Due to the government shutdown, this website is not being updated.

Youth Center hosts theater group

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The gym at Kirtland's Youth Center turned into a menagerie of the animal kingdom Friday as 35 kids performed the play "The Jungle Book."

Part of a weeklong residency by the group returned to Kirtland to put on a one-week intensive theater camp for the kids, culminating in the Friday performance. At a dress rehearsal a few hours before the final performance, the actors were in animal costumes and ready to wow the audience.

Camille Ozores, programmer for the Youth Center, said MCT has come to Kirtland for the past 15 years. The group brings out the best in the Youth Center kids, she said.

"They just learn to come together and work as a team," she said. "They encourage each other and learn to come out of their shells."

The Air Force has supplied some funding to bring MCT to Kirtland, Ozores said.

Maria Norris and Charlette Rawls of MCT drove from Denver, where they did a similar program.

MCT serves a wide array of communities, Norris said.

"We go to native American communities, big cities and schools without a lot of arts programming," she said.

The five days leading up to the performance were busy, she said. There were twice-daily rehearsals, makeup, costumes and more to sort out.

"It's really fast-paced," she said, "and it never gets old."

Rawls enjoys the children's efforts and enthusiasm, she said.

"They come here excited which makes our jobs easier," Rawls said. "We just give them the script and they make it happen."

Katelyn Mollohan, 13, played a villain, the tiger Shere Khan, said she was a little nervous.

"It's hard to memorize the script, but it's been fun," she said. "I feel like I might forget the lines, but I'll do my best."