New Assistance League of Flintridge drama director Katelyn Fike works with her young child actors through the end of a a scene at rehearsal. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Last year, Palm Crest Elementary student Allison Ingrassia was a genie and this year she gets to be Peter Pan — it’s just one of the many perks of being an ALFie Player.
“It’s really, really fun,” the 10-year-old Ingrassia said of her recent foray into acting. “It helps me socialize. And it helps me get all my feelings out.”
For the past three decades the ALFie Players, a drama group run by the Assistance League of Flintridge (ALF) for would-be actors in grades 3 through 6, have staged annual theater productions that give area students like Ingrassia a chance to participate in a range of activities, from singing and acting to costume and prop development.
Students register for classes in late summer, audition for roles, then rehearse for and stage a full-length play performed in the fall.
This year’s endeavor is “Peter Pan Junior,” a song-filled adaptation drawn from both J.M. Barrie’s original “Peter Pan” and the 1953 Disney classic film. The performance is open to the public and takes place at Lanterman Auditorium Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Assistance League Drama Chair Judy Barnes says the ALFie Players program helps bring the theater to life for young students and gives everyone a chance to shine.
“The students do just about everything here,” Barnes said. “They learn about costuming, they learn about makeup and stage direction — they learn behind the scenes about what it takes to make a production.”
The Oct. 28 show will be the first with new ALF Drama Director Katelyn Fike at the helm. Fike, who is also an elementary school drama instructor for La Cañada Unified School District, succeeds longtime Director Koni McCurdy. The much beloved McCurdy served in the role for 19 years before announcing her departure in June.
Fike graduated from California State University at Northridge in 2013 with a theater degree, committing herself fully to her lifelong passion after first studying political science, psychology and journalism.
“I just wasn’t as passionate about any of it as I was theater so I thought, ‘OK, I’ve got to stop faking,’ and jumped into it,” said Fike, 27, recalling how she set out to learn every aspect of theater, from set-building to costumes to directing.
She assisted at La Cañada Junior Theater under instructor Thom Vacca, where she learned to combine her theatrical talents with her love of working with children, and was hired by ALF in 2013 to teach summer school theater classes.
“Theater teaches so much more than learning lines,” Fike said. “It teaches you self-discipline. (And) it gives a real sense of community. For the Assistance League to provide that for kids who may not have an outlet, I think that’s a good thing.”
After “Peter Pan Junior,” Fike and newly hired Assistant Director Greta Taylor will turn their attention to ALF’s next venture, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” a program scheduled to begin in January and culminate with a March performance by the ALFie Co., a similar program for students in grades 5 through 10.
As for the ALFie Players, La Cañada mom Sara Ingrassia couldn’t be more pleased with the program and daughter Allison’s progress as she takes on new roles.
“This program is great, because it’s not too big. And it’s very nurturing,” Sara Ingrassia said. “Allison just has a blast and she’s making new friends. I just think it’s a great resource for our community.” View more photos.
—
What: ALFie Players present “Peter Pan Junior”
When: Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.
Where: Lanterman Auditorium, 4491 Cornishon Ave., La Cañada
Admission: Free
Information: ALFlintridge.org
