Everyone deserves the right to explore activities they love at any age. Those interested in theatre don’t generally have that option until they reach high school.

The Heritage Arts Academy located in Moscow hopes to give younger individuals the opportunity to find their love for theatre and the arts. This weekend, Heritage will be showing their production of “The Spell of Sleeping Beauty” with cast members as young as 10 years old.

Tom Garfield founded the Heritage Arts Academy last winter with the idea of teaching biblically-based art to anyone in the community. Heritage offers wine and paint nights, as well as art classes for all skill levels.

Garfield said he wanted to give younger kids an opportunity to participate in a fun show that their families could attend and enjoy.

“Sleeping Beauty is very straight-forward, there is no nuance so it’s easy for the kids to understand and love,” Garfield said. “It’s a classic fairy tale that’s entertaining for the whole family and it gives the kids involved the opportunity to be such interesting characters.”

Garfield said he loves the show choice because it is family friendly and teaches important lessons.

“Nobody dies, there’s nothing gory, but it illustrates a lot about the world,” Garfield said. “It shows righteousness and how evil needs to be conquered.”

Stage manager Sarah Michaels said she enjoys being a part of the production because she loves watching the children learn throughout the process.

“Theatre gives the kids an opportunity to learn about themselves, about people around them and about different kinds of people through the characters,” Michaels said. “Plus, it teaches them how to get along with others and follow instructions in a fun and creative way.”

In the area, there are few children’s theatre opportunities for students to get involved with, Garfield said.

“These kids love to act, and they get really into the characters,” Garfield said. “It’s so important to me to give these kids the opportunity to do what they love.”

The Heritage Arts Academy will present “The Spell of Sleeping Beauty” at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre in Moscow. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors.

“This is such a classic fairy tale with good versus evil, and it reminds me of what I participated in when I was a kid,” Michaels said. “The college students in the area would enjoy the story and get to reminisce about their childhoods while watching these kids do what they love.”