A Class Act

AFYP Stages
 

Theater is a powerful teaching tool, and AFYP Stages’ primary focus is on creating original plays that deal with important issues for young audiences. The first production, Street Smart: The Adventures of Polly Pedestrian teaches important lessons about traffic safety for children of all ages. POLLY starts touring local schools in Fall of 2008.

AFYP Stages’ Resident Director & Playwright, Lisa Nanni-Messegee, is creating two additional plays to add to our series. Next up will be Sally Surfer and the Wild Wild Web, a play about internet safety, followed by DRIVE, a play for high school students which deals with the importance of responsible driving. Both will begin touring in 2009.

AFYP Stages will also develop new plays for young audiences. Our first project, a staged reading of DOISTER 2000 was part of the 2008 Spotlight on the Arts Festival, and featured AFYP teaching artists working along side our advanced students. We are proud to be included in The Mason Festival of the Arts, presenting a production of Radio Vega featuring students (both plays written and directed by Lisa Nanni-Messegee).

For more information on our programs or to book a tour, please contact Candice Carter, Director of Touring Programs & Outreach, at (703) 554-4931 or email to Candice@actingforyoungpeople.com.

AFYP Stages Staff

Mary Lechter, Artistic Director of AFYP Stages, is Founder and Director of A Class Act – Acting for Young People & Adults, Inc. She received her B.A. in Theater from U. of MD , and has taught at the Kennedy Center , The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory, and is on the faculty of the Theater and Music Departments at George Mason University . A member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Mary has performed regularly on local professional stages (Studio, Arena Stage, Source Theatre Company, among others), and in television (ABC’s All My Children) film (Avalon) and radio (NPR’s “Morning Edition”). Mary is also a member of Americans for the Arts, The Educational Theatre Association, and the American Alliance for Theater Education.

Candice Carter is thrilled to be joining AFYP Stages as the Director of Touring Programs and Outreach.  She recently moved to the DC area from Norfolk , VA where she was employed for four years with Virginia Stage Company (VSC), LORT, as the Education Associate and Tour Manger.  Currently, Candice is a member of the faculty for Imagination Stage and Educational Theatre Company; and recently directed Oliver Twist for Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre.  In the past, she served on the faculty at the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts and worked at several professional theatres up and down the east coast from her hometown of Alabama to New York as a director, stage manager and educator.  Out of the numerous productions Candice has worked on, some of her favorites include touring Wiley and the Hairy Man, Fisherman and his Wife (VSC) as well as assistant directing the world premier of Indoor/Outdoor (Hangar Theatre).  Candice holds a BA in Theatre from Jacksonville State University .

Lisa Nanni-Messegee, Resident Director & Playwright, is founder of Lucy 8 Productions, and has written and adapted several plays for young audiences. In addition to Street Smart: The Adventures of Polly Pedestrian, Lisa wrote and directed DOISTER 2000 and Radio Vega, presented in Mankato , MN and most recently, locally with AFYP. Other works include The Mystery of the Dancing Princesses and Campfire Tales: Jorinda and Jorindel, based on Grimm’s fairy tales. Lisa was the Resident Director and Playwright for the Beechwood Theatre Company in Newport , RI . There, she developed a Victorian murder mystery play for the company called Fall from a Height, which ran for two seasons under her direction. Lisa is also an actor who has performed throughout the United States , and has extensive television and film experience from her time in Los Angeles . She has a B.A. in Theatre from Western Illinois University , an M.A. in Acting from Kansas State University and an M.F.A. in Directing from Minnesota State University in Makato. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and The Dramatist Guild of America.

Jessy Timmins, Administrative Assistant, holds a Masters Degree in Arts Management from GMU.