UpStage Players celebrates 25 years

Spring officially arrives this week, as do spring breaks for a number of area schools.

But some young thespians in Lake and Cuyahoga counties will still be performing this weekend. Read on:

UpStage Players

Those who work in the world of live theater live by the saying “The show must go on.” For UpStage Players, a children’s performing arts group, the show continues as they approach their 25th annual performance.

The production this year is “The Lion King, Jr.” Performances are March 21-24, and tickets are available at www. UpStageplayers.com. This year’s performance will include alumni who will come back to celebrate 25 years of performances.

The group has played at many different venues over the years, and this year’s show will be staged at the Memorial-Nottingham Branch of the Cleveland Public Library March 2124.

“We’ve seen a lot of children grow up and move on to varied careers and lives. It’s great to see them come back and share memories and hear how they benefited from their experience,” said Executive Director Bernadette Walsh. “We’re looking forward to a celebration of life, the performing arts, and of children learning how to face challenges because the show does have to go on.”

From the first performance of “Camelot” in 1994 to this year’s production of “The Lion King Jr.,” UpStage Players in Cleveland has always featured child actors ages 7-15 from all over the Cleveland area with a no-cut policy that allows every child that wants to participate to get a part in the production.

Although the shows change every year, one constant for the UpStage Players has been their dedicated volunteer staff inspired by the Walsh family.

In addition to being the executive director, Walsh founded UpStage Players with the dream of providing children with an opportunity to be involved in a communitycentered theater program where every child had the opportunity to participate. With the support of her late husband Joe and other family members, the endeavor grew in popularity as her children became performers and ultimately staff, directors and production managers.

“We saw a need to give kids a safe, supportive environment where they could participate in a kids-only theater group to help them build confidence, character, and leadership skills in an inclusive environment,” the Euclid resident said.

Today the all-volunteer staff is a community endeavor as the Walsh extended-family now includes people whose children grew up performing with the group, or former performers who want to give back.

With a cast and crew of 60 children, directing the performance falls on the shoulders of Carrie Walsh-Hilf whose children grew up watching practices as babies, performing as children and now offer support as crew members when needed.

“It’s kind of like ‘The Lion King,’ —’The Circle of Life’ as kids are coming back and reinvest in the community,” WalshHilf says.

Many theater groups refer to themselves as a family, but for UpStage Players, it truly is. Walsh-Hilf’s husband is a technical director, her sister Kris choreographs the dance moves, and another sister Stephanie is also active. All were former performers.

Several years ago, UpStage Players got an infusion of support from a local Kiwanis Club when Jerry Seppelt, an active Kiwanis member with contacts in the Downtown Cleveland Club #2 including current president Robin Stone, saw the impact of the theater group and threw his support behind it.

As a non-profit, community organization that supports children throughout the world, the Kiwanis saw UpStage Players as another opportunity to impact the lives of children. Working in partnership with Kiwanis, the theater group launched its Builders Club to provide additional community support and leadership opportunities for its child actors.

“The Kiwanis partnered with UpStage Players because we saw how they were impacting kids’ lives,” Seppelt says. “With our resources and support, we’re able to connect with more kids and their families to help build stronger communities.”

Since then, performers have visited nursing homes, Veterans Affairs Hospitals, worked with special needs children through Playhouse Square, participated in food drives and many more activities.

“The Kiwanis’ and Jerry’s involvement have been such a blessing for us,” said WalshHilf. “Of course Kiwanis and the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture help us financially, taking some of the pressure off our constant need to fundraise. But even more important is the leadership, business and community contacts they provide that have really helped us offer kids even more opportunities to get and stay involved.”

Congratulations on 25 years of creative, inclusive community arts!

Lake Catholic High School

Back in Lake County, you can spend “Some Enchanted Evening” in the Lake Catholic auditorium as students in the performing arts bring to life Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s classic tale “South Pacific.”

This production under the direction of Scott Posey performs March 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. and March 24 at 3 p.m. in the Lake Catholic High School Auditorium in Mentor.

Advanced tickets for the musical may be purchased online at lchs.booktix.com or through the school Spirit Store from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays and 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday evenings. Advanced tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and alumni and $5 for students high school age and younger.

Groups of 10 or more may purchase advance tickets for a group rate of $7.50 per ticket. The box office opens 45 minutes before the show and doors open half an hour before the show. Tickets the night of the show are $10 for adults and $5 for students high school and younger.

Questions can be directed to 440-578-1020, ext. 266.

Set in an island paradise during World War II, two parallel love stories are threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war in this classic tale. Nellie, a spunky nurse from Arkansas, falls in love with a mature French planter, Emile. Meanwhile, the strapping Lt. Joe Cable denies himself the fulfillment of a future with an innocent Tonkinese girl with whom he’s fallen in love out of the same fears that haunt Nellie.

Director Scott Posey is assisted by student Assistant Directors Joey Gabriel (‘19), Allie McCann (‘19) and Karilyn Powaski (‘20) and Jim Slike as orchestra director. Thirty-eight cast members and 44 crew members make up this year’s production.

Each year the criteria for picking a show is a combination of the make-up of the school’s enrollment and budget as well as what message is intended for the audience.

“The social issues addressed in the story are still relevant in today’s society,” says Posey. “The song ‘You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught’ addresses the learned behaviors of prejudice from strong influencers in the lives of the characters. Unfortunately in today’s society, with the continuous saturation of various media, these prejudices can have a louder voice.”

While the show is set during a dramatic and pivotal time in our history, it has some lighthearted moments to lighten the seriousness of the production. Senior Eric Sconyers will portray the mature Emile de Becque opposite his love interest Nellie Forbush portrayed by junior Julia Schoen.

The secondary love story of Lt. Cable and Tonkinese native Liat will be brought to life by junior Joe Ivancic and senior Mary Sill. Seniors Austin Collins and Jennifer Walker bring much needed laughs as Seabee Luther Billis and Bloody Mary.

Break a leg to these Mentor Thespians.