playbill vip

     Oh, what a joy it has been to be back at Colina and finally producing Aladdin Jr.! In March 2020 we were preparing to do this show before the world shut down, so I was ecstatic when this class voted to do it this year.  It has been a long road. Auditions in January and then we jumped into choreography and working on the vocals. Our three dancers who unfortunately had a conflict for show week, "jumped" at the chance to set the dances for their peers so they could still be involved in the production. I am very proud of them. They learned some valuable lessons about working with actors and a director instead of just other dancers. :) Quite a few of the actors have been gently pushed (maybe shoved in some cases) out of their comfort zones. Including having understudies for almost every role in case of unforeseen circumstances, so many of the kids had to learn more than one part! I knew it was going to be a huge task so I reached out to a former Westlake student of mine to assist and Molly Kreitman came in, to work closely with the students as a first-time director so I could focus on working with the costuming, props, sets, etc. It was a great collaboration and the kids took to her immediately. We are both proud of all that has been accomplished with just under 4 hours a week (no Tuesdays due to late start) and a few after-school rehearsals.

     We very much hope you enjoy the show and continue to support School-based theatre programs. Given the state of the world, the kids really need theatre in their lives. The skills they build in communication, teamwork, empathy, and self-confidence are invaluable no matter their future career path. I hope to get to see some of your students on stage at Westlake in the future as well! 

Sit back and relax as we take you with us on a journey to Agrabah!