Hooch Graduate "Brings It" To Community Theatre Before Heading To NYC

JOHNS CREEK, GA -- Recent Chattahoochee High School graduate Ashton Pickering isn’t taking much of a summer vacation before she heads to Pace University where she will begin studying to obtain a bachelors in fine arts degree in stage management.

Before she even received her high school diploma, though, she was already at work again as the assistant director of Community Theatre 5230’s summer production, "Bring It On: The Musical," which opens this week.

No stranger to directing, Pickering was also the student director of Hooch's production of "The Wedding Singer" in the spring. She earned that job after proving herself during a successful run as the assistant director of Theatre 5230’s 2016 summer production of "Rock of Ages."

Pickering is a big proponent of Community Theater, and has relished the friendships she has gained these past two summers from actors all over the area that she most likely would not have met without these shows. She also admits she had not heard of this production before, but now that she is in it, she has relished the opportunity to learn about the world of cheerleading and loves the character development that unfolds in the story.

"The characters are so relatable and lovable," she said. "It’s a great story of how everyone can come together."

For theatre buffs, Lin-Manuel Miranda was co-composer and lyricist for the 2012 Broadway production which originally premiered at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. This musical brings the thrill of extreme competition to the stage, as two high school cheer squads journey to claim the National Cheerleading Championships title. Pickering is sure Miranda fans will love the upbeat music of the show and that the characters are “super-fun,” and that no will have a bland moment watching the show.

Pickering will depart shortly after the show for New York City to attend college. She is excited about future opportunities and looks forward to the first step of getting an internship. Additionally, one of her professors at Pace is the stage manager for "Hello Dolly,” which is now running on Broadway.

Theatre 5230 is very excited to take on challenging productions for emerging artists. The show will take the stage at Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek July 20-22 at 7 p.m. and July 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets may be bought online for $15.

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