Fall Youth Theatre Academy
The Fall Youth Theatre Academy is a three-month program offering youth both onstage and behind-the-scenes, dramatic, and technical theatre skills opportunities. The academy’s fall program culminates with a full-scale Broadway-style youth production for family, friends, and the general public. OTC offers professional teachers and a safe, welcoming space for students to develop theatre skills, create, have fun, and reach their potential through the joy of artistic discovery.
Oceanside Theatre Company Youth Academy presents our Fall production of
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS!
Register soon! Space is limited!
FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE
Please see below for more information.
Directors: Sharon Duchi and Anna Duchi
Ages 10 through 19
SEPTEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 23, 2025
Cost: $200
*Vocal and Dance Auditions will be September 9th from 4 – 8 pm. ALL ACTORS should be present on this date for the entire call time.
*Callbacks will be September 10th and 11th from 4 – 8 pm BY INVITATION OF THE DIRECTORS. Please be sure to bring all necessary paperwork (see below) to the first day of auditions.
*Audition information and songs can be found on the Audition Google Drive
PAPERWORK TO BRING WITH YOU ON YOUR FIRST DAY:
*Audition Form (this can be found on the Google Drive)
*Headshot or recent picture (this can be a copy)
*List of conflicts from September 3 to November 17
If you have any questions, please email sduchi@oceansidetheatre.org or aduchi@oceansidetheatre.org.
Once Upon A Mattress
Music by MARY RODGERS
Lyrics by MARSHALL BARER
Book by JAY THOMPSON, DEAN FULLER, and MARSHALL BARER
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com
In a comical retelling of “The Princess and the Pea,” a far-away kingdom struggles against a marriage ban by the overbearing Queen Aggravain. Everyone is forbidden to marry until her grown-ish son, Prince Dauntless, marries a suitable princess. She also happens to reject every eligible princess through a series of elaborate royalty tests, leaving the kingdom’s residents romantically frustrated. Lady Larken soon convinces her knight and beau, Sir Harry, to venture out in search of a royal bachelorette for Dauntless so the couple can wed. Sir Harry returns with Princess Winnifred the Woebegone, a noblewoman of the swamp whose freewheeling displays of strength clash with the Queen’s image of feminine propriety. Winnifred instantly catches the attention of Prince Dauntless. Meanwhile, the Queen devises another elaborate royalty test – the one with 20 downy mattresses and one lousy pea – to stop Winnifred and DauntLess from being together. The townspeople dare to uncover the test before yet another match is doomed, and Winnifred is able to pass the Queen’s supposedly impassable sensitivity test. Mary Rodger’s classic Once Upon a Mattress is a hilarious musical that is sure to delight the entire family!
Performances:
November 14, 15, 21, 22 at 7 pm
November 16, 22, 23 at 2 pm
School Performances: November 18 at 9 am & 12 pm
TICKET PRICES:
Presale price $20 through October 31
Adult prices raise to $25 on November 1
Senior/Military price $20 throughout run
Student price stays $18 throughout run
Scholarship Information
Oceanside Theatre Company’s Youth Academy has several scholarships available for families in financial need. To apply for a scholarship, please email the completed application and proof of income to: sduchi@oceansidetheatre.org.
PLEASE NOTE: All information in this application is strictly confidential. Oceanside Theatre Company will not release financial information to anyone for any reason.
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PAPERWORK: SEPTEMBER 1, 2025.
About the Creative Team
Sharon Duchi
Sharon Duchi received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and Middle School Master’s Endorsement from Old Dominion University. She has been a certified teacher in the states of California and Virginia, and has directed, musically directed, and wrote numerous school-wide musical shows both large and small. Sharon enjoys teaching others the magic of theatre and working with the youth of this great community, and looks forward to each new experience.
She has been involved in various aspects of singing, acting, and musical theater since grade school, and has enjoyed performing in many theater venues and vocal groups in Michigan, Virginia, and Southern California. Sharon is the former owner/Director of Act One Community Theatre and its productions (102 Inland Theatre League wins, 157 ITL nominations), and facilitated other company rentals of the 114-seat facility.
Sharon has Directed, Musically Directed, and Produced numerous award-winning productions over the years, including: Little Women, The Wedding Singer, The Little Mermaid, Aida, Shrek, Into The Woods, Seussical, RENT, and many more. Some of her favorite acting credits include Joanne (Company), Marmee (Little Women), Rona Lisa Perretti (The 25th Annual PC Spelling Bee), and Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd).
Anna Duchi
Anna Duchi has a degree from Humboldt State University in Theatre Arts and Dance, and has been in theater since she was 8 years old. She is a performer at Legoland California and the San Diego Zoo, and has served as Co-Director and Choreographer for OTC’s Youth Academy and Education Program since Spring 2019. Anna enjoys working in all aspects of the theater, including Director, Choreographer, Stage Manager, House Manager, Makeup and Hair Designer, and Set Designer. She has worked for theatre companies including Carlsbad Community Theatre, Act 1 Community Theater, Jefferson Middle School, and Moonlight Youth Theatre. Some of her favorite Directing credits include Little Mermaid, Shrek, Seussical, and Little Women. Some of her favorite acting roles include Inga (Young Frankenstein), Arista (Little Mermaid), and Kate/Lilli (Kiss Me, Kate).
Past Youth Productions
