Now that we’re approaching the holidays, our BELIEVE entries are taking on additional significance as we revisit them.  Amanda Maceda joined us for opening night of our Teen Scene presentation of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD on October 17, and she brought along a couple of her lifelong friends as she was honored as a grand prize winner with her artwork, Fading Color of Life. Amanda’s creation was one of the first we received, and it was a mesmerizing self-portrait with a vibrant green fading to gray.  Before the performance as Amanda was presented and asked about her inspiration, she told us about her commitment to preserving the environment with a word of caution that had everyone’s attention.  There we were, a room full of zombies suddenly inspired to bring life back to our earth.

Our next opening is going to be one of the most festive events I can imagine, as both of our holiday shows, FROSTY & FRIENDS and MIRACLE ON 34^TH STREET open on November 21.  The Rosewood Center will be full of families with kids, finally out of their candy-induced fogs ready for the most wonderful time of the year.  There will be live music, photo ops with Santa’s elves, balloon animals, tasty treats, and the lobby will be decked out in silver and blue and it will be spectacular. That is also when we will celebrate two more grand prize winners.  At age 5, William Croupe was our youngest entry, but his imagination is already well-honed.  William believes in magic, as we all do during the holidays, and he believes “magic makes things easier.”  I still think he will be shocked when he and his family see the magic that Kathy Burks’ crew of master puppeteers creates with FROSTY & FRIENDS.  I’ve seen them in rehearsal, and believe me, they only make it look easy!

MIRACLE ON 34^TH STREET is one of those stories that you can’t experience too many times.  I only knew this story as a film, but having been introduced to the script, and to the charming actors that are going to play Kris Kringle and the young Susan, I cannot wait to see this show on stage.  All of the warm feelings we long for at Christmas are right there.  It’s about faith, family, and togetherness and one of the most adorable young elves you can imagine! That same feeling of warmth and togetherness was expressed in Mimi Clot De Broissia’s contest entry, Together Forever.  Mimi volunteers at an animal shelter and sculpted a detailed depiction of what it’s like when a pet finally goes home with a loving family.  I can’t think of a more appropriate time to honor her.

We are going to extend an invitation for all of the kids who entered our BELIEVE contest to join us for the first two weekends of our holiday shows because their work is important and we are so thankful they shared it with us.  Check out two new contests for teens HERE and please enjoy your holidays together with us!

Many thanks to Chooze Shoes and Accessories for providing custom gifts for each of our our grand prize winners. choozeshoes.com