Next Gen Events

Thursday, November 14 
9:30AM Matinee (2h 5m) - for matinee only attendees
8:30AM - 1:30PM - for optional SEL Workshop attendees
Grades: 9 - 12 

The value of the Human[kind] Cinema Series resides in its ability to assist schools as they work to meet the Michigan Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies. The selected films inspire conversation, leverage the power of storytelling, and bring high school students together from across five countries to share a common experience they're likely more accustomed to having alone, in front of a computer screen, digital monitor, or phone.

This year's offering presents the powerful film Freedom Writers, based on a 1999 book of the same name by the high school students of teacher Erin Gruwell. The film is based on the true story of a determined and courageous educator of low-performing students at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. The story highlights difficult issues affecting students, challenges embodied in socioeconomic struggles, and the importance of breaking down stereotypes and connecting across their differences to build hope and find solutions and, ultimately, to empower students to positively impact school culture and well-being. A discussion guide is made available to teachers as part of this program. It provides rich opportunities to engage students and educators around social and emotional skill development (SEL) and also allows for curricular links to history, social studies, civics, psychology, and literature.

For the first time, Next Gen is offering an inter-school SEL Workshop in the Community Engagement Room (CER), including activities and conversations led by Camp Daggett staff! Space is limited. This opportunity will only be open to 100 students whose teachers select it as an "add-on" at registration. SEL Workshop participants will arrive at 8:30AM and depart at 1:30PM. Teachers of the Workshop students are asked to be available in the CER as needed under the leadership of Camp Daggett staff. 

Friday, December 6, 2024 (one matinee only)
12:30PM Matinee
Grades: 8 - 11

This one-man play brings familiar, time-honored characters to life for audiences of all ages. Virtual effects create scenes that bring the audience into the storyline in this special holiday performance of the Charles Dickens classic. Notable actor Allen Fitzpatrick, who has spent 50 years on Broadway and professional theatre, follows in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, who, a few years after writing the novel, began public readings of it, which he continued to perform until the year of his death.

This classic story has been represented in over a hundred stage, film, opera, and radio adaptations. In Allen's version, audiences can use the full range of their imagination as one actor on a virtually bare stage creates 26 different characters. Audiences have been delighted by this approach's personal, individual impact. 

Monday, December 16, 2024
10:00AM Matinee - grades PreK - 1
12:30PM Matinee - grades 2 - 4

The Doktor Kaboom Holiday Extravaganza! Are science and magic the same thing? Is Mr. Claus the world's greatest scientist? Join Doktor Kaboom as he attempts to recreate all of Santa's wonders using basic physics. Doktor Kaboom has been a family favorite here at the Center. Back for a second, in-person show, Doktor Kaboom whips up a new show with his special holiday science magic! Rest easy - no holiday icons are damaged in this show.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025
10:00AM Matinee - grades 1 - 4
12:30PM Matinee grades 1 - 4

Who doesn't love Ms. Frizzle?! Science has never been more fun than in a Magic School Bus book, and with this show, your students will get to see the book come to life onstage!

When the class gets lost on the way to the planetarium, Ms. Frizzle saves the day by blasting into outer space for an epic interplanetary field trip! But when both old and new rivalries threaten to tear the students apart, our young heroes must learn to pull together or risk getting lost forever in the solar system.

Hop on the Magic School Bus for an imaginative ride in this new musical adaptation based on the original book series published by Scholastic. The original director/choreographer of this book adaptation is Connor Gallagher, who also choreographed Beetlejuice on Broadway and directed and choreographed Beauty and the Beast for Disney Cruise Line. Come join an out-of-this-world educational adventure! 

Friday, February 21, 2025 
12:30PM Matinee
Grades: 5 - 7

Interlochen Arts Academy presents a book-based ballet that includes an afternoon Next Gen matinee for area students in grades 5 - 7. The matinee presents an hour's worth of excerpts from the full evening performance that best convey the story and beauty of classical ballet. Each year, approximately 75% of students in the matinee audience will be seeing a live ballet performance for the first time.

The most widely loved and mesmerizing among the classical ballets, Swan Lake debuted in 1877 (Tchaikovsky's first!) and remains a favorite almost 150 years later. The story is one of love, but a love story that is embellished with magic and tragedy in a triangle of romance and that centers around a princess (Odette), the daughter of a sorcerer (Odile), and a prince (Seigfried). Come find out who the Swan is... and get lost in a classic tale of good and evil. You may even find similarities to animagi and transfiguration spells from the Harry Potter stories and the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid! 

Thursday, March 13, 2025
10:00AM Matinee - grades K - 3
12:30PM Matinee - grades 5 - 8

Step Afrika! performs at theaters and performing arts centers throughout the United States... [Introducing] audiences to the importance of stepping in cultural identity; the use of body percussion as a means of communication; and to the continuity of the use polyrhythms and audience participation from traditional Zulu dance to contemporary stepping... Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding. Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement, and cross-cultural understanding. The company is featured prominently at the Smithsonians' National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world's first interactive stepping exhibit.

We cannot take our students around the world, but we can bring the world to them; Step Afrika! offers a special opportunity to introduce Northern Michigan students to the rich cultural tradition of African and African American dance through an interactive and intentionally educational artistic performance.

Friday, April 11, 2025
10:00AM Matinee - grades 5 - 8 
12:30PM Matinee - grades 5 - 8

The Next Gen at the Center is proud to present this faithful, musical stage adaptation of Jason Reynolds's work as part of "Stories Told: A Community Project in Four Parts." You've read the book; now see it brought to life by the Kennedy Center of the GLCFA stage!

"Take a step in a new direction. Ten unique perspectives are brilliantly woven into one funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face at work, home, and life." - Source: Kennedy Center

Based on the multiple award-winning books for middle readers by the same name, this Kennedy Center production takes the innovative and appealing storytelling of Jason Reynolds to the stage with what promises to be a moving and important work for theater for young audiences. A faithful stage adaptation (in musical style), this show explores 10 tales of what happens "after the dismissal bell." As the cornerstone for the community project, Stories Told, this tale speaks to all of us about the power of "finding our voices;" the stories help us develop the courage to be ourselves and learn to live by our own values in the face of pressure to live by others' values. This book and stage show reveal how similar we all are - that our friends and peers share many of our struggles silently.

Mr. Reynolds' work, while appreciated by diverse audiences and all ages, was initially intended to engage more boys in reading novels, and his work has made him a New York Times bestselling author as well as the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. If you don't know the work of Jason Reynolds, it's worth a hearing: www.JasonWritesBooks.com

Friday, April 25, 2025
10:00AM Matinee - grades 5 - 8
12:30PM Matinee - grades 9 - 12

Next Gen at the Center is proud to present the Mayhem Poets live onstage as part of the community project Stories Told.  The week-long 2025 Artists' Residency will conclude with two live matinees by the Mayhem Poets on the GLCFA stage for your inspiration and entertainment! "Called 'an amazing ride' by the New York Times, the Mayhem Poets are theatre-trained, comedically-gifted, lyrical virtuosos who seamlessly blend raw elements of hip hop, theatre, improv, and stand-up comedy to tell gut-wrenching truths that leave audiences forever changed." Source: New Jersey Performing Arts Center. 

On Friday, April 25, the Mayhem Poets will perform their own poetry, with a nod to the Stories Told theme, "Finding Your Voice," through the sharing of stories and ideas that help us understand the power of self-expression and embracing who we are so that we can understand other. 

Saturday, May 10, 2025
Showcase at 2:00PM - grades 9 - 12
Crooked Tree Arts Center Theater

Calling all creative writers, playwright hopefuls, and wanna-be screenwriters! 

The final Stories Told event offered by Next Gen at the Center, SPRighT, represents an impactful and completely new opportunity for Regional high school students interested in creative writing. All high school students across Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Ostego counties will be invited to submit a 3 - 6 minute original play (monologue or dialogue; limit two entries per student) addressing the Stories Told theme, "Finding Your Voice." From the submissions, winning plays will be showcased onstage at Crooked Tree Arts Center alongside readings from the Young Artist Festival (Crooked Tree Arts Center) and a special guest. Little Traverse Civic Theater (LTCT) actors will perform the winning student plays in Readers Theater style; winning student playwrights will be invited to rehearsal to guest direct their work, providing feedback and direction to the LTCT actors. Not only is this a great opportunity for your creative writers, but it's also a great opportunity to bring a real-world experience of self-expression into your curriculum.