Performing Arts Holds Very Active Summer Theater Program

This summer, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Performing Arts Summer Theater reached over 3500 patrons and increased their Patron Database by 2000.  The Summer Theater program was also able to raise much needed revenue to maintain facilities and equipment.

The first Cooperative Endeavor of the summer invited The Tea Sipper’s theatre group to produce American Idiot, a Broadway musical featuring the music of the punk rock band Green Day. The Tea Sipper’s formed in high school at the Lafayette Performing Arts Academy. The troupe is comprised of current high school students and current UL students who have chosen areas of study across all of our colleges. Some are current PFAR students.  We have one incoming freshman from the troupe into our acting program in PFAR. The production performed for two weekends over eight performances to over 900 patrons. The group returned, as students were moving into the dorms, with a concert version of the production as songs and behind the scenes stories to raise funds for the United Way of Acadiana to help with flood relief.

The second Cooperative Endeavor was with the Christian Community Theatre (CCT), a group of adults, high school students, and recent UL graduates, including UL PFAR Theatre and Dance graduates, including current UL PFAR students. The group developed from the Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) group that performs fully realized Broadway Musicals with hundreds of children from around Acadiana in Angelle Hall auditorium throughout the year. CCT produced West Side Story for two weekends over eight performances to over 1600 patrons.

Summer 2017 has already reserved dates and increased the number of offerings with plans to offer a Lafayette Youth Theatre Experience camp.

West Side Story
Photo Credits: SCOTT CLAUSE/THE ADVERTISER

American Idiot

Photos Kelly Briggs/Special to the Advertiser (images 636028951634519515-KBP-5681 and 636028951652927633-KBP-5663

All other American idiot photos credit Cast&Crew