valley musicals 2016

#VALLEYMUSICALS#VALLEYMUSICALS#VALLEYMUSICALSThursday, May 12, 2016

More than 500 students set the stage at 12 schools

Stories behind the scenes of your favorite

local musicals

How did your show do in our list of 15 awards?

Also, check out cast and crew

lists, highlights and photos from each production

2 The Daily Item/The Danville News Thursday, May 12, 2016

Editor’s note: Freelancer Tricia Kline was asked to

attend all 12 of the Valley’s high school musicals to collect information for

this special section.

Every high school spring musical per-

formance is the cul-mination of months of creative conjuring, plentiful practices and exhausting labors of

love.It is a source of pride

in accomplishment and a platform for talent.

A place where the community comes to-gether to both inspire and entertain — or be entertained.

Nothing proved all of this more true for me than attending 12 Valley musicals in the past couple of months.

When I was tasked with attend-ing each perfor-mance, I knew I was probably going to see some nice sets, and enjoy some good acting and singing from the lo-cal high schoolers.

Well, the students regularly exceeded my expectations, and as a Valley na-

tive myself, I couldn’t be more proud of the regional talent that is so evident.

Choosing most memorable per-formers and perfor-mances was a dif-ficult challenge, as

each musical was different. I did my best, however, to give honor where honor was due, based on my own perceptions (and my husband’s, when he was able to go with me), and the comments received through social media at #Val-leyMusicals.

Bottom line? I believe “winners” are determined by a positive mindset, passion and giving our finest effort. And by that definition, all involved in these musicals — most running for multiple nights in a row — were truly winners.

I watched as family and friends carried flowers to their stars at the end of the night. Upon each students’ face, amid the exhaustion of a long performance, was a befitting glow of a job well done.

Congratulations, students, for stepping out and working hard, and your willingness to share your gifts — from acting and singing, to play-ing in the pit orchestras, to the behind-the-scenes stage crew work that keeps every-thing running smoothly and looking great. And a spe-cial credit to the directors, volunteers and community businesses that provided the steady direction and support so necessary for success.

■ Email comments to [email protected]

#VALLEYMUSICALS

Tricia Kline talks #ValleyMusicals

Schools, students, communities: Take pride in a job well done!

INDEX

Jacob Craw-ford plays the

Beast in Mead-owbrook Chris-

tian School’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

Most memorable overall performance / 3

Also, don’t miss the school-by-school list of musical cast and crews, special notes on each production from Tricia Kline and additional photos, starting on Page 18

Most memorable actor in lead role / 4

Most memorable actress in lead role / 5

Most memorable supporting actor / 6

Most memorable supporting actress / 7

Most memorable lead male vocals / 8

Most memorable lead female vocals / 9

Most energetic cast performance / 10

Most memorable villain performance / 11

Most memorable stage set, backdrop / 12

Most memorable youth performance / 14

Most memorable sidekick performance / 13

Most memorable costume & makeup / 13

Most family friendly performance / 15

Most original performance experience / 16

CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK

#ValleyMusicals#ValleyMusicals#ValleyMusicals#ValleyMusicals#ValleyMusicalsThursday, May 12, 2016

More than 500 students set the stage at 12 schools

stories behind the scenes of your favorite

local musicals

How did your show fare in our list of 15 awards?

also, check out cast and crew

lists, highlights and photos from each production

Editor’s note: Freelancer Tricia Kline was asked to

attend all 12 of the Valley’s high school musicals to collect information for

this special section.

Eformance is the cul-mination of months of creative conjuring, plentiful practices and exhausting labors of

love.It is a source of pride

in accomplishment and a platform for talent.

A place where the community comes to-gether to both inspire and entertain — or be entertained.

of this more true for me than attending 12 Valley musicals in the past couple of months.

good acting and singing from the lo-cal high schoolers.

tive myself, I couldn’t be more proud of the regional talent that is so evident.

Schools, students, communities: Take pride in a job well done!

INDEX

Jacob Craw-ford plays the

Beast in Mead-owbrook Chris-

tian School’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

Most memorable overall performance / 3

Also, don’t miss the school-by-school list of musical cast and crews, special notes on each production from Tricia Kline and additional

Most memorable actor in lead role / 4

Most memorable actress in lead role / 5

Most memorable supporting actor / 6

On the coverShikellamy students Isaiah Inch, in white, and Noah Fenster-macher perform a pow-erful scene about slav-ery during the song “Free at Last” in the school’s production of “Big River.”

mailto:[email protected]

Thursday, May 12, 2016 The Daily Item/The Danville News 3

#VALLEYMUSICALS

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“This musical was Broadway-

level. Tragic story and each actor from the lead to the background

characters showed passion for their

roles, took it seriously and

embodied the strong emotions. It all left me breathless and saying nothing but ‘wow’ when it was

over. I heard others comment that it actually brought

tears to their eyes — I felt a few myself!”

By John ZaktanskyThe Daily Item

It is weeks after the curtain closed on Milton’s “Les Misera-bles,” and people are still talking about the production, considered by many to be a professional-quality show that hit the mark in basically every way possible.

The road to success started last spring when the school finished its rendition of “Mary Poppins” and leadership noticed this spring’s musical would be a milestone achievement.

“This was our 25th year of doing musical theater at Milton Area High School, so we knew we needed something to honor that,” said the school’s musical director, Russ Wynn. “When we started thinking about the kids we had to work with, we knew it was going to be epic!”

Of course, a show of that cali-ber would require maneuvering over some hurdles.

“The biggest challenge was the show itself. It is all music — and some very difficult music — and then a very complex story. I mean, they took a 1,200-page novel and condensed it into 2 ½

Photos provided by Brett Hosterman

At left, senior Camden Choplick performs as Jean ValJean in Milton’s rendition of “Les Miserables.” Above, the cast acts out a scene in front of a massive stage set that added to the overall Broadway-like feel of the production.set that added to the overall Broadway-like feel of the production.

‘Les Miserables’Milton creates Broadway-caliber musical

#VALLEYMUSICALS#VALLEYMUSICALS

At left, senior Camden Choplick performs as Jean ValJean in Milton’s rendition of “Les Miserables.” Above, the cast acts out a scene in front of a massive stage set that added to the overall Broadway-like feel of the production.set that added to the overall Broadway-like feel of the production.

‘Les Miserables’‘Les Miserables’

“‘Les Miserables’ was the best musical show I have seen in many years. Not only did the kids sing and act well, but they could feel the emotions in the story and conveyed that to the audience. I have had people tell me they saw the show on Broadway as well as in London and Paris, and the Milton show was better! If you closed your eyes, you forgot that these were

high school kids. It was an all-around great profes-

sional-grade production.”— NANCY SLEASE,

RETIRED WARRIOR RUN TEACHER

“There were moments I forgot I was at a high school play.”

— GOLDIE KLINE, MIFFLINBURG

“Milton’s ‘Les Miserables’ was PHENOMENAL!”

— DANIELLE MURPHY, WEST MILTON

“My goodness! ‘Les Miserables’ was freaking amazing! So proud of you!”

— KASSANDRA MABUS, MILTON

ONLINE FEEDBACK

Please see MILTON, A17


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If there ever was any ques-tion to how impressive Seth Phelps was as an actor, those who experienced the first night of Mifflinburg’s “Crazy For You” got a glimpse of his ability to overcome adversity.

“I had to put on a mous-tache and beard to pretend I was someone else, and I had never worked with makeup before. They kept falling off throughout the whole scene,” he said. “I panicked, but did my best to work through it. Afterwards, people who saw it assumed it was all part of the show.”

Phelps’ improvisation wasn’t the only thing on display — perhaps his biggest feat was seamlessly tacking a num-ber of dance routines while performing the lead role of Bobby Child.

“Bobby Child wanted to be happy all the time. His goal was to be a dancer, and so to be in character, I danced whenever I could, however I could just like Bobby would,” Phelps said. “I practiced all the time.”

The end results were quite surprising.

“Most people were amazed that I could do all that. They had no idea I could dance or sing like that,” he said. “It was nice to give them a surprise.”

Phelp’s ability to fill the lead role was not a surprise to Mifflinburg musical director Patricia Wagner.

“Seth was fantastic in his role as ‘Bobby Childs,’” she said. “He loved the dancing and worked at perfecting his tapping and soft-shoe danc-ing. He really looked like he has been dancing for years. He has a fantastic baritone voice and with his acting abili-

ties, he was a superior leading man.”

One of the highlights for Phelps was working with his friends to pull off such a chal-lenging show.

“The rest of the cast was great. It was really fun to work with them. It wouldn’t have been as near as good without them. They worked just as hard as I did,” he said.

Phelps, a senior, will be go-ing to Millersville University to study computer science.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m done with acting,” he said. “I hope to do some more musi-cals and music-related stuff moving forward.”


Photos provided by Jade Arwen

Seth Phelps leads a cast of dancers known as the “Follies” in Mifflinburg’s production of “Crazy for You”

Seth PhelpsMifflinburg senior in ‘Crazy for You’


“Not only was Seth Phelps an all-around

great actor and singer, he showed

off his excellent dancing skills.”

Photos provided by Jade Arwen

Seth Phelps leads a cast of dancers known as the “Follies” in Mifflinburg’s production of

“He loved the dancing and worked

at perfecting his tapping and soft-shoe dancing. He

really looked like he has been dancing for years. He has a fantastic baritone voice and with his acting abilities, he

was a superior lead-ing man.”

— Patricia Wagner, Mifflinburg musical director



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Emma Danae KelseyMidd-West sophomore in ‘Anne of Green Gables’

Emma Danae KelseyEmma Danae KelseyMidd-West sophomore in ‘Anne of Green Gables’Midd-West sophomore in ‘Anne of Green Gables’


Emma Danae Kelsey comes from a long line of Midd-West musical talents, but the sophomore was totally content working the light board behind the scenes of the school’s big stage productions.

Until this year, when director Katie Gaugler and staff chose “Anne of Green Gables” as the school’s spring musical.

“I got into musicals back in eighth grade, and tried out for the play, but the cast was very small so I started on the stage crew, and I fell in love with the stage crew — especially the light board,” she said. “But when I heard this year it was ‘Anne of Green Gables,’ I had to give it a try. I really love the story.”

When Kelsey auditioned for the cast, however, her goal was to earn the part of Diana, the best friend of lead character Anne Shirley.

“When I found out I was cast as Anne Shirley, I started crying. I didn’t want to be Anne. I felt my friends who were seniors deserved it more,” she said.

But Gaugler said the choice to cast Kelsey as Anne was the obvious one after


“Emma Danae Kelsey’s vocals were consistently strong, and she did a great job portraying

the dichotomy of Anne’s character as sweet and loving,

but also with a red-headed temper.”

seeing her audition.“She wasn’t a contender at all before

we did casting, but she really surprised everyone at casting with her ability to act out the short little monologue we gave, and she was a very talented singer,” Gau-gler said. “She truly captured the essence

of the character. It may have been a surprising choice, but it was definitely the right choice.”

Kelsey’s love of everything Green Gables helped her create a character known for being spunky, independent

and forthcoming.“I love how fiery she is. She

doesn’t let the fact that she’s a woman in an older time period hold her back,” Kelsey said.

Channeling that type of character was a three-pronged ap-proach for the young actress.“I just had finished reading the

book, and that was a really huge im-pact. And I love the movies. So I used book Anne and movie Anne and I also tried to go back to how I was at age 11. I was very similar to her,” Kelsey said. “I tried to use all three things as an inspiration for how I played her.”The result was a performance for the

ages, where even Kelsey’s closest fam-ily and friends were surprised with how things turned out. The experience has been especially memorable for her.

“I have been friends with the whole cast, especially Gabby (Norman, who played antagonist Rachel Lynde). I prac-ticed trying to scream at Gabby which was hard because I’d never do that in real life because I love her,” Kelsey said. “Proba-bly my favorite part of the play was hitting Gilbert (Blythe, played by Orry Walter) over the head with a writing slate.”

With her first experience of acting be-hind her, and two years of high school still to come, will we see Kelsey back on the stage at Midd-West next spring?

“I’m definitely going to keep working on the stage. There’s no going back now,” she said.

“Hear that?” Gaugler could be heard saying in the background of the phone interview. “That’s the sound of the Midd-West musical director doing a happy dance!”


Emma Danae Kelsey as Anne Shirley.

Photo provided by Katie Gaugler


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Noah Spencer Shikellamy senior in ‘Big River’


“Noah Spencer was amazing in his ability to play two diversely different characters

with entirely different dispositions. He

brought humor to the play in his role as the King and energy,

theatrics and dancing through Tom Sawyer.”


Shikellamy musical director Ellen Boyer knew heading into the school’s production of “Big River” that casting the iconic role of Tom Sawyer was going to be easy.

“Noah Spencer grew up in this program, start-ing as a freshman. He has become one of my fin-est actors,” she said. “He was absolutely my pick as Tom Sawyer.”

But things were not as easy when it came to the role of master conman, “the King.” So Boyer decided to think outside of the box.

“Playing Tom Sawyer and the King is not a likely pairing for the same actor – but only in the hands of such an amazing young man would it work,” she said. “The mannerisms, the voice,

the whole rhythm between characters. It was a real undertaking.”

Spencer agreed it was a challenge at first.“Tom was much easier to play than the

King. He has that boyish enthusiasm. It was easier to connect to him, and such

an iconic role,” the senior said. “The King is an older character and his mo-tives are completely different. He’s a schemer.”

How did Spencer differential the two roles?

“By the voice,” he said. “I prac-ticed some differ-ent voices, and ultimately said this one was for Tom, and this for the King. The charac-ters just sort of developed on their own from there.”

Tim-ing was another hurdle,

especially late in the show when Spencer had to transition from the King back into Tom Sawyer for the closing scene.

“I’d finish the scene with the King, and then run back to a closet, stick my head in a sink and wash the dye out of my hair, get it dried, remove the adhesive beard and moustache and switch outfits before running back onto the stage,” he said. “It was really cutting things close. Thank-fully, we had a really great group of tech kids helping me out.”

Boyer agreed the process was fairly complex.“It was a real mad dash to get

his hair changed and outfits switched and back in time. It took quite a tour de force to pull that off,” she said. “And it helps that Noah is such a professional. He’s a top-notch actor. His ability as an actor has been recognized at the state and national levels.”

Perhaps some of the best acco-lades, though, have come locally.

“I have received amazing compliments about how I did this year in the show,” Spencer said. “It was such an amazing perfor-mance overall. Our set was amaz-ing, our cast was amazing. This year’s show was very special.”


Noah SpencerNoah SpencerBy John ZaktanskyThe Daily Item

Shikellamy musical director Ellen Boyer knew heading into the school’s production of “Big River” that casting the iconic role of Tom Sawyer was going to be easy.

“Noah Spencer grew up in this program, start-ing as a freshman. He has become one of my fin-est actors,” she said. “He was absolutely my pick as Tom Sawyer.”

But things were not as easy when it came to the role of master conman, “the King.” So Boyer decided to think outside of the box.

“Playing Tom Sawyer and the King is not a likely pairing for the same actor – but only in the hands of such an amazing young man would it work,” she said. “The mannerisms, the voice,

the whole rhythm between characters. It was a real undertaking.”

Spencer agreed it was a challenge at first.“Tom was much easier to play than the

King. He has that boyish enthusiasm. It was easier to connect to him, and such

an iconic role,” the senior said. “The King is an older character and his mo-tives are completely different. He’s a schemer.”

How did Spencer differential the two roles?

“By the voice,” he said. “I prac-ticed some differ-ent voices, and ultimately said this one was for Tom, and this for the King. The charac-ters just sort of developed on their own from there.”

Tim-ing was another hurdle,

Photos provided by Ellen Boyer

Noah Spencer, playing Tom Sawyer, right, shares a scene with Kyler Balliet, as Huck Finn, in Shikellamy’s Big River.

Robert Inglis/The Daily Item

Noah Spencer as the King.


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Madison KovachDanville junior in ‘High School Musical’


“Madison Kovach was the consummate entitled popular girl. She embodied the

character well, wore flashy colors and had the snobbish

attitude.”


When Madison Kovach’s mother first saw the Danville’s production of “High School Musical,” she struggled with her daughter’s performance.

“Mom was shocked at how mean I was,” Kovach said. “She said it was hard to see me be so cruel to everyone.”

That’s because the typically mild-mannered junior por-trayed self-obsessed Sharpay Evans.

“Madison is not like that at all. She is not a drama queen. She is not into status or ru-mors. However, she does have a wardrobe similar to Sharpay’s,” joked Danville musical direc-tor Caleb Sizemore. “Helping her find that inner villain was a challenge. I kept telling her at rehearsals she had to get meaner, and she’d reply, ‘I don’t know how!’”

Her transformation was made easier, according to Ko-vach, by better understanding the character’s ulterior motives.

“I knew the character — I watched the movie when I was younger, and a lot of her lines are pretty harsh to begin with,” Kovach said. “Ultimately, you have to think about what she wants and how passionate she is. When you can sense how much she wants something, it helps you be more passionate in the role.”

Kovach’s hard work paid off — and not just in her portrayal of Sharpay, but also in setting an example for the rest of the cast.

“She was definitely one of our benchmark performers,” said Sizemore. “We have a very young cast, and Madison was always prepared. Her willing-ness to try new things, and to go fearlessly after those things can be hard for young people to do — especially with so many peers watching. She really was an inspiration.”

■ Email comments to [email protected] or follow the author on Twitter @zaktansky


Madison KovachMadison KovachDanville junior in ‘High School Musical’

was the consummate entitled popular girl.

character well, wore

said Sizemore. “We have a very

go fearlessly after those things can be hard for young people to do — especially with so many peers watching. She really was

[email protected] or follow the author on Twitter @

“She was definitely one of our benchmark performers. We

have a very young cast, and Madison

was always prepared. Her

willingness to try new things, and to go fearlessly

after those things can be hard for young people to do — especially

with so many peers watching. She really was an inspiration.”

— Caleb Sizemore, Danville musicals director

Madison Kovach as

Sharpay Evans

Photo provided by Caleb Sizemore



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Cole SupsicShamokin senior in ‘Joseph and

the Technicolor Dreamcoat’Tricia Kline talks #ValleyMusicals

“Cole Supsic’s smooth, beautiful

vocals were a pleasure to

listen to, and his confidence on

stage was evident.”


In the midst of all the pas-sionate singing throughout Shamokin’s performance of “Joseph and the Technicolor

Dreamcoat,” senior Cole Supsic’s most memorable

moment of the produc-tion involved a float-

ing coat, and a very close friend.

“For this show, I got to share

the co-lead with one of my best friends,” he said. “In one scene, a coat comes

down from the ceiling, and when she handed it to me, I started to tear up.”

Part of the emotion behind that moment came as Supsic came to grips with the fact that his lengthy high school musicals career was coming to a close. It began in 2012 when he was cast as the char-acter Chip in Shamokin’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

“It has been great seeing him grow over the years and expand his horizon,” said Shamokin musicals director Kevin Styer. “His confidence really showed this year. This was a tough play because the kids sing the entire time, but Cole really impressed every-one.”

Supsic said part of that suc-cess involved really learning his character’s role — and growth as a person — dur-

ing the course of the perfor-mance.

“At first, Joseph is a spoiled character, and it was weird for me to put myself in that perspective — it was definitely a little awkward,” he said. “Through the show, the char-acter has a big learning experi-ence in terms of perseverance, and how people can help you work through challenges.”

With all the singing, Supsic had to be mindful of his voice and preparations before each show.

“I spent a lot of time warming up and exercising my voice. Drinking plenty of water was also important,” he said. “It’s a matter of taking care of myself so I could do the best I could.”

The results?Being the type of show it is,

people are not sure what to expect,” he said. “However, we got a lot of positive com-ments. People were telling us it was one of the best shows ever.”

And what would Supsic say to those who have an inter-est in acting in future school musicals?

“Definitely give it a try — you may never know what could happen,” he said. “I had a friend who wanted nothing to do with musicals, but in the end really loved doing it. It is a lot of work and effort, but in the end, something special happens. You form a mini-family — a support system that helps you achieve big things.”


Cole SupsicCole SupsicShamokin senior in ‘Joseph and Shamokin senior in ‘Joseph and

the Technicolor Dreamcoat’By John ZaktanskyThe Daily Item

In the midst of all the pas-sionate singing throughout Shamokin’s performance of “Joseph and the Technicolor

Dreamcoat,” senior Cole Supsic’s most memorable

moment of the produc-tion involved a float-

ing coat, and a very close friend.

“For this show, I got to share

the co-lead with one of my best friends,” he said. “In one scene, a coat comes

Cole Supsic portrays

Joseph in two scenes from Shamokin’s

production of “Joseph and

the Techni-color Dream-

coat.”Photos provided

by Kevin Styer


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Savannah MellishMeadowbrook senior in ‘Beauty and the Beast’


“Savannah Mellish had a sweet

character and voice with clean vocals on a number of

very well-known, beloved songs.”

Savannah MellishSavannah MellishMeadowbrook senior in ‘Beauty and the Beast’



There were few characters through-out the region’s ensemble of musical productions as iconic and beloved as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.”

Which, according to senior Savan-nah Mellish, made playing the role in Meadowbrook Christian School’s “Beauty and the Beast” that much more stressful to her.

“It was somewhat nerve-wracking to play such a well-known character. I watched the movie over and over so I could study how Belle carried herself and to learn the inflections of her voice. I was excited to have the oppor-tunity to bring one of everyone’s favor-ite Disney princesses to life,” she said. “However, I was nervous because I did not want to disappoint all the little girls who finally got to meet Belle.”

The homework definitely paid off, according to Meadowbrook musical director Amanda Brosious.

“Savannah was incredible. She definitely studied the character, and her speaking voice sounded a lot like Belle,” she said. “She has been taking private lessons for singing for several years now.”

The extra lessons were necessary to capture the essence of the role, accord-ing to Mellish.

“It was difficult to learn how to bring out all the contrasting emotions captured in the songs,” she said. “Belle is also a very dynamic character, so I had to really let myself get lost in her world to truly bring out all the emo-tions she was feeling.”

Mellish admitted there is a lot to learn from the iconic character, and hopes her portrayal of the princess will inspire those in the audience to be better people.

“I hope everyone can learn to find beauty and meaning in everything they do. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ portrays one of the most beautiful lessons you can learn in life: You should always look within people to find worth and beauty instead of looking on outward appearances,” she said. “I hope that people can learn to have fun and seek adventure in life and always care for each other like Belle did.”

Mellish attributed her success in the musical to a long history of theater exposure.

“My entire family has been involved in theater. I am the youngest of five that have all been on stage in lead roles or helping backstage. I grew up dancing since I was 3 years old, so the stage became somewhere I always felt most comfortable,” she said. “I love being in musicals because it is not only a shared family interest, but because I love that I am able to use the talents that God gave me for His glory.”

Mellish will be attending Juniata College in the fall, pursuing a degree in bio-chemistry and ul-timately a career as a medical lab scientist.



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Selinsgrove


“The lighting and sound effects did well keeping up

with this fast-paced performance where

its lead characters spent much of the night

on roller skates.”

SelinsgroveSelinsgrove


with this fast-paced performance where

its lead characters spent much of the night

.”


Going to Selinsgrove’s production of “Xanadu” this spring was like attending a busy party. The man-agement team wanted to push the boundaries of each student involved, and ended up with the Valley’s most energetic performance.

“We wanted to do something with a goofy plot, and we kept coming back to ‘Xanadu,’” said first-year Selinsgrove musical director Laurie Knitter. “We had plenty of kids that wanted to do the show, and it was a lot of fun for both the kids and the audience.”

What helped set the stage for the bright, colorful performance was 2008 alumnus Ryan Ettinger, who trained in acting, directing and set design after graduating from Selins-grove in 2008.

“I take the set and the lighting at the same time in my head to put together something that creates a new world for the audience, but also allows some room for the actors to create some dramatic space,” he said. “We used a few lighting effects from the ’80s, such as spotlights and disco, which was new to me, but also fun to put together. We definitely provided a challenge for the students. It’s a newer show, and can be difficult to act out.”

Added to the energy of the produc-tion was dance choreographed by Jay

Muller and musical enhancements by Kayla Kratzer.

“Our team worked very close together to create a production that was a cohesive representation of ‘Xanadu,’” Ettinger said. “The students did such a good job getting to know and flesh out their individual characters, it allowed us to run with the show and make it as big and loud as possible.”

The process wasn’t without a few challenges, however, according to Ettinger, “every theater production has challenges, but a good artistic team can rise to those challenges and make something better that if those challenges weren’t there.”

One of the hurdles was a lim-ited timeline to pull off the preparations.

“Everything was going smoothly early in the process until we hit a bunch of snow days and

cancellations. Timing became a big worry,” said Knitter.

However, the students were able to rise to the challenge in a big way.

“The kids put in a huge amount of time, and I am very proud of all of them,” Knitter said. “Everyone was all-in, and we made it a priority to let each person know that he or she was an important part of the overall production.”

■ Email comments to jzaktansky@dailyitem.

com

Bright colors, lighting add to party-like atmosphere

Markie Reiland, in red, and Johanna Kantz perform a scene in Selinsgrove’s “Xanadu.”


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Tenaja HensonLewisburg senior in ‘Into the Woods’


“Tenaja Henson had a strong stage presence in her convincing role as the witch, casting

spells one moment, but showing a softer side the next as Rapunzel’s

adoptive mother.”


Soon-to-be Lewisburg graduate Tenaja Henson leaves July 20 for La Paz, Bolivia, to volun-teer for six months in a

Quaker elementary school.

Not something you’d expect from

a witch — although those who know Hen-son well can testify that the role she played in Lewisburg’s “Into the Woods” is far from her true personality.

“It was a challeng-ing role for me. At

one moment, I had to be motherly to Rapunzel

and the next I needed to be every part evil and wicked.

I really needed to step out of my comfort zone and

show a side of me that I didn’t even know I

had,” Henson said.To make the transforma-

tion, the senior did

plenty of home-

work.“I watched the movie and I watched

the Broadway play. I took all the emotions that I have on a day-to-day basis that are harder to deal with —

anger, anxiety — and for three months, I funneled that into my character,” she said. “It may not have been the most sane way of doing it, but it worked.”

Justin Hill, director of the musical, would agree.

“It was a good role for her. She was a villain, but also had a soft side when she spoke with Rapunzel,” he said. “She did well bal-ancing out both roles, and had the vocals to carry

the parts and allow them to resonate like they did.”

After her time serving students in La Paz, Henson plans to attend Guilford College in North Carolina. In the meantime, she can reflect on a successful run at playing such a con-vincing villain.

“When I had my mask and ugly costume on, I was the witch,” she said. “It was a fun experience I won’t soon forget.”



Tenaja HensonTenaja HensonLewisburg senior in ‘Into the Woods’Lewisburg senior in ‘Into the Woods’


Soon-to-be Lewisburg graduate Tenaja Henson leaves July 20 for La Paz, Bolivia, to volun-teer for six months in a

Quaker elementary school.

Not something you’d expect from

a witch — although those who know Hen-son well can testify that the role she played in Lewisburg’s “Into the Woods” is far from her true personality.

“It was a challeng-ing role for me. At

one moment, I had to be motherly to Rapunzel

and the next I needed to be every part evil and wicked.

I really needed to step out of my comfort zone and

show a side of me that I didn’t even know I

had,” Henson said.To make the transforma-

tion, the senior did

plenty of home-

Tenaja Henson played the witch in Lewisburg’s produc-tion of “Into the Woods.”

Photo provided by Lewisburg Music Boosters


It didn’t take a genius to realize we were in the presence of one last week when Shikellamy senior Caleb Burk walked into the room.

Fresh off the last section of an Advanced Placements Calculus test, he placed a large scientific calculator on a desk and didn’t waste time jumping into a conver-sation about his “baby” — a 7-foot by 9-foot solid wood raft that stole the show during the “Big River” musical at Shikellamy.

“I’m proud it worked out so well. I took a big risk factoring in so much information — the weights, measurements and how we could pull it off,” he said. “The raft had to move four people — and up to 1,500 pounds — across the stage. It wound up needing six joints to handle the load, and I also needed to make sure we could move it the way we wanted.”

Originally, that was accom-plished by a sleek remote control — complete with joystick — until

the unit was damaged right before the first show.

“We built the steering mecha-nism into the raft itself, and Kyler (Bailer, who played Huck Finn) was able to drive it around the stage using two fingers,” Burk said.

“Big River” was the first pro-duction Burk has been involved with.

“I wanted to be productive my senior year, and this allowed me to accomplish that while doing some-thing I really love,” he said.

“Caleb really stepped up to the plate. He handled a lot of the major construction of the set, and the raft truly was his baby,” said Shikellamy musical director Ellen Boyer. “He designed it in his head, he did the CAD draw-ings, crunched the numbers and brought it to life.

“Our overall set is predomi-nantly done by students. We had an artist come in, draw the back-drop, basically made it a paint-by-numbers project and the theater art students here did a tremendous

amount of painting and building.”And at the center of it all was

Burk’s raft, powered by none other than Boyer’s late husband’s Jazzy electric scooter — which is only able to haul as much as 400 pounds on its own, before Burk’s modifications and building prow-ess helped the scooter move more than three times its recommended maximum load.

“My husband has been gone for five years, but he was a part of this show thanks to that Jazzy,” Boyer said. “We knew it would work with that under there. It was like his gift for the show from heaven.”



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ShikellamyBig ideas set stage for ‘Big River’

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By John Zaktanskythe unit was damaged right before the first show.

ShikellamyShikellamyBig ideas set stage for ‘Big River’Big ideas set stage for ‘Big River’


“Various cabins, a fishing pier and a ‘floating’ raft that Jim and Huck rode on helped set the stage, literally, for ‘Big River.”

There were backdrops that showed the Mississippi

River behind them. With the help of lighting, they were able to show night and day, and there was also a set for a stage and seating where the con-artists

put on a fake show to take everyone’s money.”


Caleb Burk, a senior, shows off his “baby,” an automated raft that stole the show at Shikellamy’s “Big River” production.



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Abby Neamand Warrior Run junior savored the lesson in Donkey’s role

“Abby Neamand was right on cue with the sharp wit and sarcastic lines

necessary to portray the character of Donkey so

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Move over, Eddie Murphy. There’s a new Donkey in town — one that is all about teaching an audience the valuable lessons of the faithful Shrek sidekick.

“This show (Warrior Run’s rendition of ‘Shrek: The Musical’) is all about rejoic-ing in who you are and putting yourself out there as yourself,” said Warrior Run junior Abby Neamand. “Who better to teach that lesson than Donkey, who is very non-judgmental and extremely loyal — even to a mean ogre.”

It was a role she was shocked to receive.“When I first was told that I got the role of Donkey, I was taken

aback,” Neamand admitted. “I was female and totally thought it would go to a guy.”

She said that she can relate with donkey because they share some characteristics.

“Our director told us that he chooses who gets what role by what we are as people — who best fits the role or character traits,” Neamand said. “I do like to be funny and I don’t judge people.”

Kevin Myers, Warrior Run’s musi-cal director, tended to agree.

“Abby seemed to play the role well from Day 1. She had to find a way to make it hers instead of the Eddie Murphy interpretation. She used a lot of her own personality to build the character,” he said. “I would say the lesson to be learned would be to always be who you are. Donkey’s character never judged.”

Neamand admitted that getting into the role took some homework — and some imagination.

“I made sure to watch the movies again and saw the Broadway version, and took some of each. I listened to his voice and tried to interpret it while still making it my own,” she said. “I studied the character, even thought about what his life must have been like before meeting Shrek, then as he meets him and then as the two become friends.”

“Overall, ‘Shrek’ is bigger, more creative and ‘out there’ mo-reso than previous shows at Warrior Run,” Neamand said. “For around here, this has been big, crazy and fun.”


Green ogres, a furry donkey, Pinocchio, a gingerbread man, kings and queens, pigs and mice and bears — oh my!

With so many different types of characters all on one stage, coor-dinating the costumes and makeup can become a huge job.

Unless you are among the Warrior Run back stage crew — a group that can apply masks and mas-cara quicker than you can yell, “Don-key!”

“Our costumes were led by Patti Kratzer, a fifth grade teacher at War-rior Run. Several parents and students helped out in the design and creation,” said the school’s musical director, Kevin Myers. “The make-up commit-tee, however, was completely student-led. Abby Neamand played a large role in that along with several other students. All our makeup was designed and applied by students.”

Ideas for the makeup came from some familiar sources.

“Some was inspired by the movie, some from the Broadway production. However, there was also a lot of experi-mentation,” Neamand said. “There was a lot of glitter and big colors going on.”

The costumes came from a variety of sources.

“Some were borrowed from other schools because this is a very expensive show,” Neamand admitted. “Behind the scenes, it was mostly the parents who got involved in the sewing and fix-ing of costumes. There were about eight to 10 that helped with costuming. I was

in charge of makeup, and we have five other leader makeup artists.”Beyond makeup and costumes, Neamand said the real challenges

for some came in confidence — especially in the dance department.“Some dances you just have to freestyle, and some of our cast

members didn’t know how to do that,” Neamand said. “They haven’t allowed their freak flag to fly, so to speak.”

Warrior RunStudents step up with make-up

Abby Neamand


“From green makeup and ogre face and hands to creative

representations of fairy tale creatures like Pinocchio, the dragon and ‘Gingy,’ it was no small feat to dress the numerous characters.”

Photo provided by Kevin Myers

Abby Neamand performs a scene as Donkey.


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“Don’t let this seventh-grader’s tiny frame fool you — she’s

a vocal powerhouse. Destiny Lopez’s singing was memorably

passionate and soulful.”

Destiny LopezShikellamy 12-year-old wows audience


Shikellamy’s musical director received an early Christmas present this past De-cember when she stopped by rehearsals for the district’s middle school holiday concert.

“I was listening to the kids rehearse, and was about to step out when someone told me to go back in to listen to Destiny Lopez,” said Ellen Boyer. “I remember thinking, ‘this girl has a gift from God.’ Her voice is so amazing and completely

natural. She sings from her heart, but has an amaz-

ing range. Not only that, but she has a sense of musicality that most adults

never get.”Which is especially impressive consid-

ering Lopez is only 12 years old.“We decided we needed her on the

‘Big River’ cast, and wound up changing things in the musical to work her back in a second time — she was that good. You get chills each time you hear her sing,” Boyer said. “She sang before an especially powerful scene where she and her mother are sold as slaves. It is a very heart-wrenching scene in both the book and the play — and to tie that in with Destiny’s powerful singing was some-thing special.”

As natural as it seemed for Lopez on the stage, she admits the whole process was a bit intimidating.

“When I was asked to be a part of ‘Big River,’ I said I’d have to think it over. I was a little nervous, but also really excited,” she said. “During the musical, each time I needed to go out on stage, I got really stressed out. Several times, I started crying.”

However, Lopez received plenty of support from the cast, especially Tatyana

Ford, she said. Her confidence grew, especially as she started receiving more and more positive feedback.

“People told me I was doing an amaz-ing job. They really supported me,” she said. Lopez is already looking forward to the next school play, and admits that the success will help her try new things musically.

“Singing for me was basically a hobby at first. I’ve always wanted to be a doc-tor,” she said. “But ‘Big River’ was a big experience for me. I’m just thankful to have the opportunity.”



Destiny LopezDestiny LopezShikellamy 12-year-old wows audienceShikellamy 12-year-old wows audience


Shikellamy’s musical director received an early Christmas present this past De-cember when she stopped by rehearsals for the district’s middle school holiday concert.

“I was listening to the kids rehearse, and was about to step out when someone told me to go back in to listen to Destiny Lopez,” said Ellen Boyer. “I remember thinking, ‘this girl has a gift from God.’ Her voice is so amazing and completely

natural. She sings

never get.”Which is especially impressive consid-

ering Lopez is only 12 years old.“We decided we needed her on the

‘Big River’ cast, and wound up changing things in the musical to work her back in a second time — she was that good. You get chills each time you hear her sing,” Boyer said. “She sang before an especially powerful scene where she and her mother are sold as slaves. It is a very heart-wrenching scene in both the book and the play — and to tie that in with Destiny’s powerful singing was some-thing special.”

As natural as it seemed for Lopez on the stage, she admits the whole process was a bit intimidating.

“When I was asked to be a part of ‘Big River,’ I said I’d have to think it over. I was a little nervous, but also really excited,” she said. “During the musical, each time I needed to go out on stage, I got really stressed out. Several times, I started crying.”

However, Lopez received plenty of support from the cast, especially Tatyana


Destiny Lopez had aspirations of be-ing a doctor, but admits that music has become more important since she had a breakout performance in Shikellamy’s “Big River.”


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“This classic fairy tale of hope and love was aptly performed by the Line Mountain cast, complete with a fairy godmother, cute little mice and a cat

as Cinderella’s faithful friends — and a prince finding his true love at a ball in his palace.”


as Cinderella’s faithful friends — and a prince finding his true love at a ball in his palace.”


Overcoming adversity can be a challenge by itself. Doing so in the midst of putting on a high school musical production can lead to full-fledged chaos.

That was not the case at Line Mountain for this spring’s performance of “Cinderella.”

Despite a change in leadership a week be-fore the first show was to be staged, students adjusted quickly to pull off the region’s most memorable family-friendly musical.

“The kids did a great job all around. They welcomed me in and were happy to have some-one direct the musical,” said Dana Brown. “The entire cast, crew and musicians in the pit were very talented. I didn’t have to do much leg work. We met and basically pointed out this is where we were, this is where we are now and then we talked about where we wanted to be. Our goal was to get the kids where they wanted to be when it was over.”

The end result was a true success, according to Mae Lesher, stage director.

“They did a great job. We had a couple bumps in the road, but they did really well when it came to the musical,” she said. “The kids enjoyed themselves, and when kids enjoy what they are doing, you know it is going to work out well.”

One of the things that turned out well was the transformation scene when Cinderella and objects around her are transformed just in time for the ball.

“That was definitely a highlight,” said Lesher. “We had to get Cinderella into her ball gown while the carriage and horses transformed. We had a carriage that one side looked like a pumpkin, the other a carriage. We used a fog machine to help make the whole scene look more magical.”

Another challenge the students overcame was

having two different people cast in the title role.“We had a senior play Cinderella during

the Thursday night and Saturday afternoon performances and a junior for Friday night and Saturday night,” Brown said. “That lead to some stylistic changes that we needed to adjust to when one girl was Cinderella over another. However, by the end of the show, I had people who wanted to come back for the next one so they could see both Cinderellas in the role.”

What added to the family-friendly atmo-sphere — and a little to the adversity during production — was a cast that included a number of younger actors and actresses — including some from the elementary grades.

“Our past director was the one who decided to use so many young perform-ers. I think she felt that the more ages are involved, the better,” said Brown. “It definitely did help get the whole district on board.”

Backstage, the younger cast led to some noticeable changes.

“We had parents in the back-ground helping with the little kids. My own daughters were helping on the stage crew,” said Lesher. “The elementary kids did a fantastic job of stepping up.”

And according to Brown, that helped add to the magic of how things all came together.

“The kids made a commitment to doing this, and they persevered until the end,” she said. “The house was full every night. I was very grateful the kids were so helpful with me taking over so late in the pro-cess.”



Line MountainYoung cast rises above adversity

Photo provided by Beth Lahr

Madison Trautman as Cinderella.



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Sunbury ChristianDinner theater enhances ‘Fiddler on the Roof’


Sunbury ChristianSunbury ChristianDinner theater enhances ‘Fiddler on the Roof’Dinner theater enhances ‘Fiddler on the Roof’


At the Sunbury Christian School, the annual spring musical is a way to satisfy all the senses.

Not only will you see great acting and hear wonderfully rehearsed musical numbers — you can also smell, touch and taste a professionally pre-pared meal while enjoying the show.

“The whole process began about 15 years ago. At that time, it was more of a small-school play held on a small platform in the church sanctuary. Over time, it evolved and the meal was added, and the whole experience became a dinner-theater at-mosphere,” said Bill Clawser, a retired Middleburg High School teacher who has been helping in some capacity or another with the Sunbury Christian show for 10 years.

“The dinner, at one point, was pretty sophisticated. When we did ‘Meet Me in St. Louis,’ we pulled out all the stops and had a fancy meal that tied in with the theme of the musical,” Clawser said. “But the problem is that we only charge $18 for a ticket — and $9 of that is for seating. You can’t get too sophisticated food-wise with $9.”

Clawser has worked on 70 productions between the two schools, and knew that this year’s show was going to be special — with plans to step down as the drama director afterward.

“I wanted to go out with a bang. The kids were bugging me to do a musical. I had to consider who I had, who had a singing voice and how it lined up with shows that exist,” he said. “‘Fiddler on the Roof’ was the best fit.”

Clawser also knew the production would be a hard one to pull off.

“This show has 16 songs in it. When you mix that with choreography and dialog — it’s sort of like confetti in how things become integrated,” he said. “There is some pulling here and pushing there. There are other directors doing their parts. It was a real piece of work.”

Added to the moving parts necessary to pull it off was the nature of the Sunbury Christian school’s student body.

“This is a regional school, and kids live all over, which can make it hard for parents to get their kids to rehearsal,” Clawser said. “However, I didn’t hear any complaints.”

And how did the performance turn out?“Kids will be kids — and they each have their

talents. They each peak at a certain time, and that was what I was watching for,” Clawser said. “This is the third time I’ve done ‘Fiddler’ and I was very satisfied with the end result.”



“The dinner theater was a nice touch and created a welcoming

atmosphere for the play. Music

selections started a half-hour before the play. Fantastic piano player for entirety of

program.”

Photo provided by Kim Stuck

Shannon Hennett performs as “the Fiddler” in Sunbury Christian Academy’s rendition of “Fiddler on the Roof.”



#VALLEYMUSICALS

hours!” Wynn said, “It also takes place in so many loca-tions, so our designer decided that a more suggestive set was the way to go — except the barricade. That is almost a character in itself. We had to go big with that, and I was so pleased with the way it all turned out.”

Speaking of characters, the musical required some very com-plex roles, and some student soul-searching to tackle them.

“It was difficult for our students to relate to some of the char-acters because they have not experienced much of what these characters went through. It involved a lot of talking, and a lot of exploring their own lives to see what they had inside that they could bring to the characters,” Wynn said. “It was incredible to watch that evolution.”

One of the biggest transformations involved senior Camden Choplick in the role of Jean ValJean.

“I admit I was worried when I received the role — I wanted to do it justice and knew it was a huge responsibil-ity,” said Choplick, who plans, after graduation, to take a year-long tour across the country with Recreation USA before going to college. “Jean ValJean is a man who always strives to do good, but in the eyes of the law, it is a different story. There is a tension there, and a cer-tain depth of character that needed filled. Ultimately, though, when it came time to walk out on the stage, Jean ValJean came out, body, mind and soul. It was amazing how it all came together.”

Fans would definitely agree.“The lead male who played Jean

ValJean was absolutely wonder-ful,” said Goldie Kline, of Mifflinburg. “He sounded like Josh Groben!”

“In my opinion, the area’s most memorable actor would be Camden Choplick, who played the lead in Les Miserables,” said Michelle Carroll, of Milton.

Similarly impressive was senior Alaina Houtz, who played Eponine.

“This was a big production, and there was a sense of needing to perform at the highest level,” said Houtz, who will be attending Brigham Young University and Idaho this fall. “I’d get so nervous before each scene — I’d get to a point where I was sick and needed to calm myself down, usually just a few moments before go-ing out on the stage.”

The whole process took quite a lot of dedica-tion and perseverance by all involved, but Wynn ad-mitted that the final product proved that the effort was worthwhile.

“It truly was a journey we all took together,” he said. “It was tiring, frustrating and definitely one of the hardest things we have faced here as far as production goes — but in the end, it was also one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experi-ences.”

Broadway-caliber musical at MiltonMILTON, from Page A3

One of the biggest transformations involved senior Camden Choplick in the role of Jean ValJean.

“I admit I was worried when I received the role — I wanted to do it justice and knew it was a huge responsibil-ity,” said Choplick, who plans, after graduation, to take a year-long tour across the country with Recreation USA before going to college. “Jean ValJean is a man who always strives to do good, but in the eyes of the law, it is a different story. There is a tension there, and a cer-tain depth of character that needed filled. Ultimately, though, when it came time to walk out on the stage, Jean ValJean came out, body, mind and soul. It was amazing

“The lead male who played Jean

Similarly impressive was senior Alaina

“This was a big production, and there was a sense of needing to perform at the highest level,” said Houtz, who will be attending Brigham Young University and Idaho this fall. “I’d get so nervous before each scene — I’d get to a point where I was sick and needed to calm myself down, usually just a few moments before go-

The whole process took quite a lot of dedica-tion and perseverance by all involved, but Wynn ad-mitted that the final product proved that the effort

“It truly was a journey we all took together,” he said. “It was tiring, frustrating and definitely one of the hardest things we have faced here as far as production goes — but in the end, it was also one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experi- Milton sixth-grader Jordyn Aunkst performs

as Young Cosette in “Les Miserables.”

Photos provided by Brett Hosterman

Members of the “Les Miserables” cast perform a scene at Milton.

Fauchelevent, played by Lucas Burkhart, is comforted by Jean ValJean (Camden Choplick) and villagers (Dalton Shearer, Analisa Johnson, and Gretchen Fullmer) after being rescued from being crushed by a runaway cart.

Cosette and Marius (Olivia Raymond and Joshua Dries) profess their love for each other as Eponine (Alaina Houtz) looks watches in despair.


DANVILLE

LEWISBURG

Danville staged “High School Musical” on March 18-20.

“Our facilities are unique at Dan-ville, and we have to adapt to fit our needs,” said musical director Caleb Sizemore.

“We are not Hollywood, with airbrushing and redos and other tricks at our disposal, so we have to be creative with our use of space, lighting, grouping and movement. I think for this scale of production, we did very, very well.”

CAST Bruno Arnabar: Ryan EvansDan ArnabarRowan Beiter: Ripper/Ms. TennyAlyssa Bell: MascotRachel Blansfield: Gabriella

MontezKally Cera: Taylor McKessieRaymond CookGrace CramOlivia Crumb: SusanCasey DonahoeBridget FinnPaige Gray: Cathy/Karaoke M.C.

Joe Hamati: Alan/Martin CoxIsabella Hanna: Kelsi NeilsonDawson HostermanCindy HuangKaylee HuntDhruv KotraMadison Kovach: Sharpay EvansJoanna Kratzer: Ms. DarbusGrace MillerJoanna MurphySilas Olshefski: Troy BoltonAlexa PlisiewiczJacob Raup: Coach BoltonBailey Richardson: Moderator

Mikayla Rovenolt: Mongo Alexa RupertEmily Rupert: Jason Quintin SanchezEmma Sharp: Lorraine ScottLydia StasselTori StrausserLauren StuartLeah WatkinsKayla WeberMackenzie Wright: Cyndra Derien Yeager: Chad DansforthHolden Zakarian: Zeke Baylor

Genevieve Zola: Kratnoff James Zola: James

ADDITIONAL PERFORMERSKaren Gronsky School of Dance

dancers: Marissa Patynski, Adrianna Rakauskas, Paige Theiss, Sydney Saxon, Jesi Cooper, Margo Mensch, Gianna Miller, Nicoleena Storer, Emily Dodson, Camryn Davis, Olivia Long, Abbey Lacomey, Gianna Feldmann, Hailey Sutsko

Lewisburg staged “Into the Woods” on March 3-5.

“This wasn’t the first show we advertised. We originally picked a different show, and auditions were slow, so we made a last-minute switch,” said Justin Hill, musical director. “As soon as we switched to ‘Into the Woods,’ there was an excitement among the students, and we never looked back.”

CAST Elijah Zimmerman-Comas: nar-

rator Abbie Carney: CinderellaEvan Armstrong: Jack Quinn Cummings: Jack’s motherDominic Cozza: bakerCiel Smith: baker’s wifeAmanda Albright: Cinderella’s

stepmotherKatie Garisto: Florinda

Rylee Arner: LucindaDrew King: Cinderella’s fatherAva Dunton: Red RidinghoodTenaja Henson: witchMegan McGinnis: Cinderella’s

mother*Nick Jacobson: mysterious manJames Leavy: wolf*Ryan Kelleher: wolf 2*Megan Smiley: granny*Rachel Wakeman: RapunzelDerek Guissanie/Peter Marrara:

Rapunzel’s prince**Adam Maxwell: Cinderella’s

princeDavid Swanson: stewardMickey Gallegos: giant (voice)Annika Mossel: Ensemble: Snow

White/pig 1Grace Van Patter: Ensemble:

Sleeping Beauty/pig 2Mickey Gallegos: Ensemble:

Goldilocks/pig 3

CREWAlec Strosser, Gwen Vandivere:

stage managersRyan Ehmann: assistant stage

managerDaniel Malriat: tech managerRun crew: Nana Appiah-Padi,

Hailey Batman, Caitlin Apple, Erica Arnold, Taylor Balliet, Morgan Black, Halle Brouse, Cassie Clark, Izzy DeVett, Alyssa Donnelly, Lizabeth Fessler, Tyler Gerlinski, Rachel Henry, Felix Hernandez, Michael Hernandez, Jordan Hussey, Tatiana Johnson, Lydia Kazakavage, Sarah Ladd, Nina Lo, Isabel Martine, Emma McKinney, Allison Midder-nacht, Sharlee Nye, Margaret Orr, Lauren Pavlechko, Sylvie Yee

Build crew: Gabriel Stumbris, Paint Crew, Felix Hernandez, Mi-chael Hernandez, Tatiana Johnson, Lydia Kazakavage, Taylor Lingle, Nina Lo, Isabel Martine, Margaret

Orr, Aleah Spiro, Gabriel Stumbris, Jenna Thomas, Julia Thomas, Harry Wallace, Julia Wallace

Make-up crew: Nkechi Des-Ogugua, Nicole DuGeau, Tatiana Johnson, Samantha Reed

Tech crew: Sarah Bond, Sam Darer, Ethan Field, Kate Hutchinson, Manny Rothman, Joel Shooter

PIT ORCHESTRAMiranda Harris: piccoloCaroline Sigl: fluteRachel Contri: clarinetAJ Swanson: clarinet

Mariah Lofgren: bassoon/key-board

Mr. Orris, Ross Wiley, Seana Testa: trumpet

Mr. Schwanger: French horn 1Irene Ganahl, Jenna Swartz,

Sarah Reif, Kathy Breczinski: violinMrs. Hower, Thomas Lantz: violaChristina Han: velloMr. Arner: bass Nick Alico, Alex Spiro: percussion Mr. Walz: ynthesizer/keyboardsMrs. Berg: piano

By Tricia Kline

A jock who bakes, a skater who plays the cello, a nerd who loves hip hop?

“High School Musical” is a journey of high school kids who are learning that it’s OK to chal-lenge the so-called status quo.

Silas Olshefski and Rachel Blansfield as main charac-ters Troy and Gabriella were a talented duo in both acting and singing, with a sweet chemistry between them.

Madison Kovach fully em-braced her character as the snobbish, entitled Sharpay, and Joanna Kratzer also did a great job portraying Ms. Darbus, the drama teacher.

A special mention of James Zola, who played James, is also in order. He provided comic re-lief in the play, particularly in his “worm” imitation during an act-ing exercise led by Ms. Darbus.

The play also included seasoned dancers from Karen Gronsky School of Dance.

Photo provided by Caleb Sizemore

The cast and crew of “High School Musical” take a break on bleachers after the show.

By Tricia Kline

Magic beans and beanstalks, potions and curses, princes and princesses looking for love. A lot happens in these fairy tale woods as everyone seeks their own happily ever after.

The songs of “Into the Woods” were not always the most me-lodic, and contain a lot of words to remember, yet the Lewisburg students did a wonderful job at keeping everything flowing smoothly and expertly.

Senior Tenaja Henson of-fered great vocals and a funny, convincing performance as The Witch. The main cast of well-known fairy tale characters, in addition to the main characters of the baker and his wife, played by Dominic Cozza and Ciel

Smith, all combined their acting and singing talents to make this play a memorable one.

They each go “into the woods” for different purposes. Little Red Riding Hood to see grandma; Jack to sell his cow; Cindrella to go to the festival; and the Baker to find the four items the witch tells him he needs to have to break a spell that keeps him and his wife from having a child.

The narrator and the mysteri-ous man also did great jobs, and the set itself was pretty impressive — with a large tree in the center of the stage, large oversized books to give the ap-pearance of fairy tale lure, and Rapunzel’s doorless tower deep in the forest. A dark background gave the appropriate appear-ance of eerie woods to comple-ment the play’s darker side.

Photo provided by the Lewisburg Music Boosters

The cast of “Into the Woods” poses on stage for a photo.

CAST, CREW & NOTES Editor’s note: Cast and crew lists are published as provided

from the individual school districts.

Line Mountain staged “Cinderella” on April 20-22.

“Since I took over a week before the musical, I wasn’t involved in pick-ing ‘Cinderella,’” said Dana Brown, musical director. “However, it worked out really well, thanks to the students pulling together.”

CastVictoria Duffy: Cinderella Friday

and Saturday nightMadison Trautman: Cinderella

Thursday night and Saturday after-noon

Samuel Ferster: Prince Christo-pher

Sadie Walshaw: fairy godmotherBriana Shervinskie: stepmotherMia Kissinger: GraceMaggie Morgan: JoyWesley Long: LionelAutumn Bohner: queenWade Houseman: kingDillan Brown: coachmanCollin Deppen: footmanQuentin Kaleta: cloth merchantKristin Erdman: cheese merchantJoanna Weaver: bakerMaddy Carl: grocerKatelyn Walters: floristDillan Brown: butcherMadison Trautman/Vicotria Duffy

(rotation): village woman 1

Aubrey Lenker: village woman 2Abbie Morgan: village woman 3Keri Ferster, Addisyn Lundy, Cait-

lyn Snyder: villagersMadison Trautamn/Vicotira Duffy

(rotation): older sister Aubrey Lenker: younger sisterAbbie Morgan: young girl Keri Ferster, Abbie Morgan: girlsRyan Gould: Cinderella’s fatherMadeline Leitzel: young CinderellaNatalia Cortelyou, Levi Ferster,

Madeline Leitzel, Ayden Walters: mice

Courtlynn Dale, Marya Wray: doves

Cora Moyer: cat

Janessa Barwick, Joseph Bar-wick, Ava Billamn, Natalia Courte-lyou, Courtlynn Dale, Madison Lahr, Cole & Cora Moyer, Jasmine Schaffner, Carma Shutt, Cadence Walshaw: village children

Pit orChestraAshley Wilga: fluteKaitlyn Troutman: transposed

oboe on clarinetMargo Kessler: clarinet IDestiny LatshaJ: clarinet IITom Deppen: trumpet IJoshua Masser: trumpet IIRyan Gould: horn IICheryl Ibberson: horn IIIBritney Bidding: tromboneJessi Morgan: violin IAmanda Deeben: violin II & cello

on keyboard Benjamin Bidding: string bass on tuba

Christopher Deppen: percussionDr. Harold Morgan: pianist &

rehearsal accompanist

stage CrewMegan Finlan: stage managerKelsey Erdman, Lilliana Feliciano,

Katrina Lesher, Morgan Lesher, Colton Schaible, Taylor Styer, Mae Lesher, Cheryl Weaver, stage crew member

Shjon Kern: stage lightsNicole Adams, Ashley Lambert:

spotlightEmily Shepley: soundMia Kissinger, Shannon Walters,

Cheryl Weaver: propsBethany Lahr: photography


LINE MOUNTAIN

MEADOWBROOK CHRISTIANMeadowbrook Christian staged

“Beauty and the Beast” on March 11-13.

“We try to have a good message with what we do here at Meadow-brook, and this play provides that as Belle attempts to sacrifice herself for her father, and how she loves some-one for what is inside, not just based on appearance,” said Meadowbrook musical director Amanda Brosious.

Cast & CrewSavannah Mellish: BelleJacob Crawford: The BeastLydia Smith: Mrs. PottsSabastian Grilli: ChipMaddie Idom: WardrobeGrace Deitrick: LumièreSierra Benjo: BabetteGabby Santiago: CogsworthBrent Mestach: GastonOlivia Weaver: LeFouAllen Church: MauriceJaedon Trewitz*: Monsieur D’ArquePaige Bordner, Mari Hoffman,

Delaynee McLeod: silly girlsBreAnna Good*: aristocratMya Williams*: fish sellerBrooklynn Weaver*: egg girlAllie Zaktansky*: sausage girlIsaac Schuler*: bakerAbby Suk*: shepherdHelena Watson*: lady with caneAudrey Shipman*: lady with baby

Jacqueline Stokes*: hat sellerLeah Grow*: milkmaidJacob Reed*: booksellerKatherine Reed*: villagerVanessa Brouse*, Reagan Camp-

bell*, BreAnna Good, Genesis Men-dez*, Faith Mensch*, Jacob Reed, Hope Reichard*, Noelle Reichard*, Audrey Shipman, Sarah Span-gler*, Jacqueline Stokes, Kaitlynd Summers*, Ellie Sweigard*, Jaedon Trewitz, Helena Watson, Reagan Wible*, Mya Williams, Allie Zaktansky: cronies

Noelle Reichard: beggar woman/enchantress

Audrey Millett*: footstool

Quinn Draper*, Christopher Reed*, Jayar Rhoades*, Tyler Stokes*: wolves

Abby Baker*, Paige Bordner, Van-essa Brouse, Reagan Campbell, Allen Church, Ember Erb*, BreAnna Good, Leah Grow, Mari Hoffman, Delaynee McLeod, Genesis Mendez, Audrey Millett, Natalie Noaker*, Maddie Osman*, Hanna Rabb*, Jacob Reed, Hope Reichard, Noelle Reichard, Abby Schuler*, Isaac Schuler, Tia Shumaker, Sarah Spangler, Jacque-line Stokes, Abby Suk, Kaitlynd Sum-mers, Emily Toland*, Jaedon Trewitz, Helena Watson, Mya Williams, Allie Zaktansky: lead dancers

Josiah Baker, Marissa Baker,

Joshua Dugan, Emma George, Emily Heintzelman, Adelynn Killian, Jaby Mendez, Sydney Nornhold, Joslynn Richard, Mackenzie Richard, Sophia Sherrell, Makenna Splain, Jhace Trewitz, Genesis Varner, Lauren Yost: villagers ... *Also villagers

Ben Baker, Devin Callahan Austin

Moscariello, Kalyn Moscariello, Bryn Rhoades, Kyle Shoop, Matt Sweigard, Logan Torrey (Adult stage crew volunteers: Brenda Bittner, Bob Brosious, Carole Brosious, Elizabeth Maust, Joe Mellish): stage crew

Amanda Brosious: directorJane Mellish: assistant director

By Tricia Kline

Line Mountain had everything you need and more for a lovely performance of the classic tale of Cinderella.

Sets included a village with a bench, flower cart, produce stand, general store and more; Cinderella’s house; the royal palace; and of course, a pump-kin patch.

This musical included many students from all ages, and it was so cute to see the little ones interacting with the older. Particularly memorable are the times when Cinderella would sing to the adorable little mice,

doves and cat. Madison Trautman as Cinder-

ella and Sam Ferster as Prince Christopher had a nice chemis-try together on stage, and Wade Houseman as the King had a humorous and strong stage presence alongside the Queen, played by Autumn Bohner.

Briana Shervinskie played a convincing stepmother, sup-ported by stepsisters Grace, played by Mia Kissinger, and Joy, by Maggie Morgan.

Sadie Walshaw also did a great job playing the fairy god-mother, who in this particular adaptation is attempting to challenge the status quo of how fairy tales work!

Photo provided by Beth Lahr

The cast of Line Mountain’s “Cinderella” line up for a photo.

By Tricia Kline

This classic tale is always a crowd favorite, and even with fewer students (particularly boys) than at a public school, and a smaller stage to work with, Mead-owbrook students were able to present a fantastic production for the audience to fully enjoy.

The period costumes set the tone for the scenes in Belle’s village, and the chorus had good synthesis.

Beautiful sets and special ef-fects also added to the profes-sionalism of the performance, including a lighted rose in a large glass box that slowly loses its petals throughout the show, and Maurice’s scientific contraption that was impressively realistic.

Savannah Mellish as Belle was

a good choice for the part—her sweet demeanor and voice seemed like a perfect fit. And Jacob Crawford offered his great acting skills as The Beast. Olivia Weaver, as LeFou, was a great little actress with a nice singing voice, and Grace Deitrick as Lumi-ere also was a great actress who remained dedicated to the French accent that defines the character.

Kudos also to Gabby Santiago as Cogsworth, Lydia Smith as Mrs. Potts, Sabastian Grilli as Chip, and the many other actors and actresses who played parts at both the enchanted castle and in the village.

The song, “Be Our Guest” was especially memorable and well-choreographed, with many characters dressed in plates, spoons, forks, and other kitchen items spinning around the stage.

Photo provided by Amy Terwilliger

Grace Deitrick, Sierra Benjo, Sabastian Grilli, Allen Church and Gabby Santiago perform a scene from Meadowbrook’s “Beauty and the Beast.”


MIDD-WEST

MIFFLINBURG

Midd-West staged “Anne of Green Gables” on April 7-9.

“We’ve gotten a lot of great feed-back about the play, which is nice for a community like the western end of Snyder County to be supporting the arts,” said Katie Gaugler, musicals director. “There are not a lot of dance studios, not many kids taking private voice lessons or many places where you can practice for an orchestra out here. It is nice to see our community acknowledge that the arts are alive around here.”

Cast Emma Danae Kelsey: Anne ShirleyMarcilynne Blyler*: Marilla CuthbertQuinten Martin: Matthew CuthbertOrry Walter: Gilbert BlytheGabriella Norman: Rachel LyndeLia Readinger*:Diana BarryJuliette Kheyfets: Josie PyeGabrielle Edmiston: Miss Muriel

StacyAlana Rhone*: Mrs. PacPhersonMikala Blackwell: Mrs. SloaneMary Cote: Mrs. PyeShawn Samuels: The ministerShawn Samuels: Moody MacPher-

sonDakota Reinard: EarlDakota Reinard: Mr. PhillipsShawnee Floyd: Cecil (the farmer)Shawnee Floyd: Station masterJanelle Blank: Mrs. SpencerNicole Piccioni: Mrs. Blewett

Nakia Bowersox: Mrs. BarryCarlie Lepley*: LucillaMaryann Moyer: Prissy AndrewsAshlynn Hood: Ruby GillisAutumn Zeigler: Tillie BoulterTianna Confer*:Gertie PyeJasmine Hook: Charlotte “Charlie”

SloaneAlexa Bitting: Geraldine “Gerry”

BuoteCarson Witherite: Tommy SloaneNathan Herrold: Dr. Malcolm

Andrews* Denotes senior

ProduCtion CrewKathryn Gaugler: directorAdam Dietz: assistant directorTravis Martin: technical directorAndrew Finck: vocal director

Stacy Hostetter: instrumental director

Kathryn Gaugler, Rita Gaugler: choreographers

Kathryn Gaugler: costume con-struction

Travis Martin: set designKevin Seebold: lighting designRylan Ebright: light board operatorJacob Houtz: sound board opera-

torLogan Pasquale: stage managerMatthew Baney, Calli Bower-

sox, Sommer Bowersox, Mikhayla Browne, Rylan Ebright, Destiney Ferguson, Lillian Hibbs, Jacob Houtz, Evan Johnson, Celina Kline, Dylan Klingler, Katie Landis, Karly Landis, Grace Moyer, Kylee Noble, Logan Pasquale, Samantha Plummer, Skylar

Raker, Hope Shiltz, Bethani Sims, Kayla Swope-Mull, Calley Taylor, Devin Treaster, Whitney Womer, Ra-chel Yerger, Sierra Zeigler: stage crew

Samantha Plummer, Calley Taylor: billboard signs

Adam Dietz: box officeBrett Hosterman: promotional

poster and program coverAndrew Finck: programBitting, Blackwell, Blyler, Bow-

ersox, Confer, Edmiston, Herrold, Hood, Hook, Houtz, Johnson, Kline, Kratzer, Landis, Lepley, Long, Miller, Moyer, Norman, Pasquale, Tice, Whistler, Witherite, Zeigler: rehearsal meal contributing families

orChestraStacy Hostetter: directorWoodwinds: Kari Richendrfer*,

Alysia Miller+: flute; Susan Masana: clarinet I; Valerie Steininger: clarinet II; Megan Lessman, Danielle Kratzer: clarinet III; Carlie Shaffer: contra clarinet

Brass: Chad Miller: trumpet I; Kaitlyn Kratzer: trumpet II; Jennifer Wendt+, Ayana Smith+: French horn; Alexis Bixler+: Trombone

Strings: Tori Hogan+: violin I; Jen-nie Lien+: violin II; Marta Mendez+: viola; Brett Heffelfinger+: cello; Aaron Rice: bass guitar; Alexandra Hock-enberry: percussion; Andrew Finck: keyboard

By Tricia Kline

Anne (make sure it’s with an “e”) is a character with a vivid imagination and a sweet spirit.

Just don’t call her “carrots.”Emma Danae Kelsey played

the role very well, with both her energetic and passionate acting (particularly when Anne’s red-headed temper came out) and beautiful vocals.

She and actor Quinten Martin

as Matthew Cuthbert did a great job portraying the special relationship between the two characters in this beloved, clas-sic story.

So many of the cast members were such talented singers, strengthening every scene and making the presentation a plea-sure to watch and listen to.

Lovely and strong supporting vocals especially came from Lia Readinger, as Diana Barry, par-ticularly in her duet of “Kindred Spirits” with Kelsey.

Photo provided by Katie Gaugler

Members of Midd-West’s pit orchestra take a break be-tween scenes of “Anne of Green Gables.”

Mifflinburg staged “Crazy for You” on April 7-9.

“We selected Crazy for You based on the number of students that we had that could sing and dance the complex roles in this show,” said Patricia Wagner, musicals director. “The dancing in this show makes up at two-thirds of the performance time and we knew that we had the feet in the cast to pull off the dancing.”

CastSeth Phelps: Bobby ChildDalton Bierly: Bela ZanglerHayley Beck: Irene RothHannah Spotts: Mrs Lottie Child

(mother)Zane Patterson: PerkinsWarren Davis: stage managerJason Schanck: Zangler’s LackeyAlexander Haines: chauffeurTyler Bailey, Brahm Buoy, Logan

Wenrick: mother’s directorErica Conard: Tess, a dance

directorMegan Becker: PatsyBriahna Heintzelman: Mitzi, princi-

pal dancerSarah Alexander: LouiseVanessa Lloyd: MargieAnnisa Putri: ClaudineGrace Alexander: VioletCaroline Benfer: StellaEmily Criswell: HelenJasey Gearhart: BonnieCalista Girton: SusieBrooklynn Hauck: BetseySydney Luckabaugh: GeorgiaMadison Yoder: RoxyRyli Amabile: RoseCatherine Bergmueller: Vera

Lily Eberhart: JosieDenise Seebold: IsabelleDanielle Underhill: MaxineJillian Fee: Mary KayReagan Griffith: Betty AnnRiley Griffith: PhyllisMegan Reid: ConstanceErin Rute: BessAbigail Snayberger: FayeRebecca Stup: DollyRiley Wolfgang: KittyOlivia Young: IrisEmma Zechman: LizzieKatelyn Ericson: Polly BakerNoah Sundberg: Lank HawkinsMichael Conard: Everett BakerAaron Lichtel: Eugene Fodor (Act I)Alec Chappell: Eugene Fodor (Act

II)Tricia Lloyd: Patricia FodorLucas Payson: Moose, of the

cowboy trioBenjamin Greb: Mingo, of the

cowboy trioJonathan Bergmueller: Sam, of the

cowboy trioAlexander Haines: Gabby the

banjo playerThomas Lichtel: Harry, a bartenderBraden Hurst: BillyAiden Bomgardner: WyattQuincy Amabile: JuniorBrad Derk: PeteNolan Beck: CustusJay Falgo: JimmyWarren Davis: TexElijah Yoder: Cactus JoeTyler Bailey: BuckBrahm Buoy: ButchAlec Chappell: BroncoBenjamin Haines: Cowpie CharlieZane Patterson: KitJason Schanck: GummyBenjamin Chambers: Tumbleweed Dakota Heintzelman: HorseshoeEvan Smith: Lasso LuNoah Stetler: BusterThomas Styer: LashLogan Wenrick: Smiley

Crew Patricia M. Wagner: producerMatthew Wagner: orchestraChristopher Thomas, chief;

Cameron Roush, asst. chief: stage managers

Chris Thomas, chief; Mason Bollinger, Daniel Creamer, Shawn Creasy, Zach Tallman, Andrew Walter, Denver Clouser, Cody Mabus, Ryan Oliver, Cameron Roush, Cecilia Yarger: performance stage crew

Anthony Delcamp, chief; Cameron Susan, asst. chief; Hannah Blyler, Madison Nachtway: sound engineers

Mallory Leitzel, chief; Sayre Cohen, Destiny Hoey, Kindell Moran, Tyler Sauers, Shannon Heimbach: lighting

Christopher Thomas, chief; Mason

Bollinger, Katelyn Brouse, Daniel Creamer, Shawn Creasy, Zach Tallman, Lexi Rute, Andrew Walter, Denver Clouser, Cody Mabus, Ryan Oliver, Cameron Roush, Sean Wag-ner, Cecilia Yarger, Kassie Brouse, Aaron Wagner: building & painting

Maria Cedro, Kristin Oliver, Natalie Beiler, Michaela Heimbach, Ma-layna Rowe, Tatum Gramly, Lydia Klinefelter, Jillian Miller, Colette Southerton, Rebekkah Weller, Heidi Beiler, Julia Hornberger, Lindsey Kief-fer, Allison Wagner: hair & make-up

Casey Snook, co-chief; Austin Walter, co-chief; Noah Hornberger, Lexi Rute, Cristie Bidelspach, Sam Rishel, Trey Witmer, Evan Foss: ushers

By Tricia Kline

From city street buildings to the wild west, the set of Crazy for You was exemplary and creative, as sets were turned around to reveal a saloon, a theater, and the streets of the sleepy town of Deadrock, Nevada.

Seth Phelps, as lead role Bobby Child, was a great overall performer, showing off his talents as a tap dancer, singer, and actor, sharing a good chemistry with fellow lead Katelyn Ericson as Polly Baker, who was also a great actress with a wonderful singing voice.

The performance had a number

of complex dance routines, as well as comedic elements, such as bumbling cowboys struggling to learn how to dance and sing in order to save their town’s old theater, and their excitement to see the New York City showgirls come to town.

Noah Sundberg, did a great job playing saloon owner Lank Hawkins, who tries to keep the show from going on, and Dalton Bierly did well portrayiing Bela Zangler, the famous New York City producer.

The Cowboy Trio, performed by Lucas Payson, Benjamin Greb, and Jonathan Bergmueller, harmonized very well together, and were a spe-cial treat to hear within the show.

Photo provided by Seth Phelps

From left, Seth Phelps, Katie Ericson and Dalton Bierly perform a scene from “Crazy from You.”

Selinsgrove staged “Xanadu” on April 14-17.

“We knew we needed a play with a large cast, and we wanted a lighter play with a goofy plot, so ‘Xanadu’ seemed to fit the bill,” said Laurie Knitter, musicals director. “It turned out to be the best option for us this year.”

CastJonah Roth: Sonny MaloneJohanna Kantz: Kira/ClioMarkie Reiland: MelpomeneNettie Martin, CalliopeWill Lapetina: Danny McGuireGus Troppe: ThaliaRaechel Councill: EuterpeIsabel Bailey: EratoZach Frey: TerpsicoreMaddie Newell: MolpeAdriana Oelberg: Peisinoe

Hannah Doll: AglaopeSky Weir: ThelxiepeisBriana Imholte: AquataMiranda Beaver: AristaHannah Doll, Johanna Kantz,

Irene Guo: Andrews sistersDustin Kemper, Maddie Newell:

rockersKayla Germini: ErosRowan Miller: HermesMax Troppe: ZeusIrene Guo: HeraMiranda Hayes: ThetisLexi Hoffman: AphroditeAndrew Oelberg: CyclopsWill Switala: CentaurKeyana Zellers: MedusaChris Hauck: HadesSeanan Miller: HeraklesKayla Germini: girl with bicycleZach Frey: Shadow DannyLexi Hoffman: Shadow Clio

ProduCtion staffRyan Ettinger, artistic directorLaurie Knitter: managing directorKayla Kratzer, music directorJay Muller: choreographerElsie Inch: business managerJohn Aument: construction

coordinatorKara Ludwig: stage managerVictoria Roberts: assistant stage

managerRyan Ettinger: set and lighting

designKara Ludwig (Centaur), Andrew

Oelberg (Cyclops), Adriana Oelberg (T-shirts), Laurie Knitter: costume design

Caitlin Meleski, Class of 2014: program/logo design

Gelnett and Associates: soundLexi Hoffman: dance captain/cho-

reography for “The Fall”Drew Nickler, Keagan White: light-

ing techniciansEmma Lewis: make-up coordina-

torZach Lentz, Isabella Moles:

publicityMikayla Peachey: photographerAdriana Adams, Zach Lentz, Kara

Ludwig, Isabella Moles, Isaiah Rob-erts, Victoria Roberts: stage crew

“Xanadu” BandTyler Mariano, Leah Bodinger:

pianoJacob Bodinger: percussionLuke Beaver: guitar


MILTON

SELINSGROVE

Milton staged the musical “Les Miserables” April 16-23. “We decided to do ‘Les Miserables’ last year after we finished our production of ‘Mary Pop-pins,’” said Milton musicals director Russ Wynn. “This year was to be our 25th year of doing musical theater at Milton Area High School, so we needed something to honor that! When we started thinking about the kids we had to work with, we knew it was going to be epic!”

CastCamden Choplick: Jean ValJeanAlex Leitzel: JavertKoy Guffey: BishopEllen McCormick: FantineAlecia McElwee: Madame ThenardierEthan Tyson: ThenardierAlaina Houtz: EponineKyle McPeek: EnjolrasJosh Dries: MariusOlivia Raymond: CosetteJordyn Aunkst: Young Cosette

Leslie Krebs: Young EponineJacob King: GavrocheJoey Martin: CombeferreDavid Neilson: CourfeyracLucas Burkhart: JolyKoy Guffey: GrantaireDanny Gibson: ProuvaireDalton Shearer: FeuillyReid Orphan: MontparnasseCasey Montgomery: BabetJonathan Carroll: ClaquesousShelsie Argudo, Salina Lucchesi, Kania

Brown, Samantha Marvin, Allyssa Cox, Shelby Marvin, Emma Criswell, Zoe Doe-bler, Sidney Mistysyn, Lindsey Engleman, Romeo Mong, Rosie Freeze, Jazmine Nicholas, Gretchen Fullmer, Ian Nieves, Olivia Gehrer, Olivia Rearick, Emily Guy, Maddie Ritter, Hope Harrington, Cora Sandrick, Leon Harvey, Kelsey Schreck, Amanda Hauck, Megan Schreck, Laura Hauck, Sarah Shaffer, CasiJo Hoover, Dalton Shearer, Jaznik Hoover, Sydney Telesky, Analisa Johnson, Tacie Telesky,

Linneah Knapp, Samantha Young, Han-nah Livengood, Jacob Bamonte, Edwin Ramos, KelliJo Bauman

CrewRussell L. Wynn, Jr., Michael Haven:

directors; Aubyn Johnson: assistants directors; Brett Hosterman: orchestra director; KelliJo Bauman: student as-sistant; Brett Hosterman: poster design; Beth O’Connell: scenic design/artist; Wendy Brown, Traci Leitzel: costumes; Seth Reitz, advisor; Brock Hower, Tatem Wertman, Sara Koch, Amelia Sherman, Emma Smith, Madelynn Rohrer, Mekayla Schrock, Jillian East, Emily Snyder: pro-gram; Kalen Sowul, Tom Hans: lighting design; Cassie Sowul, Tom Hans, Kurt Kern: lighting operators; Dane Nielson, Rich Neilson, Aubyn Johnson: spot lights; Brian Hill and Corey O’Brian: sound; Jim Messinger, Bob Gibson, Joe Mystisin, Scott McElwee, Tom Hans, Donnie Mapes, Rodney Blanton, Jesse Leitzel, Chester Choplick, Yves Raymond, Lane Kitchen, Carlonnie Hoover, cast mem-bers: construction; Beth O’Connell, cast members; Wendy Brown: props; Kelly Alleman, tickets; Peggy Fullmer: conces-sions; Carol Allis, Monica Leitzel: auction

orChestraBrett Hosterman: director; Bonnie

Crawford and Jennie Lien: violins; Amber Schon: viola; Garet Holdren: cello; Melissa Troup, Emily McKee, Abigail Mc-Kee, Virginia Sharpless: reeds; Angella Laubach, Chris Hare: trumpets; Alyssa Williams, Valerie Rheude: French horns; Brett Rynhart: trombone; Eric Bergmu-eller: guitar; Dennis Carpenter: bass; Diane Scott, Sharon Styer, Ben Nylander: keyboards; Gretchen Carpenter, Aaron Criswell: percussion

By Tricia Kline

The superb acting and emotional vocals by Milton students on stage was evidence that they understood this tragic tale, and truly became the characters they were portraying.

From the very begin-ning, every set and back-drop was breathtaking. The rotating barricade, in particular, was a work of complex art. And the seamless stage crew kept everything flowing perfectly.

In musicals like this one, which is entirely in song, there is no rest for the pit orchestra — led by Brett T. Hosterman — yet the musicians consistently played so beautifully and with such perfection that it was easy to forget they were there (that is a high compliment, by the way, for this particular role in a performance).

Camden Choplick was an amazing Jean ValJean, who obviously gave it his all, from quality and powerful, wide-ranging vocals in every song to

fervent acting throughout the night. Ellen McCor-mick, as Fantine, sang an especially memorable solo of “I Dreamed a Dream.” Alaina Houtz also provided beautiful vocals as Eponine, with an es-pecially memorable solo of “On My Own.” And a special mention needs to be made of Jacob King, who played Gavroche, a street kid who joins the revolutionaries and dies in battle—his talent and stage presence were impressive for one so young!

Ethan Tyson played a convincing part as the crude and underhanded Thenardier, and Olivia Raymond as Cosette, Josh Dries as Marius, Kyle McPeek as Enjolras, and Alex Leitzel as Javert, the police detective out to arrest ValJean (Prisoner 24601) also provided wonderful vocals and passionate performances in their respective roles.

“Red and Black” and “The People’s Song” were also especially emotional and compelling numbers by the cast.

By Tricia Kline

The elusive and mysterious gift of “Xanadu” (which we later discovered is to love someone and create art) is the focus of this play that uniquely brings together the 1980s era with the mythical figures of Mount Olympus.

Jonathan Roth did a great job portraying Sonny Malone, a silly, starving artist losing faith in himself, all the while dressed in his 80s short shorts and sweat-bands.

He and fellow lead actress, Johanna Kantz as muse Kira/Clio (most of the time speaking in an Australian accent) both spent a lot of the time on stage in roller skates in this energetic perfor-mance that had a great display

of visual effects and lighting, such as in the song “Strange Magic”, when disco balls and a sign displaying “Xanadu” comes down from the ceiling and lights up.

The small “Xanadu” band of four individuals on piano, per-cussion and guitar, rather than a pit band, performed the musical selections.

Markie Reiland had a strong stage presence as the villainous Melpomene, the oldest sister muse, who is jealous of Clio and recruits their other sister, Calliope (humorously played by Nettie Martin) to help her put a curse on Clio.

Special kudos to the char-acters involved in the creative shadow-dancing routine in the song “Far Away.”

Photo provided by Laurie Knitter

Cast members wrap up a scene during Selinsgrove’s “Xanadu.”

Photo provided by Brett Hosterman

Crew members perform a scene of “Les Miserables” on one of Milton’s extensive sets.

Shamokin High School staged “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” on April 8-9.

“The kids really got into the show this year, which was espe-cially impressive because it was entirely musical with no spoken lines,” said musicals director Kevin Myers. “They’re used to singing a song and then going offstage while a few actors talk a while. They rose to the challenge very well this year.”

Cast & CrewNarrators: Madison Pancher, An-

nie Richardson, Christina MarquezCole Supsic: JosephKaitlyn Schrader: Mrs. PotipharEli Kolovic: PotipharNathan Grimes: BakerAlex Black: ButlerDavid Wolfe: PharaohCaleb Jemmont: JacobBrady Haupt: ReubenDavid Wolfe: SimeonEli Kolovic: LeviAlex Black: NaphtaliZach Druckenmiller: Issachar

RJ Gurba: AsherTom Eby: DanJameson Kramer: ZebulonNathan Grimes: GadFerd Madara: BenjaminJoshua Bashore: JudahEnsemble/wife: Kelsey Rogers,

Hanna Halderman, Emma Clark Madison Blackwell, Christina Trout-

man, Jessica Wywadis, Wanda Sulouff, Teagan Heath, Emily DeMartino, Elizabeth Stevens, Amy Frasch

Ensemble: Kaitlyn Schrader, Julianna DeGreen, Kayla Martins, Austin Dannheimer, Connor Elio, Madison Foulds, Sydney Rhoads, Rosalind Kane, Gwen Sulouff,

Raven DePeal, Oliva HauptStage crew: Tommy Brown,

Chloe Dales, Violet Dales, Gavin DeGreen, Kenny Gilcrest, Jarred Jones, Jayla Klase, Autumn Purcell, Kalen Purcell, Annabelle Rapp, Ivy Savidge, Paige Sherman, Brianna Stanke, Molly Stevens, Amber Zimmerman, Zoe Zimmer-

man, Michael ZimmermanTech crew: Cameron Wayne,

Alek Washuta, Cameron Jacoby, Sam Deptula, Mara Hasuga


SHAMOKIN

SHIKELLAMY

By Tricia Kline

For a performance that is constantly moving and entirely in song, Shamokin students didn’t miss a beat, even as the pit band remained quite busy. The vocals were a pleasure to listen to in all of the various styles of music that are included in this show.

Cole Supsic passionately played the part of Joseph, with his smooth, melodic singing and strong, confident stage presence.

The narrators, Madison Pancher, Annie Richardson and Chris-tina Marquez, harmonized well together.

All of the actors, in particular the 11 brothers of Joseph, had good chemistry and movement on stage.

Shikellamy staged “Big River” on April 22-24.

“This is a show I’ve loved ever since I heard the music,” said Ellen Boyer, musicals director. “No one has done it in the area, so we were proud to bring it here. The audi-ence really responded to it well. We wanted to capture the humor of Mark Twain’s work, but also be respectful of the heavy themes found there. The students were magnificent in this performance. They really put their heart and soul into the production.

Part of the impact of the show for Boyer was how the serious themes affected the students, and the learning opportunities it created.

“It’s easy to see how the kids got into the fun numbers, but it was more impressive to see them get into the difficult themes this

musical tackled,” said Boyer. “We had a lot of discussions through-out on tolerance, race issues and people not always accepting oth-ers for who they really are. It was a very powerful experience.”

CastKyler Balliet: Huck FinnNatalie Shoch: Miss WatsonHeather Beveridge: Widow

DouglasJohnathan Bromley: Judge

ThatcherNoah Spencer: Tom SawyerDerek Mathews, Doug Hallman,

Bret Smith, Jordan Slack, Johna-than Bromley, Lukas Michaels: Tom Sawyer’s Gang

Destiny Lopez, Maddy Ackley, Natalie Mathews, Kaitlyn Carey: school girls

Maddy DePinto: school marmNoah Fenstermacher: Jim

Camden Hare: Pap FinnGabi Scholl, strange womanCamden Hare: DukeNoah Spencer: kingDerek Mathews: JebJohnathan Brolmey: LafeDoug Hallman: AndyBret Smith: HankSabrina Sinsel, Natalie Shoch,

Emily Lott, Gabi Scholl, Tori Brubaker, Natalie Mathews: tarts

Jordan Slack: young foolSarah Fedder: Mary JaneHeather Beveridge: JoannaMaddy DePinto: SusanTatyana Ford: AliceDestiny Lopez: Alice’s daughterHannah Gale, Isaiah Inch, Alexis

Rivera, Micah Inch, Miles Mogush, Zoe Reid, Myriam Freeman: slave ensemble

Kaila Snyder, Krymsen Wolfe, Alexa Spaventa, Aaron Seiler, Sean Stroup, Colin Campbell, Lily

Shoch, Rosella Delgado: towns-people

Doug Hallman: Counselor Robinson

Sean Stroup: Sheriff BellDerek Mathews: Harvey Wilkes/

doctorNatalie Shoch: Aunt SallyJohnathan Bromley: Uncle SilasAaron Seiler: Mark Twain

stUDeNt staFFAmber Murphy: student directorCaleb Burk: set designJordan Lehman: stage managerChristian Lucas: assistant stage

managerTyler Kerstetter, Kaitlin Flynn:

follow spotMarillen Castle: wardrobe as-

sistanttheatre arts classes: sets and

painting

Photo provided by Kevin Styers

Shamokin students perform a number for “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

By Tricia Kline

This performance by Shikel-lamy exhibited an excellent combination of impressive stage sets, props and effects; passionate acting; and superb vocals that captured the boyish innocence of Huck Finn as well as the evil and heartbreaks of the American era of slavery.

The sets for “Big River” in-cluded a fishing pier, a “floating” raft, and artistic backdrops that showed the snake-like curves of the Mississippi River.

Kyler Balliet as Huck Finn had many lines to remember, as he went back and forth between acting and then narrating his story to the audience. He was almost constantly on the move, yet carried on steady vocals as he portrayed the youthful role very well.

Noah Spencer showed off his diverse acting ability as both Tom Sawyer and the King. Camden Hare is also to be com-mended for his excellent diverse portrayal of both Pap Finn and the Duke.

Noah Fenstermacher played a passionate and convincing Jim, a runaway slave that has dreams of one day reuniting with his family.

Portraying the daughter of a slave named Alice, seventh-grader Destiny Lopez belted out chilling, soulful solos that were especially memorable, and the “Slave Ensemble” also deserves to be noted for their passionate stage presence and vocals.

Photo provided by Ellen Boyer

Cast members perform during Shikellamy’s production of “Big River.”

The Sunbury Christian Academy staged “Fiddler on the Roof” on April 14-16.

“I really love this show and it will be my last as overall director. I wanted to go out with a bang,” said Bill Clawser.

CastDylan Taylor: Tevye (the dairman)Courtney Maurer: Golde (his wife)Elizabeth Latsha: Tzeitel (daughter)Courtney Gross: Hodel (daughter)Faith Gingrich: Chava (daughter)Brianna Baumert: Shprintze

(daughter)Shannon Easto: Beilke (daughter)Olivia Latsha: Yente (the match-

maker)Noah Lux: Motel (the taylor)Justin Keller: Perchik (the student)Ethan Smith: Lazar Wolf (the

butcher)Lucas Hoffman, Michaela Novack:

RabbiShannon Hennett: Mendel (son)Khristyn Maurer: AvramJulia Abraham: ConstableMaxwell Anoia: Fyedka (Russian)Shannon Hennett: FiddlerJenna Stuck, Rebekah Gingrich:

Russian soldiersKatrina Goecke: GrandmaJulia Taylor: Mordcha (the inn-

keeper)Justin Keller: BeggarCourtlynn Boyle: Young ChavaMichaela Novack, Kirsten Keller,

Emma Atwood, Renae Mack, Katrina Goecke, Julia Taylor, Karch Carey, Conner Carey, Rebecca Martinez, Anderson Renno, Jedadiah Stuck, Courtlynn Boyle: villagers

ProduCtion grouPBill Clawser: director

Beth Powlus: choral directorDeb Manney: choreographerJacob Fahringer: rehearsal as-

sistantKatrina Goecke: director’s as-

sistantTim Latsha: piano accompanistJustin Keller, Dylan Taylor, Katrina

Goecke, Kirsten Keller, Maxwell Anoia: stage crew

Olivia Latsha: prop masterMichaela Novack: assistantJenna Stuck: wardrobe managerEmma Atwood, Katrina Goecke:

assistants

Brianna Baumert: make-up super-visor

Madeline Novack, Courtlynn Boyle: assistants

Alex Gessner: sound engineerConner Carey: assistantJedadiah Stuck: lighting engineerColton Long, Josiah Miller: as-

sistantsTim Latsha: technical supportDennis Morgan: head chefBrandy Schroth: assistantShelley Heffner, Killian Fahringer:

dining room supervisorsTricia Gutelius: decorating man-

agerRobin Spangler, Diane Maurer:

assistants


The Warrior Run High School staged “Shrek: The Musical” on March 10-12.

“I chose the musical because it had a wealth of characters and I really liked the music,” said musicals director Kevin Myers.

Cast & Crew

Jerry Toth: Shrek Maddie Beyer: Fiona Abby Neamand: Donkey Emily Webb: Pinocchio Wes Bowers: Farquaad Tayler Murphy: Dragon Abby Bell: Gingy Christopher Dyer: Papa Bear Keturah Corderman: Mama Bear Haley Miller: Baby Bear Abby Staman: Pig #1 Mariah Rovenolt: Pig #2 Grace Hormell: Pig #3 Ryan Neamand: Big Bad Wolf Olivia George: Sugar Plum Fairy Keefer Goodspeed: Rabbit Madi McConnell: Elf Alyssa Snyder: Humpty Dumpty McKenna Beyer: Wicked Witch Lauren Eurich: Ugly Duckling Brett Bieber: Mad Hatter Ian Lininger: Pied Piper Cailyn Pfleegor: The Good Witch Shaelyn Bergerstock: Little Bo

Peep Kylee Nicholas: Red Riding Hood David Witmer: Peter Pan Madi Welliver: Fairy Godmother Olivia Sees: Blind Mouse #1 Brittany Hornberger: Blind Mouse

#2 Kelsey Stahlnecker: Blind Mouse

#3 Jenn Dowdy: Shrek Mama Zach Smith: Shrek Papa Cecilia Brown: Teenage Fiona

Anthony Jones: King Harold Olivia Ossont: Queen Lillian Tucker Hays: Guard 1 Brennan Daubert: Guard 2 Ian Cragun: Guard 3 Anthony Jones: Guard 4 Wyatt Walters: Guard 5 Zach Smith: Guard 6 Pacey Howard: Thelonius Gina Beyer: Bishop Mikayla Griner: Dwarf Reed Pawling: Knight 1 Braden Pawling: Knight 2 Wyatt Walters: Knight 3 Elie Wagner: Knight 4 Maris Kilgus: Bluebird Lydia Boyer: Rat Tapper 1 Kierra Trivelpiece: Rat Tapper 2 Natalie Philips: Rat Tapper 3 Emma Burrows: Rat Tapper 4 Megan Zimmerman: Rat Tapper 5

Madison Majcher: Rat Tapper 6 Mackenzie Williams: Rat Tapper 7 McKenna Beyer: Rat Tapper 8 Kierra Trivelpiece: Dragon Backup Lydia Boyer: Dragon Backup Olivia Sees: Dragon Backup Mackenzie Williams: Dragon

Backup Natalie Phililps: Dragon Backup Madi McConnell: Dragon Backup Abbie Reed: Happy Villager 1 Tianni Reibsome: Happy Villager 2 Valerie Cerrone: Happy Villager 3 Alayna Hemphill: Happy Villager 4 Mindy Hunt: Happy Villager 5 Sarah Ranck: Happy Villager 6 Shania Stone: Happy Villager 7 Jessica Deeter: Happy Villager 8 Sadie Moser: Happy Villager 9 Destinee Michael: Villager 10 Ashlee Long: Happy Villager 11

Kiann Weikel: Happy Villager 12 Isabella Brenington: Happy Vil-

lager 13 Maris Kilgus: Happy Villager 14 Emily Pelletier: Happy Villager 15 Elie Wagner: Happy Villager 16 Emma Burrows: Duloc Dancer 1 Lydia Boyer: Duloc Dancer 2 Kierra Trivelpiece: Duloc Dancer 3 Marley Gresh: Duloc Dancer 4 Alyssa Gainer: Duloc Dancer 5 Rachel Grow: Duloc Dancer 6 Hailee Lannan: Duloc Dancer 7 Natalie Philips: Duloc Dancer 8 Keely Laidacker: Duloc Dancer 9 Bailey Frey: Duloc Dancer 10 Megan Zimmerman: Duloc

Dancer 11 Mackenzie Williams: Duloc

Dancer 12 Tianni Reibsome: Duloc Quartet

Ashlee Long: Duloc Quartet Abbie Reed: Duloc Quartet Isabella Brenington: Duloc

Quartet

WARRIOR RUN

SUNBURY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Photo provided by Kevin Myers

Seniors involved with Warrior Run’s production of “Shrek: The Musical” take a mo-ment to pose for a picture.

By Tricia Kline

Sunbury Christian Academy offered a unique opportunity and atmosphere for attendees of their spring musical, Fiddler on the Roof. A special themed dinner and music before the show set the stage for the performance to follow.

Dylan Taylor played an often humorous and also sensitive portrayal of Tevye, the father and dairyman, alongside a main cast that consisted of his wife, Golde, played by Courtney Maurer, who offered a wonderful stage pres-ence with talented vocals; their five daughters; and two young men as romantic suitors.

Courtney Gross, as daughter Hodel, offered beautiful vocals, especially in her solo rendition of “Far From the Home I Love.”

Special kudos to piano accom-panist Tim Latsha.

Photo provided by Bill Clawser

From left, Jenna Stuck, Rebekah Gingrich, Justin Keller, Julia Abraham, Shannon Hennett and Julia Taylor take a bow.

By Tricia Kline

In a magical mix of nursery rhymes and fairy tales, Shrek the Musical at Warrior Run was a unique show with phenom-enal costumes for green ogres Shrek and Fiona, Donkey, Pinnochio (Emily Webb), Gingy (Abby Bell), and many many more.

The huge dragon prop with glowing red eyes and smoke coming out of its nostrils was also impressive (so were the vocals of the dragon, sung by Lauren Yost), and the costume for Lord Farquaad was very creative; actor Wesley Bowers not only had to walk around on his knees to make the cos-tume work, he did a great job portraying the arrogant, spoiled part.

Abigail Neamand as Donkey was energetic and funny, and Jerry Toth as Shrek had a great stage presence and a fantastic Scottish accent, while Madeline Beyer as Fiona also presented well her acting and vocal talents.

In the end, all of the “misfits” learned to appreciate what made them unique.


#VALLEYMUSICALS

Honorable mentionsA look at some additional memorable performancesBy John ZaktanskyThe Daily Item

With literally hundreds of students over 12 school produc-tions — all of which turned in top-notch performances — it was a challenge to narrow the field to the 15 award winners in the previous pages. Tricia Kline, who attended all of the local performances, felt compelled to share the following honorable mentions in a few categories.

Kyler BallietThe sophomore was the lead

actor as Huck Finn in Shikel-lamy’s “Big River.

“Balliet had many lines to remember as he went back and forth between acting and then narrating the story to the audi-ence. He was almost constantly on the move, yet carried on steady vocals as he portrayed the youthful, iconic role,” said Kline.

Ellen Boyer, musical direc-tor for Shikellamy, agreed he deserves acknowledgement.

“He had his work cut out for him in such a huge role. During the first half of the production, he was literally off the stage only 47 seconds and only a few mo-ments in the second half,” Boyer said. “Considering the magni-tude of material he had to learn and Huck being such an iconic character that everyone knows, Kyler had to work extra hard to create a believable character. He personified everything Mark Twain wrote in the book.”

Balliet admitted the role was a challenge.

“First I tried to tackle the southern accent, and thank-fully that came over time,” he said. “Then I needed to build the character. It was a matter of dissecting each line and finding the meaning behind each thing Huck did and then bringing that message to the stage.”

When it comes to the story of Huckleberry Finn, Balliet said there is definitely some strong messages to be learned.

“Huck and Jim go through a transformation. In some aspects, they are worlds apart. Early on, Huck doesn’t know that black people are supposed to be any-thing but slaves,” Balliet said. “Over time, they realize along their adventure that the only thing that is different between them is the color of their skin. It is a powerful message, even today.”

Olivia WeaverThe Meadowbrook sixth-

grader played the evil Gaston’s faithful sidekick.

“As Gaston’s goon, LeFou often gets tossed around and thrown to the floor. Weaver showed LeFou’s comically hope-less loyalty and energy very well. She was so convincing in the role, I originally thought it was a boy playing the part,” said Kline.

That was what Meadowbrook musical director Amanda Bro-sious was trying to achieve.

“That is what I really admire about Olivia – she doesn’t care what other people are thinking. She throws herself into a role. I asked her if we could do a uni-brow and really make her look like a boy, and she didn’t care at all,” Brosious said. “Olivia was up against some high schoolers for that role, but her natural wit came out and she shined on the stage.”

Weaver admitted that the role

sort of grew on her.“I loved how LeFou was just

so loyal to please Gaston and always trying to cheer him up. I also love how he just shakes things off – whether he gets picked up by the collar or threat-ened to be thrown across the room, LeFou just gets right back up,” she said.

How did Weaver prepare for the role?

“Well, for one thing, I had to play the part of a male and had to make my voice more deep then what I’m used to,” she said. “As for the physical part of playing LeFou, I was already a physical person and used to fall-ing because I had played soccer before this and was one of our team’s goalies. It also took a lot of time practicing how to land and how to perform the other stunts.”

Stage setsBetween Milton’s “Les

Miserables” and Shikellamy’s “Big River,” the bar was set high when it came to engaging stage sets. Kline felt it important to honor two others that stuck out locally to her.

“In Lewisburg’s ‘Into the Woods,’ much of the woods scenes are centered around a very large tree, behind which was a dark and foreboding for-est. Oversized books on both sides of the stage gave the set a fairy tale feel. Rapunzel’s doorless tower, where some key scenes took place, was also well done,” she said.

Kline felt Mifflinburg’s “Crazy for You” also notable.

“From cityscape to western town, the crew did a good job of transitioning. The western town was pretty neat, using inter-connecting pieces that formed outside of the town with balco-nies that the cowboys hung out on. They were turned around to form the inside of a saloon. Also, there was an impressive set to show the inside of the theater,” Kline said.


Kyler Balliet

Photo provided by Ellen Boyer

Kyler Balliet, as Huck Finn, and Noah Fenstermacher, as Jim, navigate the Mississippi in “Big River.”

Photo provided by Amy Terwilliger

Olivia Weaver, as LeFou, schemes with Brent Mes-tach’s Gaston in Meadowbrook Christian School’s performance of “Beauty and the Beast.”

valley musicals 2016

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