turn after another as this young
man goes through the journey
of being the boy who cried wolf
and science fiction all melded
into one.”
Parents may have taken a trip
into New York City to see the
pair of hit productions on the
schedule, but The Growing
Stage offers an intriguing take
on them. The theatre turns the
challenge of presenting these
large musicals in a smaller
space as a positive. Within the
intimate confines of the Palace
NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 9
Theatre, the plays rely less on
special effects and more on the
story itself.
“The parents and families actu-
ally become part of the story!”
said Fredericks. “By making it
smaller, we’re not making it less.
We focus more on the story and
on the musical moments rather
than the big extravaganza and
spectacle. We’re not doing mov-
ies, we’re not doing computer
games, so why are we trying to
replicate it? Let’s keep it to be-
ing live theatre and celebrate
that in and of itself.”
Fredericks founded The Grow-
ing Stage back in 1982 and says
he never expected it to still be
going strong three decades later.
He is grateful for all of the people
he’s had the opportunity to work
alongside, noting that a theatre is
never a one person show.
“I’ve had the opportunity over
the past 36 years to learn and
work alongside some wonderful
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