MOUNT VERNON – Knox County second-graders will see Act 1 of MTVarts’ production of “The Wizard of Oz” on Sept. 11 to open the 2026 Youth Enrichment Series (YES) at the Knox Memorial Theater.
Curtain time for the one-hour performance and subsequent dates on the YES schedule, will be 10 a.m.
The “Wizard” cast will return to the Memorial stage that night for the first of six public performances.
County third-graders will see Act 1 on Sept. 18.
The nine-part YES series, which extends well into October, is facilitated by the Knox Educational Service Center (ESC). Funding is provided by the Knox County Foundation except for the MTVarts performances. Participation is open to students from Centerburg, Danville, East Knox, Fredericktown, Mount Vernon and St. Vincent de Paul.
ESC Superintendent Dr. Timm Mackley said the YES series is the result of a close partnership between the Knox County community and its school districts.
“Live theater is exciting for young children, many of whom have their first experience at a YES program,” Mackley said. “Knox ESC is very glad to have a role in making the series possible.”
The remainder of this year’s YES schedule includes:
Sept. 22 – Robert Post, “How to Survive Middle School,” 7th graders
Sept. 23 – Dylan Shelton, puppets, “The Hungry, Hungry Bookworm,” 2nd-graders
Sept. 24 – Eric Paton, world class taiko drummer, 5th-graders
Oct. 6 – BalletMet, “Together We Dance: Interactive Performance,” 4th-graders
Oct. 14 – Sarah Reed, storytelling musician, 1st-graders
Oct. 20 – Dylan Shelton, puppets, “Lou, The Baby Dinosaur,” 3rd-graders
Oct. 21 – Tony West, African drumming & Imani Dancers, 6th-graders