"Acting Up" MainStage Company Drama Troupe

will present Elf, Jr., The Musical, November 14 & 15, 7:00pm, in the Redeemer Kids Worship Center.

Acting Up was founded in 2009.. Our program focuses on using theater to minister to our community. At Acting Up, we aim to grow natural talent, theater skills, and teamwork that can be used in and out the classroom. At Acting Up, we want the students to know that God should be glorified in all they do and to do it with excellence on and off the stage.

Above all, we strive to follow Jesus' example and value the ones we serve with above the show, have a spirit of humility toward one another, and strive to bring that same spirit out into our community.

With classes for all ages 1st grade through adult, we strive to provide a safe, Christ-centered learning environment for all who participate.

2024/2025 Season

Classes begin in fall and will conclude after their productions in the spring. Registration opened April 1, 2024. We encourage early registration in spring for the next season as classes may fill up. Students will learn audition techniques, improvisation, choreography, ensemble singing, and stage movement.

See the calendar page for exact dates and times.

MainStage Company (6th grade and up placement by audition)

The MainStage Company is an audition only group of more skilled and seasoned actors/performers who are ready to progress in the next level of theater education in a fast paced and more advanced class.

The class meets Monday nights from 5:00-7:00 p.m. and Thursday night 5p-6:30p during the Winter/Spring semester.

The Class will perform Bye Bye Birdie (student auditions are Dec 2nd and adult auditions Dec 3rd) performing April 10-12th, 2025.

If interested in more information or to audition, please fill out the Google form by clicking the below...

Spotlight Company (6th grade through 12th grade placement by audition) This show has been cast but would have availability in the ensemble.

This group is for our beginning students or those newer to theater or performing to focus more on theater basics and gaining a better understanding of the workings of musical theater.

The class meets Monday from 7:00-8:30 p.m. and will end their season with a musical presentation of Finding Nemo, Jr. March 20 & 21st, 2025.

Kids Company (grades 1-5) This class is currently full.

A theater class for students grades 1-5. The class meets Tuesday from 5:00-6:15 p.m. They will present The Magic Treehouse Pirates Past Noon Kids March 11th, 2025 to end their class. In addition to preparing a kids show, they will learn the basics of musical theater including music, choreography, and acting through fun and interactive games.

Junior Theatre Festival Competition Troupe (6th grade and up audition only) - January 17-19, 2025

We will have a JTF information meeting on Sunday, August 4th at 4p. Auditions will be taken from the August 3rd company auditions and callbacks Thursday, August 8th.

An audition only group. This group is for more skilled performers who want the challenge of a fast paced, challenging group to work to perform a fun clip at competition. This group rehearses on Thursdays from 630-830p. This group traveled to the Cobb Galleria in January for adjudication and theatre workshops. The troupe was awarded Excellence in Dance in 2024 and 2 of our students received callbacks for the iTheatrics Video Auditions for a program in New York.

Donate

If you'd like to donate to help support our ministry we have an Amazon wishlist of things we are working to keep stocked or for future shows, click below.

Tickets and Additional Information

For additional Drama dates and ticket information for all the Drama productions, visit the Calendar page.

Our Staff

ALLY HECK and her family have been members at First Redeemer since 2013. She is the Director of Acting Up and the Director of Kids' Worship & Creative Arts at First Redeemer. She has been the high school drama director at Fideles Christian School and taught classes for middle and high school in communications and public speaking. She is also an actor in film and TV in the Atlanta area and has been in a few community theater shows including A Christmas Carol, Noises Off, and Sound of Music. She studied Organizational Management in college and has held a position in the corporate world in customer service management. Ally is excited to teach kids to shine for Jesus on and off the stage. Her favorite reminder is to be a light for Jesus in everything. John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

KATHERINE BROWN has been teaching at the Conservatory for a few years now and is thrilled to be the program’s assistant director and in-house stage manager. She is truly “home grown”, having been a student at the conservatory for over 6 years. In her overall time with the conservatory, she has been involved in over 40 Acting Up productions. She has a degree from the University of North Georgia in Communications and a minor in theatre. She had the pleasure of studying theatre at the Gainesville Theatre Alliance, where she found a passion for directing, stage management, and scenic painting. Her life verse is Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

KENNADY MAYS is an Acting Up Alumni, as she has been part of the program since 2014. She has been an intern under Kim Norton for several years, and is thrilled to step into the role of Lead Choreographer. She is an active student at Lanier Technical College, and is currently on an interdisciplinary studies track. In 2022 as her first year as Lead Choreographer, the Acting Up Junior Theatre Festival competition troupe took home an award in excellence in ensemble! She is excited to be on staff and help students explore and expand their talents through the conservatory.