The Plaza Arts Center and The Arts Barn combined last Friday night for the second event in this year’s Coffee House series, with a special Cocoa House at the Putnam County Middle School (PCMS) Little Theater.
The difference between the Cocoa House from the typical Coffee House is the event featured young performers only, specifically those in grades five through eight. The event highlighted young talent in the community, with acts ranging from spoken word to clogging to playing musical instruments to singing.
Elizabeth Brosman ran tech, making sure the show ran smoothly, while Vickie Spivey from The Plaza Arts Center ran the refreshments table, where donations also were appreciated.
“We’re very excited to show you what all these students have been working on and their amazing talents,” Putnam County Middle School Theater Director Seth Wicker said as he opened up the show.
“Our first group up is the Arts Barn Kids. They’re a theater troupe of students in second through fifth grades under the direction of Helen Garcia Carreras and Shaquicia Peaches Mitchell,” he continued. “These students have studied acting, singing, and dancing for the theater since September. We are so happy to see so many new faces this year with the Arts Barn Kids, more than doubling last year’s number.”
The Arts Barns kids who performed “Welcome to the Cocoa House” included Mena Collins, Grace Garber, Smith Groeninger, Anna Blue Heberling, Jordan Loh, Jenna Lukens, Harper McRae, Luis Quinones, Jonas Quinones, and Ellie Swymer.
Following the group, Avry Shorter, a PCMS seventh-grade student, took the stage and sang “Waving Through A Window,” from the musical Dear Evan Hansen.
“Avry was an attendee at the Jr. Thespian Conference in 2024. Avry has also been involved in three school shows in the past two years and is currently working on an upcoming show,” Wicker said.
Next, PCMS eighth-grader Peyton Stokes delivered a monologue from Godspell and Big Bad Musical.
“(Peyton) has been in a lot of shows with the school system and has been involved with theatre, chorus, beta club, and the house system at the school. She loves hanging out and talking with her friends and she did cheer for 10 years,” Wicker said, adding that Peyton will appear May 3-5 as the big bad wolf/ensemble for Shrek Jr.
Following the monologue, Lake Oconee Academy fifth-grade student Harper McRae played her ukulele while singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
In his introduction, Wicker said Harper enjoys soccer and theater and takes classes at The Arts Barn. “(She) loves to perform any chance she can,” he said.
Next on stage was seventh grader Kenzie Nelson, an honors student at PCMS in her second Cocoa House appearance. Kenzie sang “Almost There” from Disney’s movie “The Princess and the Frog.” She said she plans to continue in theatre arts throughout high school and college, and after college, she plans to pursue a career on Broadway.
The Cocoa House finished with a series of clogging performances from The Arts Barn Cloggers, who danced to various songs including “Na, Na, Na” by Pentatonix and “High and Mighty” by Christ Church Choir and Dolly Parton.
Anna Blue Heberling, Jonas Quinones, and Corbin Glover made up the dancers at the beginner level, while Luis Quinones, Amelia Ingle, and Lily Garcia-Carreras danced at the advanced level. Sole Momentum clogging instructors Jessica Womack and Magen Allen joined their students on stage, too.
“I want to say a huge thank you to Seth Wicker,” Arts Barn founder and director Lora Garcia-Carreras said at the closing of the Cocoa House event. “And thank you to parents, grandparents, friends, and everyone who came out to support these folks.”
At the program’s end, Lora Garcia-Carreras invited teachers of the young performers to take a turn onstage.
Wicker performed a humorous monologue as the character Chunk from “The Goonies,” and Helen Garcia-Carreras performed on a ukulele, “Hold Me” by Jamie Grace.
The Mocha House, the next event in the 2024 Coffee House series, will be held April 19 at The Plaza Arts Center, with performers of all ages combined.