PHOTOS: 'Toy Story' Comes to Life Onstage at Valley Road School

Woody, Buzz, Rex, Andy and the whole Pixar “Toy Story” gang came to life on stage at Valley Road School under the direction of teachers Meredith Qualshie and Kelly Cahill.

Nearly 50 fourth- and fifth-grade students spent many hours after school each week since January memorizing lines, building sets, creating props, sewing costumes and developing lighting and stage plans to pull together a heartwarming version of the childhood favorite movie.

The audience Thursday night appeared to be dazzled by the performance, a charming story of a little boy’s endearing, favorite toys, the life they lead when he isn’t watching, their reaction to a new favorite toy, and how they all pull together in the end to get out of trouble they just can’t help getting themselves into.

Cowboy Woody, the ringleader of the toys (Erin Heaning) unsuccessfully tries to hide his concern when his human friend, Andy (Rachel Papa) opens his new birthday gifts. Woody has always been Andy’s favorite toy and he can’t bear the thought of ever being replaced by a newer, more interesting toy. Woody’s other toy friends who somewhat share his concern and collaborate in Woody's crazy antics include Rex, the lovably insecure dinosaur (Kaitlyn King); Slinky, the pull-string Dachshund dog (Serafina Perotto); Ham, a pink stuffed pig (Kylee Zawacki); Shark (Carly Stauffer); Mr. Potato Head (Deanna Dennigan); Woody’s heart throb, Bo Peep (Jennifer Gannon); Puck (Natalie Ferreira, who also served as narrator); and Race Car (NikkiAnne DiCosmo). Andy’s platoon of plastic soldiers (Bobby Dante, Amanda Sheedy, Sean Sattur, Jeffrey King and Jason Duffy) help the toys by conducting surveillance to deliver important birthday present reports back to the toys and executing critical toy-rescue maneuvers.

Andy’s last birthday gift and new favorite toy, the laser-shooting, universe-saving Buzz Lightyear action figure (Lauren Mulvihill), initially arrogant, but later humbled when he realizes he really is just a toy, warms hearts with his clueless yet benevolent personality. When Woody and Buzz accidentally become lost while squabbling over Andy, they begin to search for a way home, and meet aliens from the claw machine at Pizza Palace (Mackenzie Oyola, Amanda Kefalas, Tara Starita, Caileigh O'Donnell and Delia Mischel). Buzz is suddenly snatched by the claw and taken home by Sid, the evil toy-breaking neighbor boy, so Woody and his family of toys pulls together to save Buzz and bring him back home to Andy.

In addition to Andy, three other "human" cast members included Andy’s mom, (Nicole Katz), little sister Hannah (Emily Woods), and Andy’s mean, toy-abusing neighbor, Sid, (Julianna Rizzutto).

The Valley Road students’ acting was supported by the student stage crew. Set designers included Anthony Bogash, Sasha R., Sophia Bizink, Isabella Tallo, Gabriela Hernandez, Gianna Romeo, Kaitlyn Greenhill, Stephanie Campbell and Tara Viafora. A vast assortment of human- and toy-scale props were provided by props crew members Danny Laucik, Gianna Albin, Jenna Addie, Heather Stark and Alyssa Grasso. Additional stage management functions included sound by Michael Magee and Matthew and Andrew Chaillet; lights provided by Nick Duffala and Yahiree Yoplac; and curtains by Nick Kelly, Vincent Gennaro, Erik von Hollen and Douglas Winkle.

Congratulations to the students, teachers, parents and others who helped to collaborate to make this show a success.