Lakewood Youth Theatre

Born in Montana, Shalleen “Shally” Bosch founded Lakewood Youth Theatre (LYT) during the 1988 - 1989 school year. After teaching for two years in Clovis, CA, it was her first of what would become thirty-three years of instructional classroom teaching at Lakewood Elementary in Modesto. With support from then-principal Phil Hennessey, the first year’s show was “Tied to the Tracks” and performances were held at Beyer High School’s Little Theatre. The following year, fellow Lakewood teacher, Miriam Frye, joined LYT as lead producer. Bosch and Frye were determined to house all future LYT performances in the Lakewood Media Center and create a theatrical space that supported student learning and children’s theatre. They collaborated as a director-producer duo for five years and, together, established a tradition of values which LYT continues to pursue today: allowing students to engage in a fully immersive theatre experience which promotes collaboration through a sense of community.

Bosch and Frye transferred operations of the play to longtime Lakewood instructor for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing classes, Kaye Osborn. She directed the shows for the next two decades! Some years, she was aided by a co-director: Darren Fields, Mary Piczarka, Colton Dennis, David Braga, and Megan Osborn-Miller.

Since 2020, Missoula Children’s Theatre has produced Lakewood’s show with support from the school’s PTA. Two visiting directors compose the production each year with participating students in one incredible week.

The theatre stage at Lakewood Elementary was named in Bosch’s honor in 2022.

• Researched and written by Keith Highiet, February 2025