Many young performers took the stage Tuesday evening at the Backyard Theatre Company's annual Christmas Showcase.

BTC Artistic Director Jeremy Plett says they have a wide range of actors and actresses in their program from ages 5 to 18. He says all five of the short plays that were performed were original pieces written by the instructors. He notes the Christmas Showcase is the first public performance BTC holds every year so for the younger classes, it was their first time performing in front of an audience.