Join SKIT

Joining SKIT?

PLEASE NOTE: At this time SKIT is following CDC Guidance consistent with Broadway and other major theaters.

All children and parents who are eligible to be vaccinated must be vaccinated in order to participate in SKIT's 2022-23 Season.

If you would like to explore joining SKIT, please email our director, Carolyn Newman at skitdirector@comcast.net and include the following information:

  • your name and mobile phone number

  • your child's name, age and grade in school

  • your child's experience in voice, dance or theatre. Note previous experience is not necessary for joining

  • There is a tuition for joining SKIT but SKIT will work with parents to reduce and/or waive tuition due to financial need upon review

Carolyn Newman, SKIT's Director, will get back to you as soon as possible. Allow one week during busy times. If you have not hear within a week, feel free to text her at 908-963-4895

MORE ABOUT SKIT

ShowKids Invitational Theatre (SKIT) is a non-profit youth organization dedicated to making theatre magic for audiences of all ages. Based in High Bridge, New Jersey, SKIT offers the community professional-quality family entertainment from its home at Voorhees High School in Lebanon Township. SKIT presents two full-scale musical productions per year, with each show running for 4 to 6 performances. Recent productions have included “Mary Poppins”, "Into the woods, Jr.", "Newsies", “Little Shop of Horrors”, “Frozen, Jr.”, and "The Sound of Music".

The most common reaction of first-time SKIT audience members is “I didn’t expect it to be that good!” They discover what founder, producer and director Carolyn Newman knows – there is no limit to what children can achieve if they work hard and enjoy what they’re doing. In fact, in 2001 SKIT was named Outstanding Community Theatre by the NJ Association of Community Theatres (NJ ACT)

Most of SKIT's performers, ranging in age from 7 to 18, hail from Hunterdon County, but often enthusiastic performers join from Hunterdon's surrounding areas as well. Being involved with SKIT is a tremendously positive and rewarding experience for the children. They learn how to work together with others to accomplish their goal: a successful show capable of delighting audiences. They learn that the harder they work, the better their performances. And the better their performances, whether they are in starring roles or in the chorus, the better the show as a whole.

Although rehearsals are time-consuming, most SKIT members still manage to be above average students. Many also are involved in other activities: sports, music, dance or student government. They learn to make the most of the time they have, which sometimes means studying during a rehearsal break, instead of socializing. The atmosphere is one of achievement, and the lessons they learn in striving for excellence on stage carry over to their daily lives.

SKIT MISSION STATEMENT

  • To offer the community professional-caliber entertainment, primarily full-scale productions of family-oriented musicals.

  • To provide SKIT members (children ages 7-18) with a nurturing theatrical experience. The children strive for excellence in theatre in an environment which fosters self-esteem through achievement.

  • To provide SKIT parents with opportunities to spend quality time with their children working towards a common goal, thereby enriching the lives of both parents and children.

Carolyn Newman founded SKIT in 1987, though it could be said that SKIT found her. A former Registered Dietitian, Newman was asked to direct a small children’s production, and soon after the performance began receiving calls from parents who wanted to know how their kids could join her group. Though she had not intended to go beyond that one production, she suddenly found herself with a fledgling theatre troupe. She has since guided SKIT through many successful seasons, and has watched as the ranks of cast members and fans alike have grown! Newman has received several personal honors for her work, including the Golden Award from the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce. In 1992 she was proud to accept the MasterCard Leadership in Entrepreneurial Achievement and Philanthropy (LEAP) Award for the U.S. Eastern Region. Carolyn has received 26 nominations from the New Jersey Association of Community Theatres (NJACT) for Outstanding Director of a Musical and/or Outstanding Production of a Musical. In 2016 Carolyn was inducted into the NJACT Hall of Fame.

THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN SKIT

The parents of SKIT members are integral to the success of the group. SKIT is structured as a family activity; parents are required to perform backstage duties in order to ensure the success of the show. They construct sets, make costumes, sell tickets, design hair and make-up effects and do sound and lighting, among the myriad tasks involved in mounting a full-scale production. Rather than look at those jobs as burdensome, most parents relish the opportunities to utilize their creative talents and spend meaningful time with their kids. Parents also contribute financially to SKIT. Families pay a tuition each year, with the money going directly toward the productions. Financial aid is provided where needed so that no child need is excluded.

Just like the growth seen in children, SKIT's parents develop tremendous skills from their involvement and also develop life-long friendships from the camaraderie developed in working on a show together.