Londonderry News

Cast of "Type Uncasted"

Sixteen years ago, I was introduced to a theatre group whose philosophy was to allow theatre geeks the opportunity to perform, learn and grow through the productions that they participated in.  Shows were produced by adults, costumes, direction (musical, dramatic and choreography) was done by adults, the theatre was contracted by adults, sets, house management, and rehearsals were the responsibility of adults.  Fast forward to 2017.  Rather than while away the hours of summer, a group of teens went on social media and proposed an idea: let’s do a show.

Liz Mak, Marissa McDonald & Sarah Rodgers

Liz Mak, Marissa McDonald and Sarah Rodgers lined up the rehearsal space, rented the Derry Opera House for one day/night, decided on songs, held auditions, and choose a cast for the revue: “Type Uncasted”.  Their brainchild includes songs from famous Broadway shows: “A Chorus Line”, “Anything Goes”, “Little Shop of Horrors”, “Footloose”, “High School Musical”, “Grease”, “Hercules”, “Dear Evan Hansen”, and “Les Mis”, to name a few.  The show brings together alumni of that theatre group I was introduced to all those years ago, Kids Coop Theatre, as well as alumni of the Specialized Theatre Enrichment Program, LMS, LHS and Pinkerton and a variety of College Drama Clubs.

Familiar faces to Londonderry residents include Dan Cain, Michael DeRosa, Abby Palmer and Joey Tannalfo.  Dan, featured in the song “Will Power” from the show “Something Rotten”, is a music education major who is thrilled to be

Dan Cain and "Type Uncasted" players

part of this show.  His schedule hasn’t allowed for any participation in theatre at school, and he has always wanted to do a musical review.  Michael, (featured as Val Jean in “Fantine’s Death/The Confrontation” from “Les Miserable” opposite Tommie Wood as Javert) is working toward his Bachelor of Fine Arts and is also in an Actor Singers production of “The Wild Party”.  Theatre is his passion and it shows in his presence on the stage.  Abby, featured in “A Night to Remember”

Abby Palmer

and “Hero” is currently a rising junior at LHS.  She has been involved with theatre at the high school and is thrilled to be in this production because she has met so many people from Pinkerton with whom she has become fast friends.  Another LHS graduate who is participating in this show is Meredith Byerly, a Spanish major at UNH.  She is a featured dancer in the production of “I Hope I Get It” from “A Chorus Line”.  Others, either current LHS learners or alumni participating in the show, are Gabby Liles, Michael Kennedy, (an amazing singer, this is his first experience, but as a junior at LHS, here’s hoping it won’t be his last!), and Kat McFadries.  Kat spoke to me of her love of performance.  She has been involved in other shows: “Once on this Island” and “Into the Woods” and is one of the many frightening characters in “Scream Fest” at Canobie Lake each year.  She is planning on studying business and theatre and hopes to combine the two fields when working in the entertainment business.

Michael DeRosa and Tommie Wood

One of the most wonderful things about the theatre community is the support they show each other when performing.  Many a LHS production at the Derry Opera House will have Pinkerton theatre members in attendance and many a Pinkerton production at their auditorium will have LHS theatre member in attendance.  This made the collaboration of the two LHS alumni (Liz and Marissa) and the Pinkerton alumni (Sarah) a natural.  Liz and Sarah have taken on the roles of director, while Marissa has taken on the role of production manager.  That doesn’t mean these talented singer/dancer/actors will not be on stage.  They are participating in several of the numbers in the review.

Pinkerton’s participation in this endeavor isn’t limited to Sarah.  Actors who have been involved with their school productions as well as community shows include Jake Doble, Sophia Shay, Michael Overko, Mela Rogers, Kyle Cardoza, Molly McAlpine, Nicole Delpidio, Arianna Earnshaw, Mike Hughes, Jaiden Wedgwood, Will Hunt, Tommie Wood, Zack Hudgins, Ryan Geary, Rachel Wood, Aleksei Lavrentyev, Eden

Michael DeRosa & Eden Richardson

Richardson, (who will have the audience in tears with her rendition of “Fantine’s Death” from “Les Misarable”), Adam Demio, Meghan McNamara and Ryan Young.  Many of these actors are featured in the songs of the review.  Jake Doble plays the lead choreographer in the production of “I Hope I Get It” and sings a duet with Arianna Earnshaw when they perform “You’re the Top”.  He said he was excited that this production was going to be put together by his peers.   Michael Overko has been involved in other shows and will be a member of the “Laramie Project” drama production at Pinkerton this fall.  Emily DeWolf is a fan favorite, having shined in Kids Coop Productions as well as others.  She is excited to be involved with this venture because it has allowed her to take on a more serious role than she is used to.  She recently was the “rapping nun” in Kids Coop’s production of “Sister Act”.  She is going to Tufts in the fall to study biochemistry, but will keep her hand in the entertainment field by joining an acapella group.  Aleksei is a rising senior at Pinkerton and is featured in the song from “Hercules”, which, he says, has an unusual twist to it.  He would like to go into the entertainment field, and with his acting, comedic and

Aleksei Lavrentyev

singing ability it seems like a good fit!  Sophia, currently at Plymouth State studying musical theatre with a minor in dance, performed with many of the Pinkerton learners while in high school. She has her sights set on LA or Chicago when she graduates where she hopes to perform or become a choreographer.

Everyone in this cast deserves to be highlighted in this article, because it is their talent and love of theatre that has brought them together to work to put on this show.  While Jake Hudgin as Music Director and Brittany Cardoza as Choreographer, have created harmony and moves that will delight the audience, it is the comradery of this group, their willingness to work for the joy of the production, and their understanding of the commitment they made to each other that makes this production unique.  Like the Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland classic movies, where young adults came together to put on a show to save the day, (anyone under 60 years old, look them up! “Babe in Arms”, “Babes of Broadway”, “Strike Up the Band”, “Girl Crazy”), these young adults have pulled together and organized something very special.  Any money earned after expenses (the Opera House runs at a cost of $650 for a weekday production) will either be donated to charity, or put into an account for next summer’s show.  If the talent line up next year is like this one, that is a worthy goal.

The show can be seen at the Derry Opera House at 8pm on Thursday, August 3^rd.  Having spent two days watching the rehearsals, tickets, at $10, are an incredible entertainment value.  Reserve tickets by emailing typeuncasted@gmail.com as they are selling fast!

Cast of James and the Giant Peach

As Kids Coop continues to celebrate the 20th Anniversary season, they are scheduled to showcase Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach JR.. the story of courage and self-discovery brought to life in a musical, March 10th and 11th. This marks Kids Coop Theatre’s 6th Annual Young Directors Showcase, a highly successful collaboration between mentor directors and veteran members of Kids Coop who strive to hone their skills in front of the stage as they have already shown their skill on the stage. They oversee the 31-member cast features children ages 8 to 15 from Derry, Londonderry, Hampstead, Chester, Sandown, Atkinson, Litchfield and Windham, NH.

Ryan Carrigan has the title role of James. Ryan was recently seen in Kids Coops production of “A Christmas Carol, the musical”. Ryan notes what a challenge this role has been for him. He said he must reach for the emotions in the character, since the range of emotions is from one extreme to another. While this is the biggest role Ryan has ever been cast in, he has worked with student directors before and commented that ‘they have a lot of patience with us!” He said that Choreographer Mary Sullivan “wants us to do our best and she pushes us to be excellent.”

Claire Dormer, Zelda Howard-Martin, Michael Wimmer, Ryan Carrigan, Taylor Athanasiou & Madison Cayer

He will share the “peach” with a variety of insects as they make their way across the ocean to land in NYC. Earthworm Michael Wimmer, grasshopper Taylor Athanasiou, ladybug Madison Cayer, spider Claire Dormer and centipede Zelda Howard-Martin face the challenges of this traveling adventure with James.

Others in the cast include Nathan Archambault, Lily Barrett, Caitlin Batts, Jason and Joseph Cain, Bailey Cayer, Leena Collier, Alexander Garone, Maycie Gentiluomo, Rowan Gifford, Lindsey Greco, Bryson and Charlotte Hill, Brenna Kimball, Carissa Krotz, Megan Lautieri, Sedona Lee, Kristin Minzner, Andriana Nadeau, Olivia Nolan, Alyson Peddle, Braeden Tremain, Olivia Witkop and Logan Young. This cast includes both veterans and some new faces to Kids Coop, but all have shown their ability to create magic when they are on stage.

This year’s Young Director team includes Direction by Emily St. Louis, a Senior at Pinkerton Academy who has been seen on the Kids Coop stage in the productions of Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang and South Pacific. Music Direction is by Ruthie Vinson, a junior at Pinkerton Academy who is a member of the Pinkerton Players as well as their choir. Rounding out the directors is Mary Sullivan who has created the choreography for the show. Mary is a junior at Londonderry High School where she is a member of the chamber choir and Drama Club Board. Additionally, Mary has had extensive dance training at the Londonderry Dance Academy. These three young women have created a show that will be delightful to watch for young and old alike.

Overseeing the Young Directing team are professional mentors Maureen Mansfield and Marilyn Olbricht. Maureen holds a degree in Theatre Arts and has worked at many regional theaters in Southern Massachusetts as well as directing several Kids Coop productions over the past few years. Maureen has headed the directing team at South Elementary School in Londonderry for the past 12 years. Marilyn’s background includes producing, directing and even cleanup crew. When it comes to the theatre, her love has no bounds! She holds a degree in music composition and voice and a Master of Music degree.

James and the Giant Peach JR. will be performed March 10th at 7pm and March 11th at 1pm and 6pm at the historic Derry Opera House, 29 West Broadway, Derry, NH. All tickets are $12 and are available at www.kids-coop-theatre.org. Discounted group tickets are available for groups of 10 or more for the Saturday matinee only and include a meet and greet with the cast and crew!