arts & entertainment

Riverside Theatre for Kids presents a special evening of music and tributes to benefit the Theatre’s youth tuition assistance program with an Alumni Showcase. The eveing will feature five young graduates from the Theatre’s education program and will take place at 6:30pm on Thursday, July 17, 2025.  A special post-show discussion with the performers with be held after the concert. 

In 1980, after years of success in bringing the performing arts to the local community, Riverside Theatre donors, patrons and planners pledged their support and financial backing to establish the Riverside Children’s Theatre (RCT) program. The education program not only tended to students interested in theatre, but expanded to include those interested in the many facets of dance. 

Producing several full-scale productions each year, the education program, re-christened Riverside Theatre for Kids (RTK) a few years ago, provides area youngsters the opportunity to participate in productions on stage or backstage under the guidance and tutelage of professional directors, teachers, artists, and technicians.

This summer, RTK proudly presents its first Alumni Showcase featuring talened former students: David Calahan, Jamari Darling, Shannon Maloney, Emily Rose Olsson, and Bryce Roux. Since their time at Riverside, they have landed careers spanning professional theatre, education, child services, and sports management.

This special evening will see them perform their favorite musical theatre songs… and maybe,  showcase songs they might have done as young performers on our stage.

A special post-show discussion will be held after the performance where they will share the impact of Riverside’s education programs in their lives.

Tickets are $25 for this special benefit.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the Riverside Theatre Box Office 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.

Riverside Theatre is located at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32963. Riverside Theatre programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Riverside Theatre is a member of the Cultural Council of Indian River County, the Indian River Chamber of Commerce, and the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

MEET THE PERFORMERS

DAVID CALAHAN is 19 years old and is currently based in New York. He has been a part of the Riverside Theatre family since he was 5 years old taking dance, acting, and singing. His first musical at Riverside was Peter Pan JR. Since then, he has performed on the Stark Stage in Gypsy and most recently in Singin’ In The Rain. He was accepted into the Steps on Broadway Professional Dance Conservatory in New York City for this upcoming fall semester.

JAMARI DARLING was born and raised in Gifford, Florida. At age 9 he was introduced to his first love, music, through the founding of the Gifford Youth Orchestra, where he holds the title for youngest board member to date. A renaissance man, he graduated with top honors while maintaining his reputation as a prolific athlete, securing the FL SSAC Football championship in 2010. Around that time, he also began performing at Riverside where he was featured in the shows Rapunzel and Me and Little Shop of Horrors. After leaving home to pursue his dreams, he went on to make his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. With over a decade of joy in his chosen profession, some of his credits include the original touring cast of the 8 time Tony-winning musical Hadestown, Ain’t Too Proud 1st National Tour, and the final touring cast of Motown the Musical. Notable regionals include the West Coast Premiere of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical A Strange Loop, Broadway bound Swept Away at Arena Stage, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and Smokey Joe’s Cafe here at Riverside Theatre and the Palace Theatre with the original Coasters.

SHANNON MALONEY – Since the moment of being cast in her first show at the age of seven, Shannon found her home-away-from-home at Riverside. It was in these halls where she found a loving and dedicated community, lifelong friends, the magic that lies within creativity and self expression, and the tools to build a life that prizes connection, empathy, and authenticity. Some of her favorite memories here are panicking over an Edgar Allan Poe quiz as Peppermint Patty in Snoopy! The Musical, falling for Huckleberry Finn as Mary Jane in Big River, dancing the days away during the Riverside Dance Festivals, and honoring the stories of children in the holocaust as Raja in I Never Saw Another Butterfly. Shannon now works for a nonprofit in Sarasota that is dedicated to protecting children who are vulnerable to or have suffered from child abuse. Though she has not pursued a career in the theatre, she performs as often as she can with the wonderful local theatres of that area, most recently playing Ages in Agnes of God, Mary Lane in Reefer Madness, and Louise “Gypsy Rose Lee” in Gypsy. Shannon credits Riverside for helping shape her into the performer (and more importantly the person) she is today. She is grateful to everyone here for supporting the arts and helping so many kids find their joy.

EMILY ROSE OLSSON got started at Riverside Theatre at 3 years old when her grandmother put her in dance class. At 6 she was in her first production, The Nutcracker in Swingtime. She kept dancing,  but when the Schoolsical production of Aristocats JR. came to her elementary school, she began going full force with theatre. She went on to do around 30 productions and played roles: Millie in Throughly Modern Millie, Horton in Seussical and Mabel in Pirates of Penzance JR. Just recently she completed her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Acting from Ball State University where she played roles: Emma in The Prom, Jessie in Lynn Nottage’s play, Sweat, and Mrs. Warwick in Agatha Christie’s The Unexpected Guest. As of June of this year, she began her role as the Assistant Director of Education at Riverside.  

BRYCE ROUX is currently an up-and-coming senior at the University of Kansas, pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management with a Minor in Business. Born and raised in Sebastian, Florida, Bryce is a Class of 2022 graduate from Sebastian River High School. While at Sebastian River, he was able to find his lifelong passion for sports working for the football team as an Equipment Manager. Once he arrived at the University of Kansas, he worked for three seasons in their football equipment room, as well as assisting players on the practice field and during game days. Bryce was fortunate enough to be a part of both the 2022 Liberty Bowl and 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl teams. He was also a member of the Kansas Jayhawks Football Program when they became nationally ranked for the first time since 2009. Bryce is currently completing his college degree internship at Campbell University in North Carolina, working alongside the Fighting Camels Football Equipment Staff. While Bryce’s adult life is fairly sports-oriented, he grew up here in Vero Beach, taking classes and also in the Anne Morton Theatre.  Bryce was most notably Ralphie in A Christmas Story during the 2017 season and Lord Farquaad in Shrek in 2019. He also received his first professional theater credit on the Stark Stage in the 2018 production of Gypsy.