Strutting Some Street Cred

Alumni celebrate success of Young Actors Guild

“Peter and the Starcatcher” was one of the Young Actors Guild’s most recent productions.
“Peter and the Starcatcher” was one of the Young Actors Guild’s most recent productions.

Chad Burris says don't measure the merit of the Young Actors' Guild by his success.

Burris, a veteran of the Fort Smith arts program and a graduate of Alma High School, is touring with the production of "Book of Mormon" that will stop in Fayetteville Dec. 13-18. He's in his third year on the tour, his first national show.

FAQ

‘An Inaccurately Fandom Christmas’

WHEN — 7 p.m. Dec. 20-21

WHERE — Fort Smith Little Theatre

COST — $5

INFO — 651-0544

"YAG taught me how to do my job," he says simply. "But a lot of people that do theater when they're kids don't end up doing it full time. YAG is teaching them how to work in a team, how to finish a project, how to be committed to something, how to be a good communicator -- and empathy: You learn how to care about others from the stories you tell.

"Regardless of career, YAG is setting students up to be successful in all different workplaces. It's broadening minds and what [the students are] comfortable with, making them well-rounded individuals."

Burris isn't the only example of Young Actors Guild alumni taking their places on the national stage. Loren McDaniel, Miss Arkansas 2015, is also a YAG veteran.

"YAG -- and specifically [director] Missy Gipson -- encouraged me that my dreams for performance were obtainable and always pushed me to succeed," says McDaniel, who is now attending graduate school in New York City. "YAG productions provided me with an amazing environment to grow as a young artist. And because of that, I am a better actor and individual."

Neither Burris nor McDaniel can make it this year, but more than two dozen YAG veterans will be in town later this month for the fourth annual alumni show, this year titled "An Inaccurately Fandom Christmas." The parody -- which includes pop culture from "Twilight" to "Game of Thrones" to "Fifty Shades of Grey" -- was written by Hunter Doohan, a 22-year-old YAG alum living in Los Angeles. With songs like "Alexander Hamilton" reset to "Joffrey Baratheon" and "I Kissed a Girl" to "I Kissed a Wolf," he promises an irreverent evening that will entertain audiences while supporting the arts organization he loves.

Doohan says the first show he did at Young Actors Guild was "Hairspray" in 2011, and that experience pushed him onto his chosen career path: He's just been featured in a Coca-Cola commercial showing at Carmike Theaters. But, like Burris, he says the work ethic he learned "can apply anywhere."

"To put on a show takes hours of dedication," he adds.

Gipson, who has been the YAG director for five years, says that devotion never ceases to amaze her.

"I always say this show is a testament to YAG. The fact that these kids -- young adults -- donate four days out of their holiday break, rehearse for two days, then open the show, that makes it a special event for me personally to see them wanting to give back," she says. "They take it seriously that it's an event to help YAG continue."

NAN What's Up on 12/09/2016

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