The GVTots will take the stage to share their hard work through song and speech.

Greenbrier Valley Theatre Youth Education Program Showcases start on Apr. 11 at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with the GVTots’ “Once Upon a Time…” The young students have been meeting once a week since January, and are ready to show off their new skills.

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for children/seniors (60+). For tickets or more information, call GVT’s box office at 304-645-3838 or visit www.gvtheatre.org.

“The Tots classes have been working hard on a number of skills that are not just theater-related skills but are life skills,” said teaching artist Rachael Swartz. “In addition to, of course, singing, dancing and telling stories, we work towards creative problem solving, self-expression, positive self-esteem and self-image, literacy, cooperation and just a little bit of American Sign Language.”

For the 2017 GVTots Showcase, these dedicated five-to-eight-year-olds will sing classic favorites from some of your most beloved fairy tales. Mixed in with the music are speeches and monologues, so each child can highlight the hard work they’ve been doing all semester.

“This class is so important, as young people are learning while doing, learning while having fun and learning while making friends,” said Swartz.

This showcase will feature something for everyone, from the timeless Cinderella to the mystical Aladdin to the hilarious Puss in Boots.

This program is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture & History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.