Rio Rancho Creative Crossroads launches first children's theatre production

Rio Rancho Creative Crossroads is opening a new door for Sandoval County families with its first children’s theatre production, a staging of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in partnership with Open Arts Studio NM. The shows are set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at the Bernalillo High School Black Box Theatre, with doors opening at 6 p.m.

For families in Rio Rancho and nearby Bernalillo, the production offers a local entry point into live theatre that does not require a long drive to Albuquerque. RRCC’s ticket prices put the show within reach for different audiences: $15 for general admission, $10 for educators, military members and first responders, and $5 for students and youth. The venue is at 148 Spartan Alley in Bernalillo.

The production is meant to be more than a pair of performances. RRCC’s event page includes a Backstage Pass for cast and crew, a detail that points to a more structured program behind the curtain, with young performers learning not just lines and blocking but the routines that come with working in a theatre setting. The company’s description frames the show as a children’s theatre production built around Charlie Bucket’s journey into Willy Wonka’s world, with imagination, music, humor and heart at the center of the experience.

That matters in a community where arts access has been squeezed. RRCC was founded in 2013 with a mission to bring high-quality, reasonably priced cultural art to Rio Rancho, and the organization says it was created in response to dwindling budgets for arts programs in local public schools. In that context, a children’s production is not simply a new title on the calendar. It is part of a pipeline that can give young performers an early place to build confidence, stage presence and creative discipline.

The cast also reflects that youth focus. Eleven-year-old Keegan Shackelford said the role of Charlie was a dream part and that he was especially excited to perform with his brother one last time before his older sibling leaves for college. Producer Jen Doolittle said the production fills an important need for children’s theatre in the community, while founder Neal Shotwell described it as a way to create more creative opportunities for local youth and families. RRCC identifies Doolittle as a professional photographer, arts administrator and artist with more than a decade of experience in creative leadership, community engagement and program development, and lists Kim Rothwell as co-producer.

The choice of venue also ties the project to the region’s broader community fabric. Bernalillo Public Schools says it honors the historic homelands of Pueblo people and the shared contributions of Pueblo people and descendants of Spanish settlers, giving the Black Box Theatre a setting that carries local history as well as stage lights. For Sandoval County families, the production signals that youth arts opportunities are expanding closer to home, with Rio Rancho Creative Crossroads now building a stronger path from first rehearsal to first curtain call.