At Youth Theatre Northwest, we aspire to nurture the creative genius in every child through the performing arts. Each year, we serve an astounding 2,000 children with education programs and live theater experiences. This is a fairly ambitious mission, and our work would not be possible if not for the generous and inspired support from our donors. Recently, we received a contribution of $3,000 from the Mercer Island Community Fund to support our upcoming production of Enchanted Tales. Thank you to the fund for placing the needs of our community’s children in the forefront of their charitable work and for providing the stage for our children to shine.

Our production of “Enchanted Tales” is an original production, adapted and directed by local artist Gillian Jorgensen. With the vast cannon of storybook fairy tales as inspiration, this original production features an ensemble of our youngest actors. The production performs May 18 through June 10 on our main stage. We hope you can come see it. We specifically chose this production as our final show of the season due to its appeal to younger children. Almost 200 children auditioned in September for a coveted role in our school season. Many children who auditioned were younger than 10 years of age. To encourage their interest in the performing arts, we selected this show to give them an opportunity to perform and develop essential communication skills. We are now just a month away from opening night, and we are so proud of their hard work and educational development.

Once again, thank you, Mercer Island Community Fund, for supporting this production and helping us continue to provide a gathering place for young people and their families who value the arts as the heart of a healthy community. By the end of our production, our children will have grown as individuals, learned valuable social and communication skills, formed friendships they will cherish for a lifetime and will have felt the resounding applause of an appreciative community. This wouldn’t have been possible without the Mercer Island Community Fund.

Manuel R. Cawaling

Executive Director, Youth Theatre Northwest