Young Performers Theatre

Young Performers Theatre

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Join us! • 2026 Summer Camps Open for Enrollment • May 9 - 17, 2026 • Tunnel Top Travelers by Emily Cronan • Reimagining a holiday classic • A super Nova When a teacher strike leaves San Francisco students unsupervised, a mismatched group of kids from different schools sets off on an unexpected adventure in the Presidio. Drawn into a mysterious network of hidden tunnels, they chase rumors of treasure, face their fears and discover the power of friendship along the way. Curtain call for YPT’s 2025 production of A Christmas CarolPhoto by Graham Button YPT brought new life to A Christmas Carol, as seen through the eyes of the Tiny Tim and his young friends, including some newly invented characters, while staying true to Charles Dickens’ original story in a way that pleased audiences of all ages. Thirteen-year-old actor and playwright Katherine (Kate) Gargiulo wrote the adaptation for YPT, creating a kid-driven parallel plot around making a Christmas dream come true for the Cratchit family. The fast-paced production compressed 13 scenes into a runtime of about 30 minutes (not counting intermission), and the set changes and transitions, all handled by the players without help from stagehands, were a show unto themselves. See photos here, and read about Kate and the production on our blog. YPT’s first fully staged production since the pandemic, Nova Goes Below, written and adapted by alum Emily Cronan, marked a departure from classic children’s stories and demanded much from a cast comprised almost entirely of a new generation of YPT players. They took on a sophisticated original work, with complex language and idiosyncratic characters, and made it their own. Behind the scenes, a seasoned group of YPT alumni reunited and drove the production, handling almost all aspects of tech, design and stage management. “It just seemed like everything fell into place so perfectly,” said YPT Executive Director Stephanie Holmes, who directed Nova with assistance from YPT veteran [Google Places type: performing arts theater]