MOUNT VERNON – The Little Mermaid Jr. will swim into Knox Memorial Theater this week for two shows as part of the 2024 Youth Enrichment Series (YES!)
MTVarts will present a live 90-minute performance of the Disney classic for Knox County second-graders Thursday morning then repeat the show for third-graders Friday morning.
The YES! series is facilitated by the Knox Educational Service Center through the work of Taylor Gingery, ESC gifted coordinator. Funding has been provided by the Knox County Foundation throughout the 30-year history of the series except for performances staged by MTVarts.
The series is free to students from the Centerburg, Danville, East Knox, Fredericktown and Mount Vernon school districts and St. Vincent de Paul. The only cost to the districts is bus transportation to Memorial Theater. Arrival and departure times are 9:35 and 11:15 a.m. except for The Little Mermaid Jr., when buses will leave the theater at 11:40 a.m.
Bruce Jacklin, artistic director at MTVarts, said the YES! shows will feature the same cast, but will be shorter than the public performances of The Little Mermaid Jr. scheduled for Memorial Theater Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for the public shows are available for purchase on the MTVarts website.
“There will be an intermission for the public performances,” Jacklin said. “We encourage children that come in costume (at the public shows) to be part of our pre-show parade across the stage. It will be an opportunity for parents and grandparents to capture the experience in a photo or video.”
The YES! series will resume on Sept. 19 with a performance for second-graders by puppeteer Dylan Sheldon. He will repeat his show for third-graders on Sept. 26.
The balance of the fall series includes:
Oct. 2 – Eric Paton, world class taiko drummer, for fifth-graders
Oct. 4 – Ballet Met, for fourth-graders
Oct. 22 – Robert Post, “How to survive middle school,” for seventh-graders
Oct. 29 – Sarah Reed, storytelling musician, for first-graders
Additional series dates for MTVarts 2025 programming in February, March and May will depend on funding. Details will be announced later.
ESC Superintendent Dr. Timm Mackley said the YES! series is a unique opportunity for young students throughout the county.
“Live theater is a rich and rewarding experience. For many children it will be their first such experience,” Mackley said. “We at the ESC are pleased to make this series possible in cooperation with the Knox County Foundation, MTVarts, Memorial Theater and our school districts.”