The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Wash your hands, support your young thespians
Be smart, but be brave if you can. Wash those hands and bring your wipes and support our local young thespians as they perform for your pleasure!
Unlike James
Bond films, local theatrical productions can not practically push back performances.
Live local youth theater usually needs to operate on its scheduled weekend or bust. And by bust, we mean bust. Theatrical costs are all upfront for performance licenses and royalties, so if disaster strikes during performance time, a disaster it is.
Fortunately these performances this weekend are coming to the stage before things get any hairier. We’ll keep you posted on everyone else’s productions as they come up. So if you are able, enjoy some community theater while you can!
Fairport Harding High School
The Fairport Harbor Schools Theatre Department will be performing the new musical “Freaky Friday” this weekend at Branthoover Auditorium at Fairport Harding High School.
“Freaky Friday” runs March 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee performance March 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission on a first-come, firstserve basis.
The show is rated PG and runs approximately 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission. Doors open one hour before show time and seating begins 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance.
“Freaky Friday” is based on the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films. The stage version has been developed by Disney Theatrical Productions expressly for licensing to theatres.
It features a book by Bridget Carpenter — the co-executive producer and writer of TV hits “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” — and music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey — the Pulitzer Prize-winning composers of “Next to Normal” and “If/Then.”
“I was ready to challenge our cast members with some difficult material and push them to their vocal limits,” says director Johnathan Luster. “This was a light-hearted and fun way to showcase the talent we have in our small school. We are so excited to bring this music to life on our stage here in Fairport Harbor and we hope to bring out a wide range of emotions from the audience.”
Luster is aided by Assistant Director Katie Johnston, Music Director Jennifer Dubeansky, Set Designer Greg Pribulsky, and the newest member to the production team, Choreographer Sarah Gordon.
‘We have a collaborative ‘dream team,’’ Luster says, “and it’s been a joy bringing this musical to our stage.”
Seniors Gabrielle Palmer as Katherine and Vanessa Yowell as her daughter, Ellie, will take the Fairport stage for the last time. Both girls will be challenged with taking on two different personalities as they “switch” bodies in a magical twist.
“Portraying two different people is a challenge for live theater and the girls do not disappoint,” Luster says. “The audience will see what it’s like to spend the day in someone else’s shoes. It’s a timeless message where we are reminded to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn some self-acceptance, and witness the immeasurable love and mutual respect of our family bonds.”
“In 3 months I have gone from playing a strong male character as Ebenezer Scrooge to portraying two unique female personalities inside one body, singing high notes I didn’t know were even attainable with my voice, and struggling with the emotions of being a senior in my last show,” Gabrielle said. “It’s been scary, sad, challenging, and tons of fun, all at the same time. I will miss my time with FHS theater and I am so grateful to be performing this show with all of my friends, on our home stage.”
“I really enjoy the chemistry Gabby and I have on stage this year and the strong friendships built throughout the cast and crew,” Valerie agreed. “It’s been so much fun portraying two different characters inside one body. I’m going to miss my FHS theater family. They are truly one of a kind.”
Break a leg to these Fairport thespians. You won’t want to Skipper this one!
Riverside High School
Riverside Theatre proudly presents Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” this weekend in the D.W. Shaner Auditorium at Riverside High School in Painesville Township.
Shows are March 13 and 14 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at https://rivtheatre.booktix.com.
This production is the 2013 Broadway Version. In this version of the classic Cinderella story, not only does Cinderella,
played by Brynna Wright, learn that anything is possible, but the Prince, played by Frank Sanzo, also learns what it means to have true friends and that anything is possible when you believe in yourself.
Additional cast members include Autumn Kovach, Ian Gaspersic, Alicia Lewins, Ethan McCoy, Ryan Poje, Julia Ringler, and Ella Tinney in addition to an ensemble of 14 additional students.
Break a leg — and not a glass slipper, hopefully.
Geauga Lyric Theater Guild
Geauga Lyric Theater Guild in Chardon will be presenting “The Great Gatsby” based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel about life in 1920s America.
Performances run through March 22 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.geaugatheater.org.
This mostly adult production of “The Great Gatsby” has benefited from the assistance of two young thespians, Riley Katko and Ellie Ramos. GLTG veterans Riley and Ellie have volunteered their time, despite their school and extracurricular commitments, to provide technical support for the production.
Riley serves as a stagehand and dresser while Ellie single-handedly operates the light board, executing more than 60 separate light cues throughout the show.
Ellie joins the crew after her recent performance in Willoughby Fine Arts Center’s production of “Charlotte’s Web.” Riley makes time to volunteer between rehearsals for GLTG’s production of “Matilda” and UpStage Players’ production of “Frozen, Jr.”
“Riley is so thankful for how everyone in the cast and crew supports and helps her,” says Riley’s father, Erik, who plays Chester McKee and Meyer Wolfsheim in “Gatsby.” “She is thrilled to be part of such a great theater family.”
The cast is well aware that without Riley and Ellie, the show simply could not go on.
“It has been great having those two backstage,” says Lace Williamson, who plays George
Wilson. “Ellie has years of experience and is really mature and capable beyond her years. Riley is incredibly eager to help, and tends to appear out of nowhere just in time. It’s like she has the theater equivalent of a Spideysense or something.”
The pair has handled the production’s adult themes, including death, loss, and infidelity, with a maturity and grace that has humbled the cast.
“Ellie and Riley have both been indispensable during our production of ‘Gatsby,’” says Hannah Maxwell, who portrays Jordan in the show. “They both are performing jobs beyond their years and doing so with a talent and excellence that I, as one of the actresses who has to rely on them, deeply appreciate.”
Your young thespians are not always on the stage — they can be backstage as well. So let’s hear it for the crews!
Madison High School
Madison High School in collaboration with Willoughby Fine Arts will present “The Empty Chair” free of charge at 7 p.m., March 12 at the Madison Middle School cafetorium.
According to director Jocelyn Kilpatrick, “The Empty Chair” is a short play that takes place at a counseling meeting for a group of teenagers recovering from substance abuse.
One of their peers, Robert, just died from an overdose. In a series of monologues, each teenager explains their memories of Robert, as well as the impacts of drug abuse. Come see this free performance.
Gilmour Academy
Gilmour Academy hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 5 to commemorate the official opening of The Lorraine and Bill Dodero Center for Performing Arts.
The ceremony was followed by opening night of the first student production in this new space, the Gilmour Middle School production of “Beauty and the Beast, Jr.”
The Lorraine and Bill Dodero Center for the Performing Arts will now be home to Gilmour’s fine and performing arts programs. It features a main stage theater, studio theater, practice rooms, exhibition spaces, and costume and scene shops.
Students from Gilmour’s Lower, Middle and Upper schools will now have greater opportunities to participate as actors, dancers, playwrights, theater technicians and musicians.
Gilmour’s speech and debate program, which ranks in the top 5 percent of programs nationally, will also now have a designated space for practices and performances and will be able to host national tournaments. The new space will also allow Gilmour to host programming for the greater community.
Examples include playwriting competitions, summer arts enrichment programs, partnerships to host community arts programs, and events and programs for talented student thespians.
The idea for this project came about in 2015, when the Doderos made the lead gift toward the construction of this new building in recognition of the impact the arts had on their daughter, Corinne Dodero Salvador (Class of 2002) during her years at Gilmour.
Hundreds of additional donors joined their efforts and brought the project to fruition.
“The opportunities that this incredible new space will afford our students and the local community are limitless,” said Head of School Kathy Kenny. “As educators, we understand the transformational impact that arts programming can have on young people and it is so exciting to see the expansion of our arts offerings thanks to this dedicated space with which we have been blessed.
“We are so grateful to Lorraine and Bill and the countless other loyal alumni, parents and friends of Gilmour who made this dream a reality.”
Congratulations to Gilmour Academy on their spectacular new space!
Young Thespians is a regular column that focuses on youth in theater. Do you have a production you wish to see featured? Email stevecouch@ windstream.net, follow me @ StevenRCouch on Twitter or join our “Young Thespians” Facebook group and post your show information.