Good morning, Natchez and the Miss-Lou!

The definition of theater, according to dictionary.com, is the activity or profession of acting in, producing, directing, or writing plays. But I think there is a meaning beyond the literal definition of theatre. The following quote by poet and playwright Oscar Wilde conveys this meaning perfectly. Oscar Wilde says, “I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”

Theater not only allows you to work on communication and memorization skills, it also allows you to self-reflect and come to terms with who you are as a person. Growing up, I was a very shy girl. I remember going to Natchez Little Theatre with my father and thinking that I could never have the guts to go on stage and do what the actors I saw were doing. It wasn’t until I started acting, I realized all the wonderful things theatre allows you to do. I finally felt my true self shine. After nine years of being a part of the theater, my confidence has boosted, and I have broken out of my shell to be the person I am today. 

Natchez Little Theatre’s 2017 Summer Youth Workshop begins at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 5 and continues from 1 to 5 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until Thursday, June 29. The workshop is for school age children who can read without assistance and goes up through college age students. Thirty diverse young people will be accepted into this summer’s workshop and registration is underway now by visiting natcheztheatre.org to download your registration form.

Tuition is $200 with a sibling (brother or sister) paying only $100 for the four-week workshop. You may also call Natchez Little Theatre, located at 319 Linton Ave. at Maple Street, at 601-445-2211 or toll free at 877-440-2233 or email at natchezlt@cableone.net.

This summer we will be working on presenting Disney’s musical, “The Jungle Book,” which will run at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday, June 29 through Saturday, July 1, at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 2 matinee. Tickets are $20.

The staff of this summer’s workshop will consist of Layne Taylor, who will instruct in acting, auditioning, movement and direct Disney’s “The Jungle Book.” The musical director, will be Terrence Robinson, who will teach voice and Jennifer Rosso, will teach art, crafts, set, make-up and costume design. Judy Wiggins will also help with costuming this extravaganza, and I look forward to helping with the painting and make-up as well as acting and choreography for this fantastical musical.

Because of my experience at Natchez Little Theatre, I have decided to continue theater and study the wonders of theater in college. I hope to one day spread the joys of theatre and teach people to be themselves just like Layne Taylor did for me when I was growing up. I truly appreciate everything that Layne and the mentors at Natchez Little Theatre have done for me. I thank them for always supporting and accepting anyone who walks though those theater doors to join an amazing family that I have had the honor to be a part of.

I can’t wait for NLT’s 2017 Summer Youth Workshop to begin and I hope to see you there this June. It will be a summer you remember fondly forever.

Katie Borum, is a member of the Class of 2018 at Trinity Episcopal School and has been an active member of NLT since 2008.