Drama Program – Our Lady of Peace Parish

OLP Children’s Drama Program

Proudly Presents

Production

Thursday March 11, 2027
Friday March 12, 2027
Saturday March 13, 2027
Sunday March 14, 2027

This program allows our Parish children attending Notre Dame de Lourdes School or attending OLP Prep program to participate. The program performs an annual Broadway show in the early Spring at the OLP gym. For more information please contact Jackie Basquill; jbasquill@comcast.net

Little Mermaid Jr. Character Information

INITIAL AUDITION INFO

AUDITION SONGS – LYRICS – SCENES

CALLBACKS INFORMATION

Benefits for children:

Creates Community: Theater creates a sense of community, enhancing students’ sense of belonging and all-around motivation for participation.

Fosters Self-Esteem & Confidence: When children perform on stage and receive positive feedback, it encourages them to take on new challenges in school, community and life itself. Theater offers a safe, warm and supportive space for children to explore their talents, conquer stage fright, develop public speaking skills and an overall sense of accomplishment.

Promotes Communication: Theater allows children to express themselves creatively and effectively. They learn how to articulate their thoughts, feelings & ideas, improving their verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Listening skills are keenly developed from paying attention to adult volunteers and other cast members.

Nurtures Collaboration & Teamwork Involvement in Theater helps children to learn to work together towards a common goal, respect each other’s contributions, and value the importance of teamwork. It requires creative input from all its participants. Every role, lead or ensemble, whether onstage or behind the scenes, is vital for the show’s success.

Cultivates Empathy & Understanding: Theater exposes children to diverse perspectives and experiences. By portraying different characters, & exploring various narratives, children develop empathy and a deeper understanding of the world around them. They learn to appreciate different viewpoints, challenge stereotypes , and embrace diversity. It helps them develop a sense of compassion, fostering a more inclusive and understanding society.

History of OLP Children’s Drama Program

The Our Lady of Peace Children’s Drama program began in 1992 through the support of the CYO. The group mounted a very ambitious lineup of Broadway shows including Oliver, Guys & Dolls, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Cinderella, Sound of Music, Grease and many more. The program was successful in many ways and eventually became an entity functioning independently both financially and self-sufficiently. It continued from 1992 until the OLP School closed in 2009. At the height of the program, there were as many as 120 children participating, with performances spanning for six performances over two weekends. After the school closed, the program continued for two more years and was opened to all the Notre Dame School children. The program was suspended for seven years until 2018 when it was resurrected under the direction of Linda Galati Hunt, Jackie Lynch Basquill & Pat Ireland.

All productions are mounted in a fully professional manner, from the point of securing the rights/royalties for these ‘Broadway’ plays from a NY Theater Company, with full performance contracts to holding auditions and securing a lighting/sound production company. Every element is managed in the style of a major Broadway production. In addition, for each show, sets are designed and built, props are created and gathered, costumes are made or borrowed, a program playbill developed, box office set up and the curtain goes up for four performances in the

Spring. Since 2018 the children have performed, Disney’s Lion King Jr, DreamWorks Shrek the Musical, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast Jr, Disney’s Frozen Jr, Disney’s Aladdin Jr, L Frank Baum’s the Wizard of Oz, Youth Edition & most recently, Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr. The 2027 production will be Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.

This program has been a huge success due to the dedication, diligence, and overall commitment of the cast, crew and all of its supporters who both participate and attend performances.
The children are blessed with amazing talent and their enthusiasm is always contagious.

General Information

The program allows parish children from K-8 attending Notre Dame School, OLP Prep program or in the parish community to participate. The program performs an annual Broadway show in the early Spring (Thursday thru Sunday) at the OLP gym, and normally performs four shows. The program encourages self-confidence, communication, imagination, social interaction, public speaking and teamwork. It also promotes the arts and provides growth opportunities for all varieties of learners. Besides being incredibly fun, musical theater helps young people develop many of the skills necessary for success in today’s world. The production normally begins with auditions in the early Fall and some short rehearsals before the end of the year. Rehearsals are normally Friday nights. Full production begins in January with preparations for the show to include set build & design, prop, costume & make-up groundwork, publication & marketing, selling ads for program, fundraising & rehearsals and planning for the show.

Contact Information

For more information please contact:

Jackie Basquill, jbasquill@comast.net or 610-328-3296

John Basquill, jpbasquill@comcast.net or 267-804-3436

Donna Ferry, donna_ferry@ymail.com or 610-804-6505

Angela Wertner, music@notredamedelourdes.net or 610-247-5974

Joanne Fisher, joannelynchfisher@comcast.net or 215-490-3897

Clarification of Clearance Requirements for OLP volunteer

Copies of all certificates & forms must be delivered to the rectory. Contact is Debbie Hanna – 610-532-8081 debbiehannaolp@gmail.com

1. Safe Environment Class – Protecting God’s Children class – PGC Training
once per lifetime requirement
In-person 3 hour training offered by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Visit https://www.virtusonline.org to find a class, register and obtain copy of certificate after the training

If you have already completed this class, visit the site, login (create new log in if necessary)
Go to Training History and click on “you have attended one session – print certificate

2. Mandated Reporter ONLINE Training – MR Training once per lifetime requirement https://learning.childyouthprotection.org/login/index.php
register, complete on-line training, print certificate
If already completed, log in, scroll down to “online training status” it should say ‘complete’………click on the course and download certificate

3. PA State Police Criminal Record Check – Renew every 5 years https://epatch.pa.gov/home
click on “New Volunteer Record Check”
scroll to bottom – volunteer Acknowledgement Section – click box and accept reason for request – volunteer free

complete information Our Lady of Peace & 610-532-8081 the rest of the form is your information
next – proceed
complete that personal information including SSN

submit request…………….a page with your name will come next
click on the name and the next page should be “control number” – click on that link next page will be a hyperlink that says ‘certificate form’…..click OK and your record will appear – you can print, save

4. PA Child Abuse (CA) History Clearance – Renew every 5 years https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS
if first time – click ‘create individual account” follow instructions

if you just need to renew – click on ‘individual login’ click on ‘access my clearances’….next page .continue
log in…………view results………….certificate will appear you can print, save

5. PA Disclosure Statement Application for Volunteers – sign and return to rectory