FARMINGTON – Bring on the band.
More than 30 young actors involved with the Sandy River Players’ Youth Musical Theater Camp will be performing The Music Man Junior on July 10 through July 12, with tickets on sale now.
The Music Man Junior, written by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey, is about a con man named Harold Hill, who moves to a small village and tells the townsfolk that they need to form a band. Intending to run a usual scheme, Hill’s plans change when he falls in love with the local Marian and he decides to stick around. Meanwhile the band, while awful sounding, changes the town and residents for the better.
“Harold starts with bad intentions,” Director Jessica Longstreet said, “but he ends up doing this great thing.”
The Youth Musical Theater Camp, designed for children from eight to 12 years old, is a three-week series of classes held every summer. The participants are involved with every part of theater; from the acting, dancing and singing to creating scenes, props and stages to learning how to apply makeup and design costumes.
“It’s an intense three weeks,” Longstreet admitted.
This is her third year with the camp, and her second year as director. Longstreet, who works as a teacher in Pittsfield, said that she would never consider putting on a musical with adults on such limited prep time.
“They’re amazing, talented actors,” she said. “Three weeks to put on a musical with adults, I’d never do that. But with kids, its great. They don’t mind trying to sing or getting up in front of everyone.”
Helping Longstreet are SRP’s lighting designer David Smith, tech/makeup specialist Mark Lemos, Stage Manager Ally West, Stage Assistant Zoe Hardy, Vocal Instructor Matt West (pictured at right) and Music Director Andrea Keirstead, who also provides the musical’s accompanying piano.
The play opens Friday, July 10, at 7 p.m. at the University of Maine at Farmington’s Alumni Theater. Second showing is Saturday evening, July 11, also at 7 p.m. The final showing is July 12, at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Mickey’s Hallmark in downtown Farmington or reserved by calling 779-7084, with entry costing $6 for students and seniors and $8 for adults.
The cast list for the play:
Conductor– Nicole Pires
Salesman 1– Savannah Fay
Salesman 2– Hattie Rosenberg
Salesman 3– Chloe Downs
Salesman 4– Zoe Huish
Salesman 5– Maggie Hickey
Charlie– Sierra Hoes
Harold Hill– Noah LePage
Mayor Shinn– Julian Eriksen-Thomson
Alma– Thea Sayward
Maud– Cecilia Dean
Ethel– Anna Glass
Mrs. Squires– Natalie Fahn
Marcellus– Jacob Rutberg
Marian– Claire Donaghue
Mrs. Paroo– Erin Buckland
Amaryllis– Meghan Charles
Winthrop– Sawyer Zundel
Eulalie Shinn– Kristyn Wiles
Constable– Maeve Hickey
Gracie Shinn– Sara Acheson-Field
Ewart Dunlop– Nicole Pires
Olin Britt– Savannah Fay
Oliver Hix– Nate Moore
Jacey Squires– Patrick Donaghue
Man 1 & 2– Noah Widen
Zaneeta– Astra Peirson
Tommy– Brendan Hickey
Band Kids– River Lisuis, Cassidy Mosher, Elysia Roorbach, Mary Acheson, Hattie Rosenberg, Chloe Downs, Maggie Hickey and Zoe Huish
