The OBP Apprenticeship is an educational arts program for middle and high school students that takes place at The Old Brick Playhouse in Elkins. Now in rehearsals for their second show of the season, the program boasts over six thousand alumni and has been extant for 33 years.

The Apprentice program was awarded the Coming Up Taller Award as one of the top 15 educational arts programs in America several years ago and has been merited both regionally and nationally since that time. With a roster of 58, each student is included in a large production at the program’s culmination. Some students choose not to act, but to work on props, costuming, or lighting instead.

This season, the OBP is delighted to have the opportunity to delve into Elizabethan England in the1500s and 1600s during the life of William Shakespeare. The second play of the Apprentice season is “Something Rotten,” a musical comedy about two brothers who are jealous of Shakespeare’s talent and notoriety.

“‘Something Rotten’ is one of my favorites,” said OBP Executive Director Missy Armentrout McCollam. “It is side-splittingly funny and genuine in its message. This show gives us the opportunity to teach our students about Shakespeare in a roundabout manner. The humor is accessible to all, and the music is terrific.”

An Old Brick Playhouse Apprentice as Shakespeare.

The storyline follows the lives of Nick and Nigel Bottom, two brothers who aspire to be as successful and popular as Shakespeare. The brothers go to a soothsayer, Nostradamus, to find out what Shakespeare’s next big hit will be. The soothsayer is almost correct in her predictions and encourages them to write the first-ever musical.

“The play is very different than we’ve done over the past few years” said OBP Assistant Director Phil Smith. “It’s a hilarious romp that includes jokes about modern theater while depicting some of Shakespeare’s most fanciful characters.”

“Something Rotten,” slated to open on May 8, showcases each student in various roles and positions including actors, singers, dancers, light board operators, and prop builders.

“The Apprentice program is the foundation of The Old Brick Playhouse,” McCollam said. “We are honored to have the privilege of working with local youth. They provide insight, positive energy, and lots of laughs.”

This year, the Old Brick Playhouse has incorporated a wellness aspect to the Apprentice program through a collaboration with the Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation. Apprentices participate in team building, functional fitness, and gardening activities twice weekly during the season in order to learn methodologies and gather skills necessary for personal mental and physical wellness.

“The Apprentices are a very accepting and positive group of young people,” Smith said. “They embody all of the qualities that society should mimic, helping each other, accepting each other, and encouraging each other. It’s a pleasure to be a part of it all.”

For more information about The Old Brick Playhouse Apprentice program, email Missy@theoldbrick.org. To purchase tickets to “Something Rotten,” log on to www.theoldbrick.org.