Children’s Educational Theatre comes back to Salem with Shakespeare, “Into the Woods” 

From William Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to a production of the 1987 musical “Into the Woods,” Children’s Educational Theatre is gearing up for another big season. 

The 50-year-old summer program has 235 kids between the ages of 9 and 18 from across the Salem area preparing to perform live theater in front of audiences over the next week.

The performances kick off Friday night at Keizer Rotary Amphitheater with a 12 p.m. free production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” A complete schedule of the event and ticketing information can be found online. 

At North Salem High School on Thursday, a group of high schoolers were busy rehearsing for a production of “Into the Woods” which will be on stage July 23, 24, and 25 at 6 p.m. at the Chemeketa Community College Auditorium. 25 actors and two technicians are working together on the production. 

Jackson Dunn, an incoming sophomore at South Salem High School, first got into the Children’s Educational Theatre in middle school, he said. This year will be his fourth, and he said he has become more confident and a better public speaker as a result.

“It’s helped to inspire me to be a little more bolder than I used to be…I used to not enunciate very much,” Dunn said. “I learned the importance of eye contact. I learned the importance of good posture. I learned many skills that help with public speaking — and anything else you might do — that also have a core in acting.”

The theater program gave him a newfound respect for himself and others, and a respect for the art of speaking and communication.

“It teaches life skills in a way that mixes them organically with theater,” Dunn said. “Especially for a lot of children who have been outcasted during their school years. It brings them closer to other people and it makes them bolder.” 

Over in the gymnasium at North, Robert Salberg was busy keeping young aspiring actors on track with their rehearsal. Salberg has been the executive director of the Children’s Education Theatre since 2003 and said the program hasn’t changed much over the past 50 years as far as how kids spend their time. The program was shut down in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, and in the years since attendance has exceeded projections. 

“We are not working to produce the next Tom Cruise or Scarlett Johansson as far as actors go. Really what people leave CET with is an improved sense of self. More self-confidence. The ability to speak in front of people, the ability to work together with other people you might not have a connection with,” Salberg said. “People say the most terrifying thing aside from death is speaking in front of a group of people. Giving kids an opportunity and a safe space to feel what it’s like to have to get up in front of a crowd and do it with confidence, even if they are shy at first, is probably the No. 1 goal we want people to leave here with.” 

Salberg said students who attend the program look forward to coming back all school year. He said many feel accepted and supported in the program. 

“That is our overarching goal, is giving kids confidence and making them feel like they have a place,” Salberg said. “I have a strong philosophy that you can’t teach people self-confidence and the only way they can experience self-confidence is doing something wrong and then doing it again and seeing the improvement.” 

Claire Snedaker, an incoming junior at Sprague High School said she has spent most of her six year career at the Children’s Educational Theatre on the lighting, design and technical side of theater, but has since gotten the opportunity to perform. 

“I like working with people. I like seeing all the talents that each individual brings to their character and I like to help create the world that we make,” Snedaker said. “As somebody who came from tech, I usually just sat in the back corner and did my own thing without working with others, and most people didn’t know who I was. And doing stuff like this makes it so that I actually have to be out there.” 

Cash Crawford, an incoming sophomore at North, said the skills he has learned in the program make it easier for him to be around people and make friends. He also likes being on stage. 

“The people, the classes, the opportunities and the shows. They are all really good. Everybody is talented in that program. It is an amazing experience to develop a skill or create a new skill,” Crawford said. 

Show Schedule

• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” at Keizer Rotary Amphitheater will be performed on July 19, 20 and 21 at 12 p.m. The play is free.
• “When Elvy Caught the Rainbow”, “My Father’s Dragon”, and “Boxes,” will be performed in the South Salem High School courtyard on July 22 and 23 at 6:30 p.m. The shows costs $10 per person.
• “Into the Woods,” will be performed on July 23, 24, and 25 at the Chemeketa Auditorium at 6 p.m. The performance costs $10 per person.
• “Law & Order: Fairy Tale Unit,” will be performed on July 23, 25, and 26 at the Salem Public Library at 2 p.m. The show is free.
• “The One-Act Play Disaster,” will be performed on July 23, 24, and 25 first at the Capitol Manor retirement community at 1955 Northwest Salem Dallas Highway at 6:30 p.m., then at the Keizer Community Library at 3 p.m., and then at Claggett Creek Middle School at 2 p.m. The Capitol Manor production is open only to retirement community residents. The other two productions are free and open to the public.
• “Disney’s Newsies,” will be performed on July 24, 25, and 26 at North Salem High School at 7:30 p.m. The show costs $10 per person.

Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.

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