Welcome to the Jungle (Book)

For the first time ever, (MTC) will field a cast of all pre-teens for its third production of the year, Disney’s The Jungle Book, Kids.

Producing artistic director Mark Morgan said the theater company——wanted to give the youngsters an opportunity to perform at an early age, in an environment where they can learn the ropes without fear of being cut (an MTC policy). All the children in the cast are between the ages of 6-12.

“We want their first (theater) experience to be fun. We want them to walk away going, ‘Oh, theater’s fun … I’ll keep doing theater,’” said Morgan. “It’s teaching them how to be in a show, how to do a rehearsal … It what’s we do.”

Though some of the children in the 36-member cast have done several shows with MTC, Morgan said roughly half are rookies performing in their first or second show.

He said he picked Jungle Book because it’s the perfect show for novice performers to cut their teeth on.

“It’s such a fun show,” he said, adding that nearly all the parts are animals. “It’s probably easier for kids to be animals, than to be people.”

Despite the obvious challenges of teaching such a young cast, Morgan said the program went so well on its first go-round he plans to offer it again next year.

The show opens at 6 p.m. tonight (Thursday), with additional shows on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.). All performances will be held at .

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through the Moorestown Theater Company website or at the door. Call 856-778-8357 for more information.