We’ve made it through auditions, and now we get to the real fun! Rehearsals for Shrek start on May 27th! If you have been cast and need to officially register- please follow the registration link below!
We thank you deeply for your continued support of Youth Arts Education.
The Main Stage Playmakers aims to provide a theater experience for children *ages 7-15, and produces three plays and musicals throughout the year.
The Center is thrilled to bring live theater to our stage for our youth community.
*Age range may vary depending on each production throughout the year.
Past Productions
David Endacott-Hicks
Artistic Director and President of the Board for Lyric Rose Theatre Company
David Endacott-Hicks, is the Artistic Director and the President of the Board for Lyric Rose Theatre Company. As Artistic Director, David has been able to give performing arts opportunities to adults and hundreds of children through out Nevada County and beyond through enrichment and outreach.
He is an Alumni of NUHS where he was very active in Theatre Arts and the Baggett Choir Program. He completed a Bachelor’s of Music from UOP, Conservatory of Music and then went on to do his graduate training at the New England Conservatory of Music, as a Vocal Performance major.
He has been a Professional Principal Performer on and off Broadway, in East and West Coast National Tours and several Opera companies. Just this past Summer, David was contracted by the Festival of Italian Opera, to play the role of “Don Ramiro” in La Cenerentola for 6 weeks in Northern Italy. Most recently, he has been a soloist with Music in the Mountains, “Prince Charming” and the “Wolf” in Into The Woods, “Jamie Wellerstein” in The Last Five Years, “Davison Sheeney” in 1940’s Christmas Radio with Off Broad Street Theatre, and is happy to announce that he will be performing the role of “Roger” in RENT at the Nevada Theatre in May/June of 2024. Most recently at The Center, he directed the musical Mean Girls, which not only awed Nevada county audiences, but also provided theatre enrichment for middle school and high school youth.
Paulette Gilbert has worked with children for nearly 30 years as a teacher, actor and director. She holds a BA in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s degree in Theatre from Louisiana Tech University. Her extensive experience with professional companies across the country includes a national tour with the Missoula Children’s Theatre. For the past 17 years she has taught and produced theatre for young people in Nevada County. She is thrilled to be the Director of The Main Stage Playmakers productions which include The Velveteen Rabbit, Silver’s Secret: A Pirate Adventure, The Reluctant Dragon, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Paulette is also a regional freelance theatrical costume designer and proprietor of SANDbags. www.SANDbagsStudio.Etsy.com
"Theater is so impactful because it encourages and enhances a child's capacity for self-expression and their sense of self-esteem. To make this possible, the most important thing about being in a play- is that it should be fun! Beyond it being fun, it is exciting and rewarding for kids to be part of creating something memorable while working closely with others. Every child has something special to add to a theatrical production, and it is deeply fulfilling to explore possibilities and find out what those special things will be. As a director, I love to work on plays with children of all ages and levels of experience, and am always searching for the rich rewards that theater can provide to children and their families."
Carey McCray
Co-Director and Choreographer of Matilda
Carey McCray has been a part of creating and championing musical theatre both on and off the stage as an actor, producer, dramaturge, teaching artist, and director at companies including the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Collaborative Arts Project 21, The Roundabout Theatre, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Jim Carnahan Casting, Theatreworks in Palo Alto, SF Sketch Fest, San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre, and as Co-Founder and Executive Director of FOGG Theatre in San Francisco. She received her B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received training at International Theatre Workshop in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Carey began working as a teaching artist as a director, choreographer and vocal director of children’s theatre productions in the Bay Area. Over the years, Carey has worked as a teaching artist for many theatres and schools including Playful People Productions, The New Conservatory Theatre, Montalvo Arts Center, The French American International School in San Francisco, Clarendon Alternative Elementary School, Hillbrook School, Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose, and with the Lyric Rose Theatre at Grass Valley Charter, Deer Creek Elementary and Seven Hills Middle School.
A special thank you to Lauren Maddux for her generous gift of $25,000 that directly funded the launch of our Children’s Theater Program, and continues to support the program.
Thank you to our annual youth arts sponsors
