The Program for Academic and Creative Enrichment (PACE) Musical Theatre AcademyB次元官网网址檚 latest production makes over 50 years of hits from Broadway musical history appealing to the entire family.
B次元官网网址楢ndB次元官网网址he Tony Goes to?B次元官网网址� features productions familiar to adults such as B次元官网网址楥ome From AwayB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址楾he Phantom of the OperaB次元官网网址� that will be performed alongside kidB次元官网网址檚 favourites like Spongebob Squarepants and Shrek.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of those things that everyone in the family can come to. I think we have something for a full range from young to old family entertainment,B次元官网网址� said the director, Sandy Webster-Worthy.
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Over 300 performers B次元官网网址� from Kindergarten to Grade 12 B次元官网网址� will be putting on the musical, many of whom have been making recurring appearances with the Sooke School District 62 academy.
Some of the choices for the showB次元官网网址檚 content are meant to be opportunities for the students to add context to the periods the musicals were written in and to showcase their talents, Webster-Worthy said.
B次元官网网址淭he content of B次元官网网址楧ear Evan Hansen,B次元官网网址� what does that say about whatB次元官网网址檚 happened in the age of isolation?B次元官网网址�
Elementary students play paperboys for a number from B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址ies,B次元官网网址� a 1992 musical that deals with the newsboys strike of 1899, a campaign to end the exploitation of child labor carried out by Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph HearstB次元官网网址檚 newspapers.The array of theatrical styles grants students a broad range to work with and lends perspectives to different periods in time, Worthy added.
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B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just learning a number and doing it on stage.B次元官网网址�
The cast this year is B次元官网网址渋ncredibly talentedB次元官网网址� and has been B次元官网网址渆xciting to work with,B次元官网网址� Webster-Worthy said. Some students have been doing 20 to 30 shows a year for 13 years, she said, adding more than half the students have been coming for multiple years now.
B次元官网网址淭here are kids with 120 shows under their belts, and theyB次元官网网址檙e ten years old.B次元官网网址�
Rehearsals for the production started since mid-January, with the cast coming in Sundays from a host of municipalities as far as Duncan, Sooke, and Cowichan, she said.
The once-a-week sessions are more in line with professional productions than with high school performances, which means they can be intense, she said. But with 50 volunteers on hand B次元官网网址� from grandparents to parents and alumni B次元官网网址� helping with costuming, props and staging, and four choreographers and musical directors, coordination can be the biggest challenge, she said.
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B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been doing this for 30 years. WeB次元官网网址檝e got it pretty organized.B次元官网网址�
With only 300 seats per show, tickets for opening day are sold out, Webster-Worthy said.
The musical numbers are being B次元官网网址榟ostedB次元官网网址� in a format resembling Tony awards by notable local PACE alumni and local stand-up comedian Shawn OB次元官网网址橦ara, with B次元官网网址楢merican VandalB次元官网网址� star and Webster-WorthyB次元官网网址檚 son actor Calum Worthy co-hosting the opening weekend.
The show runs April 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, at 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. shows April 19, 20, 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students and seniors and $12 for adults. They are on sale at Westshore Learning Centre at 814 Goldstream or can be bought by calling 250-391-9002.
swikar.oli@goldstreamgazette.com
