The stage opens for a curtain call and out runs three actors: a frightened and meek third-grader, an excited, yet nervous, seventh-grader, and an experienced and skilled high school senior. Three separate schools and three different levels of acting combine to form one incredible show. The trio takes the stage as part of a unique program involving student actors of varied experience and skill levels.

Established in the fall of 1998, the Brewer Youth Theatre gives local students in elementary grades through high school a chance to participate in theater. The drama program was developed because of a lack of participation in drama at the high school. By involving all age levels in the program, children gain experience so that by the time they reach high school, they are eager to perform on stage.

Richard Kimball, vice principal and athletic director at Brewer Middle School, developed the youth theater. He has created several shows performed by middle schoolers, including “The Case of the Dumb Detective” and “The Frog Prince.”

Kimball is currently directing a high school ensemble of 21 cast and crew members, who will present “Tom Jones” at the district One-Act Festival on March 9 and 10 in Skowhegan. He hopes to expand his school’s theater offerings from an after-school activity into a summer program for students in kindergarten through grade eight.

“Student interest is certainly there for a summer program,” Kimball said, “and I think it would really develop the BYT, allowing younger students more acting time and bigger parts, while providing older students an opportunity to co-direct.”

The Brewer Youth Theatre has distinguished itself from other drama programs by allowing performers in grade six through 12, and, occasionally, kindergarten through grade five, to participate. Last fall, Kimball took one of the middle school productions on tour to elementary schools and received a warm response. He then decided to open auditions for “The Wizard of Oz” to elementary school students.

Auditioning the younger children, Kimball only had planned to cast about 10 munchkins; but when tryouts began, more than 70 kids showed up. Overwhelmed by the interest, Kimball wound up casting 40 munchkins in the play.

Younger actors benefit from watching veteran performers, but as senior actor Anne McGuire pointed out, “We (high schoolers) can sometimes learn more from the younger kids than they learn from us.”

Students have benefited from the youth theater in some unusual ways. High schoolers Chris Rodway, Racheal Spalding, Cory Deshane and Matt Mellott recently expanded their resumes to include a television commercial for Governor’s Restaurant.

Matt Mellott, who played the Tin Man in BYT’s production of “The Wizard of Oz,” said, “It was an exciting challenge to interact with the cameras instead of the audience.”

Graduates of the youth theater also have gone on to act in college productions. Sarah Bishop, a 2000 graduate of Brewer High and a past member of BYT, recently performed in “Cabaret,” presented by the University of Maine’s School of Performing Arts and the Maine Masque troupe.

“BYT definitely got me ready for the Maine Masque because the professional expectations are so much greater,” she said. “It was just like Brewer Youth Theatre moving from little to big. Now, I’m learning from older, more experienced players.”

The 6,000 people who have attended BYT’s five musicals reflect a community increasingly interested in the student troupe and its home, the Brewer Middle School auditorium. The auditorium recently underwent $25,000 worth of improvements, thanks to a generous allotment from the school system’s trustees. Sound quality improved with the installation of acoustic paneling, and room-darkening curtains block out unwanted light. New lighting, including the rewiring of circuits to support the increased power load, and a $7,000 sound system, also have enhanced the theater.

Besides those improvements, the group hopes eventually to purchase cushioned chairs to replace the metal ones used in the auditorium. The theater also has acquired an extensive costume collection. With several hundred items added to the eclectic mix, students converted a teachers’ workroom into a costume shop to house the articles, from powdered wigs to disco suits.

With the improvements, the auditorium increasingly is housing community events, such as Penobscot Theatre Company’s “Macbeth,” and a performance by The Robinson Ballet. The auditorium also serves as a home to the newly formed Ten Buck Theater Co. Racheal Spalding, a singer and member of BYT, recently performed with Maine singer-songwriter David Mallett to raise money for the student troupe.

With offerings ranging from one-act plays to full musical productions, BYT has been packing the house, illustrating the ability that children of all ages have to entertain the community.

A visiting actor recently congratulated Kimball and thanked him “for all you are doing – Brewer has become so supportive of the arts.”

The authors of today’s Student Union are students at Brewer High School. The weekly column is a collaboration among the Bangor Daily News, Acadia Hospital, Hampden Academy and Brewer, Old Town and Orono high schools. Send comments including name, hometown and telephone number, to bdnstyle@bangordailynews.net or Student Union, Style Desk, Bangor Daily News, Box 1324, Bangor 04401.