Prattville Teen, 19, Founds Alabama Children's Theatre to Nurture Young Performers

Maggie Kervin grew up loving theater, found her footing on stage at Prattville Christian Academy, then graduated and noticed an obvious hole in the community: there was almost nowhere for younger kids to go. So she built something herself.

"There's just not a lot of opportunities for kids in theater," Kervin said. "I really wanted to provide that opportunity."

The result is the Alabama Children's Theatre, which Kervin, a Prattville native, founded in 2024 at age 19. She started the organization with $50 and a clear mission: give children between the ages of five and 18 a genuine stage to perform on. The company is based at the Pine Level Community Center on County Road 40 East, putting it squarely in the heart of Autauga County.

"I didn't think I'd ever be in the position of running my own theater," Kervin said.

She has moved quickly from that $50 starting point. The Alabama Children's Theatre has already staged Mary Poppins Jr., Fractured Fairy Tales, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Jr. since its founding. The company's next production, Annie Jr., is scheduled for April 23-25 at Pine Level Community Center, continuing a pace that puts the young organization on track for multiple productions per year.

For Kervin, the payoff is visible in rehearsal rooms. "It's just so exciting to see them put the hard work into something and watch it blossom," she said. "They are so excited and so dedicated."

Kervin's own introduction to theater came through Prattville Christian Academy, where she performed before going on to join the ensemble for Way Off Broadway Theatre's production of Clue: The Musical. That experience across Prattville's existing arts community appears to have sharpened her understanding of what was missing specifically for younger performers, and she built the Alabama Children's Theatre to close that gap.

Auditions and registration information for upcoming productions are available through the organization's online channels. Annie Jr. performances run April 23-25 at the Pine Level Community Center, 116 County Road 40 East, Prattville.