Fiddler on the Roof on the Big Screen

The YATS Executive Board gives a warm “thank you” to those 250+ audience members – including the YATS young actors, families, partners and friends alike – who attended the showing of Fiddler on the Roof on the big screen at the VOX Cinema on January 21, 2024.  A special round of applause goes to our videographer José Goncalves!  The video is also now available to watch here.

October 2024: Announcing Shrek the Musical

Save the dates! YATS is proud to announce its newest Fall musical Shrek the Musical. Its 5 performances will be on October 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20, 2024, at Point d’Eau,Ostwald.  Shrek the Musical is based on the DreamWorks film and uses heart and irreverent humor to show us the importance of looking past outward appearances to find what truly matters. Filled with great songs and a genuinely funny script this show is a crowd pleaser for audiences of all ages!

  • Free pre-audition workshops (open to all) will be held on May 18 and 19.
  • Auditions will be held on May 25 and 26, with callbacks on May 27.
  • Workshop and auditions will be held at Lycée Jean Rostand. Sign-ups will be available starting on April 8.

March: Shrek the Musical Poster Competition

YATS poster competition for our next musical Shrek is now underway. The poster will be used for marketing and promotion around Strasbourg, on social media and the playbill itself. Anyone is eligible to make an entry just as long as we receive it by March 31, 2024. The guidelines for the competition are available here. Don’t miss out!

May – June: Workshop performances

Come join us for the workshop performances of Godspell, a three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner, where messages of kindness, tolerance and love come vibrantly to life with an eclectic blend of beloved songs.  Performances are on May 31 (20H), June 1 (20H) and June 2 (17H) at Gymnase Jean Sturm.  You can purchase tickets starting from April 29th right here.

YATS other workshop showcases will be held at Gymnase Jean Sturm on:

  • Advanced Level 4 Workshop: June 8 and 9
  • Intermediate Level 3 Workshop: June 13 
  • Intro & Entry Level Workshops: June 15
  • Intermediate Level 2 Workshop: June 19

Here’s Mack Murray, Props & Costumes Storage Manager

“I’m Mack, I’m from Medicine Hat in Alberta, Canada, and I’m YATS Props and Costumes Storage Manager. I discovered YATS with their production of Seussical Jr. in 2014 and was very impressed with the performances.  And so were my kids! My eldest daughter, Emma, joined YATS in 2015 in the production of Beauty and the Beast Junior and her sister, Lynn, followed suit in 2021 in Oklahoma!”

Mack continued, “YATS allows kids to discover the magic of musical theatre in the hands of a truly exceptional artistic team.  And none of this would be possible without the dedication of the dozens of volunteers who support each production with countless hours working on costumes, sets, concessions and ferrying kids to and fro.  All these elements make YATS a truly unique organization that I’m very proud to be a part of and I’d be delighted to talk to anyone interested in joining our team!”

YATS Alumni in the Spotlight: Giancarlo Benedetti

Past productions: Anything Goes / Fame Jr. / Beauty and the Beast Jr./ Seussical Jr. / Oklahoma!/ Assassins

Where are they now? We caught up with Giancarlo on a recent visit back to France, “After my bachelor’s degree in Strasbourg, I am now pursuing a master’s degree in Business and Engineering at Stanford University in California.  I’m enjoying life in the US and am taking every opportunity to visit its national parks.  Yosemite is my favorite so far!”   

He added, “During my undergraduate studies, I joined a small choir that specialized in East European music and found that the YATS Sunday Afternoons served me well. Two summers ago, I performed Assassins with other YATS alumni. I loved performing a Sondheim show, especially one with a dark political message.” Giancarlo continued about his YATS experiences, “Selecting a favorite part of YATS is like trying to pick a favorite dessert – it’s so hard!  One of my favorite memories is performing the stateroom scene in Anything Goes with Adèle Bachmann and Sebastian Yobé-Bowen. Sparks flew every night, and it was so rewarding to hear the audience burst into riotous laughter. Performing aside, my favorite part of YATS was, and still remains, the lifelong friends I made along the way. Creating a live performance brings people together like nothing else does!”

We want you! 

Following the recent success of Fiddler on the Roof, YATS is excited to announce the creation of the following volunteer roles: Logistics Manager, Sound Manager and Lighting Manager and a remunerated Technical Theater Workshop instructor. Job descriptions can be found here. This is a great opportunity to become more involved in YATS activities and to learn new skills in a friendly and relaxed environment. Training and coaching can be provided.

YATS Likes!

Our friends at Broadway Theater International have opened up registration for their 2024 week-long summer camp which will take place July 7-13, 2024, in the Vosges mountains. Spend a fun week singing, dancing and acting in beautiful, natural surroundings. The week will culminate in a performance in a real theater! There are discounts for siblings and an early-bird discount for students who register by April 15. Find more information at the BTI website .

The second On the Mississippi music festival will take place May 8-12 at Point d’Eau, Ostwald.  Find  more details on On The Mississippi – Music Festival website.