‘Grease’ is the word for BLTeens
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Photo by Emily Phillips/Cadence Laird and Connor Cagle dance as Rizzo and Kenickie.
Photo by Emily Phillips/Bailey Pounds (in yellow) as Sandy is surrounded by the Pink Ladies.
Photo by Emily Phillips BLTeens campers Jonah Clark as Roger and Lucy Donegan as Jan are part of the cast of “Grease: School Version.”
Photo by Emily Phillips/The BLTeens production of “Grease: School Version” runs tonight through Sunday.
Photo by Emily Phillips/The BLTeens production of “Grease: School Version” runs tonight through Sunday.
Photo by Emily Phillips/The BLTeens production of “Grease: School Version” runs tonight through Sunday.
Photo by Emily Phillips/The BLTeens production of “Grease: School Version” runs tonight through Sunday.
Summer campin’ happened so fast, but after four weeks of learning lines and stage production, the BLTeens are ready to have a blast in “Grease” tonight through Sunday.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday with matinee performances at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. All seats are $15 for those without season tickets. It’s the school version of “Grease” which is family-friendly for all ages.
For reserve tickets, visit haventheatre.org or call 601-990-2243.
Brookhaven Little Theatre’s BLTeens camp is held annually at The Haven. Twenty-four youngsters participated in the drama camp this year.
“They have been rehearsing seven days a week for three weeks,” said BLT Executive Director Emily Waterloo. “They’ve worked really hard and it’s amazing to see how kids this age can perform and soak up all of it and memorize lines so quickly. It’s amazing. It’s not easy, but they’re doing a phenomenal job.”
Some of the campers are seasoned veterans of the Haven stage, while others are experiencing the lights, cameras and action for the first time.
“Their eyes are wide open and they have no idea what they’re getting into,” she said. “I’ve never experienced anyone not coming in and not being eaten by the theater bug. It’s so much fun to see how they grow.”
BLTeens is a rite of passage for some who start in BLT Kids then “graduate” into the older camp.
“There’s just something magical about being a teenager and being old enough to be in the BLTeens production,” she said.
“Grease: School Version” is family-friendly for any age. It’s directed by Paden Phillips with assistance from Jesse Freeman, LeAnna Maddox and Emily Phillips.
The cast includes Turner Owens (Danny), Bailey Pounds (Sandy), Cadence Laird (Rizzo), Gracie Gray (Frenchy), Carley Craig (Marty), Lucy Donegan (Jan), Connor Cagle (Kenickie), Josh Brown (Doody), Jonah Clark (Roger), Tyler Shann (Sonny), McLain Boyd (Eugene), Jerome Walton (Teen Angel), Chase Gaddy (Vince Fontaine), Caden Grafton (Johnny Casino), Rivers Gray (Patty), Lucy Allen (Cha-Cha), Stevie Nevels (Miss Lynch), Braxton King (Burger Palace Man), Bryce LeBlanc (Rydell student), Olivia Baker (cheerleader), Lizzie Donegan (cheerleader), Kat Hemphill (Rydell student) and Jacy Jordan (Rydell student).
Caleb Brown is serving as technical director.
Campers, who are in seventh- through 12th-grades, have learned all parts of production — casting, choreography, lighting, sound, hair and makeup, set design, directing and acting. Guest artist Randy Redd, a Brookhaven native, has worked with them this week. Redd has an extensive list of Broadway, Off Broadway and film credits including “Pump Boys & Dinettes,” “Ring of Fire,” “Million Dollar Quartet” and “Beautiful Creatures.”
Registration is open now for the Haven Kids camp, which will conclude with a performance of “The Lion King Kids.” More than 75 campers participated last year, Waterloo said.
Kids Camp is for students entering first- through seventh-grade in the fall. Camp is July 9-13 and July 15-20 from 9 a.m. to noon. Performance dates are July 19-20 at 6 p.m. with a matinee Friday at 11 a.m. Seats are $10 for anyone who does not have a season ticket.
Camp registration is $200 and can be paid online or by phone, 601-990-2243. Forms are available at www.brookhavenlittletheatre.com.
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