The Carol Hammond Children’s Theatre (CHCT) is currently in rehearsals for the children’s play, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. The cast consists entirely of Morgan County children in grades 1st through 8th. The play will be presented to the community on April 9th and 10th 2022 at The Twin City Opera House in McConnelsville, OH.

The cast and crew of children in performances not only perform but also work on costumes, props, and lighting. No child is ever charged to participate or turned away from a CHCT production. Children learn acting skills, song and dance, teamwork, confidence, coping skills, memorization, and self-reliance. In the past, the community has supported and enjoyed the children’s productions as the Theatre is the only non-profit organization dedicated to children’s arts in the county.

Funding for this project would support set materials and tools for youth performers such as a CD player library children can use to practice the production’s songs when they are not in rehearsal. Many of the families do not have individual CD players. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all Arts & Culture organizations and has created particular challenges for smaller organizations with less access to resources.

Arts & Culture organizations serving Appalachian Ohio have access to ten times fewer resources than those in other parts of the state. This makes community support for activities, especially those impacting young people, like the Carol Hammond Children’s Theatre, extremely important.