North Fork Community Theater Is Working '9 to 5' on Summer Youth Musical

Dolly Parton’s classic hit single “9 to 5” became an anthem for working people everywhere when it was released in 1980. This summer, the young thespians of the North Fork Community Theater’s Youth on Stage program are getting a double dose of Dolly’s wisdom.

Wrapping up the Mattituck theater’s 2022–2023 season, the young people (ages 14–22) in the summer youth program have been hard at work on a performance of 9 to 5 The Musical. With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick, the musical is based on the Parton song and 1980 film of the same title, and tells the story of three women office workers who fight back against their sexist bigot of a boss.

The production’s director, and former North Fork Community Theatre board president, Liz Liszanckie says she chose this show after a painstaking search through the available options, for many reasons. First, she wanted a show with strong female leads.

“I know the young women who have been growing up in the program, and I felt like they would sink their teeth into these roles,” Liszanckie said, but the content was a consideration, too. “The themes are still fairly relevant, of women supporting women, and are very true today.”

While of course, the program’s end goal is to put on a show, Liszanckie says that the Youth on Stage program is about so much more than that.

“The biggest benefit to the audience is seeing the amount of work that kids pour into these shows,” recalls Liszanckie, “People get really excited to see another Youth on Stage production. It’s high energy and lots of fun; the kids have a great time.”

Since it began in 1971, the Youth on Stage program has provided young people with the opportunity to explore their interests in theater outside of school, during the summer break. While the most obvious aspect of any theater program is what happens onstage, Lisznackie also notes, “There are opportunities to explore other aspects of the theater and get involved in other ways that are not onstage.” Such opportunities range from set-building to choreography, costumes, make-up, and more. However, for each participant, the takeaway is different.

“To one kid, it is just a distraction for a boring summer. To the next kid, this was the chance that they had to apply themselves and learn a whole new area of theater. To another person, this might be a time to be fully accepted, when everyone in the theater accepted their pronouns and they felt seen and heard. It fulfills a lot of needs and I can’t guarantee that every year it’s going to be the most meaningful, powerful thing ever, but for some it is.”

Liszanckie also recalls a memorable exchange, when a past participant stopped by the theater one random summer afternoon. He told her, “I just want you to know that this place was the best summer of my life, and I never stopped thinking about the summer that I spent here.”

It’s clear, just by looking at the cast and crew for this production, that this sentiment rings true for many. The student-director working aside Lisznackie for 9 to 5 The Musical, is Kathleen Kelly, a college student studying musical theater, who has participated in the program since she was 14. One of the choreographers, Sarah Scarbrough, is also a former participant.

“People like Sarah are why I do the show. She understands the program is more about passing on traditions than it is about this one show,” says Liszanckie. Speaking of passing on traditions, they even have some participants whose parents were once in the program.

Other alumni go on to pursue careers in theater, and Liszanckie says, “It’s always a moment of pride when they’re going to the next level.”

Still, they come back. Recently, the theater hosted a Youth on Stage Alumni Night, where members previewed a few songs from the current production, and past members are able to pass on advice and words of wisdom, and also talk about their experiences.

“If I take this one baby step, what can I achieve — tomorrow, the next day, or 30 years from now?” is, according to Liszanckie, the essence of her favorite song in the show, “I Just Might.” For these young thespians, participating in the Youth on Stage program is that “baby step.”

See them in action at the North Fork Community Theater in Mattituck from July 20 through August 6. Tickets are $30, and can be purchased online at nfct.com, or by calling 631-298-NFCT (6328).