been with Silvermoon for over two years now. “Meredith and Susannah expect the kids to work hard, which teaches a great life lesson at an early age. They are also their biggest cheerleaders! We have been nothing but happy with our experience at SCT. Every time we watch him in a performance, we are so impressed with how much he has grown both socially and theatrically.” This family’s shared passion for the theatre, under the leadership of Meredith Farren and Susannah Linnett, will be part of their incredible legacy. The obvious benefits children receive as a result of participating in theatre arts are increased self-confidence, improved communication skills, and strong self-expression. However, there are less dramatic benefits as well, such as teamwork and the ability to work through challenges to reach a goal and to receive and accept critiques. As Farren and Linnett often say, “Live theatre is just life… make it count. You live it and then it’s gone.”
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C OMM U N I T Y & C U L T U R E
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