Valley Youth Theatre returns this weekend with original show about living through pandemic

PHOENIX — The Valley Youth Theatre announced it will return this weekend following a two-year hiatus with an original show about young people living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Child actors, who range from age 9 to 17, will interact with the audience in the cathartic piece named “Dear 2020!”

The cast members documented their experiences of the pandemic with a series of monologues about silver linings, poignant moments and humorous observations, the theatre said in a press release, which was later turned into an extended story and performance piece.

“This show is truly what Valley Youth Theatre is all about,” Bobb Cooper, the theatre’s producing artistic director, said in the release. “We saw this pandemic take a tremendous toll on our young people and their mental health.

“Our children needed a place to voice their experiences and not get overpowered by adults. I am humbled that these children felt safe and cared for in this project to trust us with their stories.”

Opening night of the show at the theatre located at 525 N. 1st Street is Friday at 7 p.m. Additional showings take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday, as well on March 5, 6, 12 and 13. Tickets are $22.50 and can be purchased online.

Cooper hopes the show opens up a dialogue between children and adults about how the pandemic affected them.

“These children have so much to say and have not had the opportunity to let their voices be heard,” he said.

“What we see is that we all had so many shared experiences. While some may have felt alone and isolated, we all were experiencing this together.”

The show is produced and directed by Cooper, with 14-year-old ASU Prep freshman Kylan Chait serving as student director, and is sponsored in part by a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Those who attend are asked to show full vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative PCR test within 72 hours of showtime, according to the release, and masks will be required at all times in the theatre.

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