When Emmalena Parker stands backstage before a theater show, a familiar feeling takes over.
A knot in her stomach, a quickening of her breath — classic stage fright. But as the lights come up and she steps into her first scene, that all disappears.
“I get terrible stage fright before I perform,” the 16-year-old Apex High School junior admits with a laugh. “But once I’m in the zone, it’s not bad at all.”
Since 1999, Applause! Cary Youth Theatre has helped kids and teens like Emmalena find that zone. A group of Cary citizens pitched the idea of a youth theater program to town officials, and Applause! held its first production that fall.
The cast and crew of 2024’s Matilda Jr. included more than three dozen participants.
In addition to four annual productions, Applause! now offers workshops, classes, and camps — all aimed at kids and teens. Today, the program serves more than 1,400 children each year, with offerings for ages 2 through 18. Parent/child accompanied classes are available for the youngest participants.
Emmalena found her way to Applause! when her father, a Town of Cary employee, learned about the program and encouraged her to audition. She spent years in dance, but theater, it turned out, was exactly what she didn’t know she was looking for. Her first show, The Hundred Dresses, opened up a whole new world.
“I just loved it so much,” she says. “I’m still friends with people from that show.”
Since then, her roles have run the gamut, including on-stage parts in James and the Giant Peach, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The Tempest, among others. She’s also stepped behind the curtain, serving as assistant stage manager for Tuck Everlasting and as production assistant for The Wind in the Willows.
“Seeing the way directors direct has really inspired me,” she says.
For Kids, by Kids
In 2025, 63 performers and 57 backstage crew were involved across the four annual shows, which drew a total of 2,028 audience members. Each production is guided by a faculty of more than 30 trained theater professionals, many of whom work with other groups in the Triangle as well.
While the adults are there to lend their expertise, the productions themselves belong entirely to the youth. From calling the cues to coordinating costume changes to delivering lines, it’s all done by kids and teens.
Some productions incorporate a variety of ages, while others focus on specific age groups, according to Kirsten DeSena, the Town of Cary’s performing arts education specialist. Emmalena has worked on both.
“My favorite productions have been the ones with the younger kids,” she says. “I feel like I’ve adopted them in a way. To see them grow through the process, to get into their character, it fills my heart with so much joy.”
Not Just the Spotlight
A youth design team manages the technical side of each production including scenery, costumes, lighting, props, sound, and more.
“It’s one thing that separates us from others in the area,” Kirsten says.
Candidates for the design team go through their own “audition” process, bringing portfolios that include anything from art projects created in school classes to examples from other theatric productions they have been involved with.
The adult professionals who work with Applause! then train them to run the show themselves from start to finish. That includes safely learning how to use sewing machines for costumes and power tools to build sets.
Kirsten is quick to point out that while some of the kids have worked in theater before, experience is not required, and many are dipping their toes in for the first time.
“We meet them where they are and help them grow from there,” Kirsten says.
Emmalena says she’s grown and learned from each experience, on or off the stage. As an assistant stage manager in Tuck Everlasting, “I’d go to both tech and acting rehearsals and see how they fit together,” she says. “I could take something from an acting rehearsal and bring it into tech, or vice versa — it opened everything up for me.”
Peter and the Starcatcher
Full Circle
These early experiences sometimes ignite a lifelong passion, as Kirsten knows well. After moving to North Carolina at age 12, a bit shy and looking for a way to meet friends, she got involved with the very first production of Applause!
“That started my journey as a director and performer,” she says.
So when her current position opened up with the Town of Cary, “It just felt like coming home.”
In addition to a love of theater arts, Kirsten says Applause! equips young people with important skills that will serve them in life like empathy, communication, and creative thinking. Some pursue a career in theater — alumni now work on Broadway tours and in New York — but those who choose an entirely different path still take these experiences forward with them.
Get Involved
Auditions and design team interviews are open to the public. Three of the four mainstage productions are offered at no cost to participants — a deliberate choice to keep the program accessible, Kirsten says. Classes, camps, and workshops run year-round.
For Emmalena, who is still figuring out the future, one thing feels certain: Theater will be part of it. And for anyone thinking about jumping in, she offers simple advice.
“It’s such a great place to not only get started with theater but to grow a community. To see people try theater and like it enough to stick with it, that’s really something.”
Upcoming Applause! performances include The Giver, July 24–26 at the Cary Arts Center and Me, Jane: The Dreams and Adventures of a Young Jane Goodall, October 23–25. December brings the third annual A Peter Rabbit Christmas, an immersive outdoor production in Downtown Cary Park.
carync.gov/recreation-enjoyment/arts-culture/youth-theater
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