The Academy Players Present - Wilbraham & Monson …€¦ · · 2015-02-14The Academy Players...
Transcript of The Academy Players Present - Wilbraham & Monson …€¦ · · 2015-02-14The Academy Players...
Feb. 13-15 and Feb. 20-22
Wilbraham & Monson Academy 423 Main Street • Wilbraham, MA 01095
www.wma.us • 413.596.6811
The Academy Players Present:
WILBRAHAM & MONSON ACADEMY THE GLOBAL SCHOOL®
Roxie Hart .......................... Alina Shirley ’15 Velma Kelly ....................... Mary Callahan ’15 Billy Flynn .......................... Jack Faulstick ’16 Amos Hart .......................... Ben Ochola ’15 Mama Morton ................... Rachella Ferst ’15 Mary Sunshine ................. Greg Large ’15 Master of Ceremonies ... Emily Dromgold ’17 Sergeant Fogarty ............ Morah Palmer ’17 Liz .......................................... Hanh Minh Ly ’16 Annie .................................... Emily Carson ’15 June ....................................... Anastasia Goncharova ’16 Hunyak ................................ Muyi (Jennifer) Zhao ’16 Mona .................................... Maddy Duke ’15 Go-‐To-‐Hell Kitty .............. Anike Tella ’16 Ensemble ............................ Shaodong (Richard) Liang ’16 Lili Brook ’16 Olivia DeBaise ’18 Sarah Ragnauth ’18 Sophia Spears ’18 Christine Ochola ’18 Jie (Angela) Sheng ’16 Shiyin (Sally) Liu ’18
The cast and crew would like to extend A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to our directors, Ms. Dziura, Mr. Wheeler and Ms. Dowling. They have put in endless hours working on this musical and we deeply appreciate all the hard work and sacrifices (sleep) they have made to make “Chicago” happen.
Also a BIG THANK YOU to all the parents for their support of the show. Without their moral support and tolerance of moody actors/actresses this musical would never happen!!
And lastly, a GIGANTIC THANK YOU to everyone attending the performances. We hope you are thoroughly entertained. Enjoy the show!!
Program design by Alina Shirley ’15
PIT ORCHESTRA Pianists .................................. Yujia (Claire) Chen ’15 Yujia (Cynthia) Zhang ’17 Emily Dromgold ’17 Violin ...................................... Yijie (Eric) Yang ’16 Percussion ........................... Kevin Barker* Trombone ............................ Steven Salo, Faculty
David Little ’16 Alex Kugelmass ’16 Gabe Awad ’17
Mei (Amy) Liu ’15
TECH CREW
DIRECTORS Musical Directors .................... Susan Dziura, Faculty Thad Wheeler, Faculty Choreographer ........................ Libby Dowling* Tech Crew Director ................ Sue Cole* Stage Managers ....................... Mariam Abramian ’17 Julianne Schmidt ’17
Mariam Abramian ’17 Julianne Schmidt ’17 Stage Managers
Mariam and Julianne are sophomores and first time managers of the musical. They were part of last year’s production of “Urinetown” and had a great time working with the cast members. They hope you enjoy the show!
Jie (Angela) Sheng ’16 Ensemble Hey everyone, I am Angela Sheng. In “Chicago,” I’m the dancer in the ensemble. I love my role, since I can act it out with my own personality. Hope you enjoy the show and the songs!
Anastasia Goncharova ’16 June/Ensemble Hi…enjoy the show!
Lillianna Brook ’16 Ensemble Lili is new to theater this year, but has danced for many years prior to this performance. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support, Ms. Dziura for the opportunity, and “Chicago” itself, for helping her to realize her deep love for the 20’s. Enjoy the show!!
* Thank you to our special guests for participating in the show!
Shiyin (Sally) Liu ’18 Ensemble Sally is a freshman who has sent her first two trimesters in the theatre program. She acted as an elf in “She Kills Monsters” directed by Mr. Dziura and then became part of the ensemble of “Chicago” with Ms. Dziura and lots of other great actors. She is very thankful to be involved in the theater program and enjoys it a lot. She enjoys “Chicago” and wishes that the audience loves it as much as she does. She appreciates everybody’s devotion and time in the show.
Sophie Spears ’18 Ensemble Hey everybody, Spohie Spears here! I’m a freshman, and this is my first time EVER doing a musical. Hope we Razzle Dazzled you! :P
Christine Ochola ’18 Judge/Ensemble Hi, I’m Christine, and I am a freshman at WMA. I have seen my brother and other wonderful actors in the past musicals, and I am so excited to be a part of this one! I have had a great time participating in “Chicago” and look forward to next year’s performance. I hope you enjoy the show!
Sarah Ragnauth ’18 Ensemble This is Sarah’s first year in the Academy Players. She is beyond excited to be in the musical this year! She loves being a part of the ensemble and she can’t wait to do it again next year!
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Alina Shirley ’15 Roxie Hart
This is my sixth and final musical at ole WM of A. Wowza. It’s been a wild ride, from “The Wiz” to “Chicago.” As Roxie Hart this year, I am the most excited to be only slightly less pee-‐oriented as I was in last year’s musical. While the part isn’t on the same caliber as a snail’s tail, it pays the bills. In the future, you may see me returning for the musicals of WMA’s future, for senior year is a myth, and I am in denial. Thank you, and I love you all.
Mary Callahan ’15 Velma Kelly
I AM MARY CALLAHAN, THE UNBURNT, OF THE HOUSE
CALLAHAN, FIRST OF MY NAME; QUEEN OF WMA; QUEEN OF THE BAD, THE LOUD, AND OF MEN; LADY REGNANT OF THE BLACK BOX THEATER, PROTECTOR OF
THE REALM, FORMALLY KNOWN, BREAKER
OF SOCIAL CHAINS, AND MOTHER OF DRAGONS
Maddy Duke ’15 Mona/Baliff/Ensemble
Maddy Duke is very much looking forward to playing a murderess. Very much so. Scarily so. Fear her. She would like to thank her family, her girlfriend, and Ms. Dziura for this show. This is her fourth and final musical. She has been a shark (the gang member), a snail’s tail (actually), and young post-‐apocalyptic girl, and a missionary among other roles. She would like to thank you for coming, and hopes you enjoy the show. Good luck.
Anike Tella ’16 Go-‐To-‐Hell Kitty/Harrison/Ensemble
Salutations! This is Anike’s second year at WMA and in the theater program. Her junior year has encompassed longer walks to the fridge and more elaborate bad puns. Please, take time to notice her pearly whites, as she’s removed her braces and subsequently “glo’d up.” She’d like to thank her mother and father for tolerating her humor and regularly supplying the fridge.
Shaodong (Richard) Liang ’16 Harry/Doctor/Ensemble
Hi…enjoy the show!
Olivia DeBaise ‘18 Ensemble This is Olivia’s first year at WMA, as well as her first partaking in a theatrical performance! She is very excited to be a member of the ensemble of “Chicago,” and will continue to be a part of WMA’s theater program. Olivia looks forward to acting, singing and dancing under Ms. Dziura’s guidance in future productions. She would like to thank those who encouraged her to start theater.
Jack Faulstick ’16 Billy Flynn Kanye West once said, “Man, I’m the No. 1 living and breathing rock star. I am Axl Rose; I am Jim Morrison; I am Jimi Hendrix.” But that doesn’t really apply to me. He also said, “I am Warhol. I am the No. 1 most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh.” That one’s a little closer, but still not quite me. Yeezus then said something quite brilliant in my mind, and that’s: “I refuse to accept other people’s ideas of happiness for me. As if there’s a ‘one size fits all’ standard for happiness.” I’m Jack, first year repeat junior from Amherst, Mass. I play the one and only Billy Flynn. Shoutout to John Bechtold for getting me involved in this weird thing called theater and making me the person I am today. He’s an absolute stud. I hope y’all enjoy the show.
Ben Ochola ’15 Amos Hart So…yeah…this is my last year here in the WMA theater (unfortunately). I’d like to thank everyone who has encouraged and helped me to get to this point. But do not worry and fear not, because my sister Christine is here to continue the legacy.
Greg Large ’15 Mary Sunshine/Fred Casely Back in the theater, though he never left, he makes his final appearance in the musical. Enjoy the once former tree in all his glory. Come one, come all, and be amazed. IT’S A BIRD! IT’S A PLANE! IT IS A PLANE, AND THAT PLANE IS CARRYING GREG! This message was brought to you by the DMV, where even the website has a waiting room.
Hanh Minh Ly ’16 Liz/Ensemble I had great times and many laughs with my friends in theater. One of the best experiences I have had at WMA so far. Enjoy the show!
Emily Dromgold ’17 Master of Ceremonies
Emily is so excited for the showing of “Chicago” this year! This is her second musical at the Academy. Last year, she performed in “Urinetown” as Tiny Tom and absolutely loved it. She hopes you enjoy the show this year as much as she does. She would also like to thank Ms. Dziura, Mr. Wheeler, her friends, and her family for their support.
Morah Palmer ’17 Sergeant Fogarty/Ensemble
Hi, my name is Morah. I am a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia and this is my bio. P.O.P. holdin’ it down.
Rachella Ferst ’15 Matron “Mama” Morton
Hello beautiful people of the world! You are very privileged to be witnessing such an incredible musical with senior, Rachella Ferst, cast as Matron Mama Morton! This is Rachella’s second year in the winter musical and she’s very excited that she actually gets to speak and sing a lot more this time around. Rachella loves singing very much, but acting is something that is quite new for her. Rachella would like to express her gratitude and thanks to Ms. Dziura for her endless dedication and hard work in putting this musical together, Mr. Wheeler and his musicians for bringing life to this musical with sensational music, and finally, to all of Rachella‘s wonderful friends and Mom and Dad for their constant love and support. Enjoy the show and all that jazz!
Emily Carson ’15 Annie/Ensemble Emily Carson, better known as “Carse” to her rabid and dedicated fanbase, plays Arsenic Annie, one of the six Merry Murderesses. Critically acclaimed and widely hailed as “the Michael Keaton of the Blackbox Theater,” Carse was launched into superstardom freshman year in “West Side Story” as the girlfriend of the leader of the Jets (you may remember her famous line, “ooh-‐oobly ooh!”) before consciously uncoupling from the industry altogether to reconnect with her roots on a nerdy quiz bowl team. She rejoined the theater company her senior year, after they made her an offer she couldn’t refuse (read: $$$). For her incomparable performance in “Chicago,” Carse is up for two Tonys, a Grammy for Spoken Word, and probably an Oscar too, tbh. She would like to thank not only God, but also Jesus. Also Peach Snapple, for hydrating her through long Wednesday dance rehearsals.
Muyi (Jennifer) Zhao ’16 Hengya Hi everyone, I’m Jenn and in “Chicago” I play a Chinese character Hengya, the only murderess who can’t speak any English except “not guilty.” As the only one who needs to act differently than other murderesses, it’s a challenge for me and I hope you will like it! Thanks and enjoy the show!