TOMATO PATCH JR.

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The Winter Session of Tomato Patch Jr. will start on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

Winter Session Cost: $300

All classes in the Winter Session are Full

Please sign up for the waitlist to be considered if a spot becomes available. 

Dates for the Spring Show:

Tech Week--May 15 to 22

Performances:

May 23, 24, 30, and 31

School Shows:

Wednesday and Thursday,
May 27 and 28

NEW FOR 2026

TOMATO PATCH JR. Announces NEW SUMMER PROGRAM
for 7 to 9 Year old Children

The program will run for four weeks, June 29 to July 24 (no classes on july 3) Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a fixed schedule. the morning will be dedicated to preparing for the show for ythe parents at the end of the season. The afternoons will be four classes, voacal, acting, dance, and stage craft. Space is limited.
Registration cost is $1,500.

Registration opens February 9, 2026.

PLEASE READ BEFORE REGISTERING:

A third-party vendors owns the portal that you register through. The company name is Active Works. Before registering, please be aware of the following:

Active Works offers insurance on your registration. Before purchasing the insurance, be aware that our refund policy is 100% of tuition less a $25 administrative fee if you withdraw before the session starts. If you withdraw on the first day of class, we will refund 50% of the tuition fee. After the first day. there is no refund for withdrawing.
Active Works offers an Active Works membership with a free 30-day trial period. If your only connection to Active Works is Tomato Patch Jr., there is no benefit to your taking this offer. You will not receive a discount for Tomato Patch Jr.
Your payment for registration will appear on your credit card as Active Works (or something similar with the word Active in it) and may not say Kelsey Theatre or Tomato Patch.
You will receive emails from Tomato Patch Jr. through Active Works. Please be careful not to delete any emails that say Active Works, Kelsey Theatre, or Tomato Patch without checking to see what it is. The email also may show up in your Spam/Junk folder. If so, please mark it safe so you will receive all communications from us.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2025-26 TOMATO PATCH JR. PROGRAM

For the Winter Session, students who did the fall session or are on the waitlist for the fall session will be offered an early registration period before registration is offered to the public on October 20. For people who are not in the fall session or on the waitlist, there will be a link to Test--Do Not Use. Please do not register your child using this link. Please wait until the registration opens to the public on October 20. If the section your child is eligible for is full, you will have an opportunity to register for the waitlist at that time. Registering using the Test--Do Not Use link will not improve your chances of getting your child into the program.

This year there will be a prerequisite for taking the Spring Session and participating in the play. Initially, only students who have done the fall and/or winter session will be able to enroll in the spring session. If there are spots remaining , registration will be offered to the students who did the fall, winter, and/or spring sessions in the 2024-25 season and a waitlist for new students will be posted on this page.

Emails will be sent out to all students from the fall and winter classes with a link to register. Please register as quickly as possible so your child does not miss out.

Students from the waitlist will be offered the remaining spots after the above steps are completed.

Registration will be strictly on a first come, first serve basis.

If you have any questions, please email Jane at projects@mccc.edu .

The Tomato Patch Jr. Spring Show is Announced!

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SYNOPSIS: One quiet night deep in the forest, a group of children gathers around a flickering campfire, swapping ghost stories under a sky ablaze with stars. Suddenly, the stars begin to move. A glowing spacecraft descends and from it emerge alien beings--emissaries of the Universal Federation of Planets. Earth is under consideration for membership, but there’s a twist--the Federation doesn’t want to speak to politicians or world leaders. They want to hear from Earth's future—the children. And they want a tour. With barely time to grab their backpacks, the children become unexpected ambassadors, whisked away aboard the alien craft on a whirlwind journey around the globe. The big question? Will Earth make the cut—or will humanity be left behind?

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPRING, 2026, SESSION AND SHOW

Before you sign up your child to be in the spring session, please read the following:

B eing in a show is a big commitment. Every rehearsal matters, and every cast member is depended on to attend their scheduled rehearsals.

REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES:

Your child will be cast in a role in either Cast A or Cast B. Both casts will perform once for school groups during the day (either Wednesday, Cast A, or Thursday, Cast B), and four performances over two weekends (either a Saturday or Sunday afternoon for two weekends).

Children 4 to 6 years old will need to attend rehearsals on Saturdays from 9:00 to 10:00. They will also be required to attend tech rehearsals (the week before the show opens) and the shows their cast will be in (Cast A or B). See dates and times below.

Children 7 to 14 years old will be assigned rehearsals on Saturdays from either 10:00 to 11:00 or 11:00 to 12:00, depending on which role they are cast in. In addition, they will rehearse one night during the week. When you fill in the audition form, you will be asked to list which nights of the week your child can attend rehearsals. You child will be put in a cast that rehearses on a night your child is available. Once the show is cast, we will notify you what time on Saturday your child will be rehearsing.

Saturday Class Dates:

March 14, 21, 28; April 11, 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16 (No class on April 4).

In addition to Saturday rehearsals and one night a week rehearsal for students aged 7 to 14, all children must attend tech rehearsals and shows as follows:

CAST A Tech Rehearsals:

Friday, May 15, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (4 to 6 year olds--6 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
Saturday, May 16, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (4 to 6 year olds--3 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
Sunday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (4 to 6 year olds--12 noon to 1 p.m.)
Thursday, May 21, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Full run for all cast members--6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)

CAST A Performances:

Saturday, May 24, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (7 to 14 year olds arrival time at 11:00, 4 to 6 year olds arrival time at 12 noon)
Sunday, June 1, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (7 to 14 year olds arrival time at 11:00, 4 to 6 year olds arrival time at 12 noon)

CAST B Tech Rehearsals

Thursday, May 14, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (4 to 6 year olds--6 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (4 to 6 year olds--12 noon to 1 p.m.)
Sunday, May 17, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (4 to 6 year olds--3 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
Friday, May 22, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Full run for all cast members--6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)

CAST B Performances

Sunday, May 25, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (7 to 14 year olds arrival time at 11:00, 4 to 6 year olds arrival time at 12 noon)
Saturday, May 31, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (7 to 14 year olds arrival time at 11:00, 4 to 6 year olds arrival time at 12 noon)

The Wednesday (CAST A) and Thursday (CAST B) school shows will depend on how many groups purchase tickets. You will be notified when this information becomes available. If there is a school show for your child's cast, a letter will be forwarded to you from Mercer County Community College that you can submit to your child's school office for an excused absence.

THE FALL AND WINTER SESSIONS WILL FEATURE REGULAR CLASSES AS IN THE DESCRIPTIONS BELOW.
CLASSES ARE ON SATURDAYS FOR ONE HOUR FOR TEN WEEKS.

9:00 to 10:00: Seedlings, Ages 4 to 6 --We will inspire the imagination and develop confidence through acting out guided stories, improv games, and more. Each week will also feature some aspect of theater including props, costumes, set pieces, music, sound effects, and prop crafts. Students will also be given instruction on developing their voice for the stage.

10:00 to 11:00--Sprouts, Ages 7 to 9 --Through improvisational games, acting exercises and scene work, the students in these classes will develop the fundamentals of becoming strong, young actors. Students will have vocal/physical training and explore working with a variety of theater materials. Students will acquire improved communication skills, as well as bettered self-confidence for performance. We will be breaking up the classes into smaller groups based on age and experience.

11:00 to 12:00--Green Tomatoes, Ages 10 to 12 --Through improvisational games, acting exercises and scene work, the students in these classes will develop the fundamentals of becoming strong, young actors. Students will have vocal/physical training and explore working with a variety of theater materials. Students will acquire improved communication skills, as well as bettered self-confidence for performance. We will be breaking up the classes into smaller groups based on age and experience.

NEW! 11:00 to 12:00--Red Tomatoes. Ages 13 to 14 --Through improvisational games, acting exercises and scene work, the students in these classes will develop the fundamentals of becoming strong, young actors. Students will have vocal/physical training and explore working with a variety of theater materials. Students will acquire improved communication skills, as well as bettered self-confidence for performance. We will be breaking up the classes into smaller groups based on age and experience. Students 13 and 14 years old will be in group separate from the 10 to 12 year old age group.

Classes are held at Kelsey Theatre and the adjacent Communications Building on the Mercer County Community College Campus in West Windsor, NJ.

Any questions should be submitted to projects@mccc.edu.