Five North Reading Students to Take Stoneham Theatre Stage

Submitted by Stoneham Theatre:

Five North Reading students will be taking the stage at Stoneham Theatre during the young company Summer Festival 2014.

Stoneham Theatre’s young company offers year-round theatrical training and performance opportunities for students in grades 1-12. The Summer Festival is the culmination of five weeks of preparation by the students and their professional directors, music directors, choreographers, stage managers, and design team.

The young company Summer Festival includes 6 fully staged productions: Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr., Children of Eden, and Xanadu run from Aug. 7-10 and are performed by students in grades 4-9. Monty Python’s Spamalot, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika run from Aug. 14-17 and are performed by students in grades 10-12 and recent high school graduates.

Sarah Bustin (Kira) and Kila Higginbottom (Terpsicore/Hermes) will appear inXanadu, a musical based on the popular movie where a magical Greek muse descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to 1980s Venice Beach, California on a quest to inspire a struggling artist. But when they fall in love, her jealous sisters wreak havoc on the pair’s roller-disco dreams. This hilarious, free-wheeling musical adventure encourages us to listen to our hearts despite what others say. Book by Douglas Carter Beane, Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. Based on the Universal Pictures film Screenplay by Richard Danus and Marc Rubel. Originally produced on Broadway by Robert Ahrens, Dan Vickery, Tara Smith/ B. Swibel, Sara Murchison/ Dale Smith and Cari Smulyan.

Avery Desrosiers (Storyteller) will appear in Children of Eden. Inspired by the Genesis Stories, this joyful musical explores the fraught and funny relationships between parents and children and the patterns passed—intentionally or not – between generations. Children of Eden features fabulous Stephen Schwartz songs like “Spark of Creation,” “Stranger to the Rain” and “Lost in the Wilderness.” Book by John Caird. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Based on a concept by Charles Lisanby. Orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin and Martin Erksine.

Joseph Ferri (Sir Lancelot) and Andrew Vontzalides (Sir Robin) will appear inMonty Python’s Spamalot which retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table with show girls, cows, killer rabbits, and Frenchies tossed in. The 2005 Broadway production won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and garnered 14 Tony Award nominations. Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle. A new musical lovingly ripped off from the classic film MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. From the original screenplay by Graham Chapman.

Performance Schedule:

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. — Friday, Aug. 8 at noon; Saturday, Aug. 9 at noon; and Sunday, Aug. 10 at noon.

Children of Eden — Friday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 9 at 3 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 10 at 3 p.m.

Xanadu — Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m; and Sunday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.

Monty Python’s Spamalot — Friday, Aug. 15 at 5 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 17 at noon.

Picnic at Hanging Rock — Friday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 16 at 5 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m.

Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika — Thursday, Aug. 14 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 16 at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m.

Tickets for adults are $15. Student tickets are $10. For more information, call Stoneham Theatre’s Box Office at (781) 279-2200, or visitwww.stonehamtheatre.org.