Baldwin-Whitehall Drama Club Ready to Entertain

The and are again showing kids that reading is only one way to get lost in a story with its annual summer drama club. Kids in fifth through 12th grades have been working hard all summer on this year’s production, “A-Haunting We Will Go.”

“A-Haunting We Will Go” is a two-act play written by American playwright Tim Kelly. It is described as a mystery-comedy set in an abandoned and possibly haunted hotel.

The curtain rises for “A-Haunting We Will Go” at  on Friday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m.

Gina Leone, the youth services librarian at the Baldwin Borough library, said that the 23 students who came out this summer form the largest group that she has had involved in the four years that she has been heading the program along with Whitehall’s children’s librarian Kristin Rama.

“This is a really fun programming opportunity with the public library," Leone said.

According to Leone, all 23 kids involved in this year’s production were able to get a speaking part. The group meets six hours per week to rehearse. In addition, they are asked to spend at least 30 minutes per week practicing their lines at home.

“I’ve been really proud of how hard the kids have been working,” Leone said.

A play involves a lot more than actors to be successful. Leone and Rama have been working hard to put together sets, props and costumes with the limited budget they have by visiting local and Salvation Army stores.

Leone hopes that all of the kids’ hard work will pay off come showtime. Last year, about 250 people came out to watch the club’s performance of “The Little Mermaid.”  Leone said that the community support means a lot to the kids who devote so much of their time to the show.

The goal of the club isn’t to mold any future Academy Award-winning actors. Leone said that the club is a great way to keep the children engaged and active over the summer while exposing them to literature and working to teach the importance of teamwork.

“They are very dedicated,” Leone said. “They meet for six hours a week for six or seven weeks.

“We’ll be ready to go come Aug. 5, and we’re all getting really excited.”

The show is open to the public and is free of charge; although, donations are accepted to help fund the club and ensure that it is able to continue in the future. For any child interested who may have missed sign-ups this year, Leone said that those children should check back in early June, next year, for an opportunity to participate in 2012’s production.