Woburn Students to Take Stoneham Theatre's Stage

Submitted by Stoneham Theatre:

Four Woburn 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 5 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 August 7-10, 2014 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.

Colin Breslin (Xanadu/Cyclops) will appear in Xanadu, a musical based on the popular movie where a magical Greek muse descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to 1980s Venice Beach, CA, 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.

Sarah Collins (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.

Maria Ferraguto will be appearing in Argonautika by Mary Zimmerman. This play, adapted from The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, centers around heroes and monsters battle on a green sea. Mary Zimmerman (Metamorphoses, The Jungle Book) reimagines the journey of Jason and his heroic crew as they cross oceans in search of the Golden Fleece, before returning home to find the most dangerous enemy is sometimes the one you hold most close. Gaius Vlerius Flaccus Translated by David R. Slavitt. Apollonius Rhodius Translated by Peter Green. The Chicago Tribune says “Argonautika is a Masterpiece.” The San Francisco Chronicle proclaims that “Argonautika shimmers with humor and sheer genius.”

Colleen Tenney will appear in Picnic at Hanging Rock, a musical that takes place at the Appleyard School for Girls. Australia. 1900. St. Valentines Day. When a group of school girls picnic at a mysterious geological formation known as Hanging Rock, three of them never return. Did they run away, were they kidnapped, or was something more supernatural at play? This haunting new musical weaves an intricate web of longing, loss, and mystery. Book, music, and lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik. Based on the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Weigall Lindsay.

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.