Written By: Mary Adair Trumbly – Highlands PAC | Issue: March 2024
Two – count ‘em ! – two student musicals will be staged this month by Highlands Performing Arts Center’s PAC Educational Theatre.
Educational Theatre rehearsal, February 2024
A pair of productions by local elementary and middle school students will be presented by PAC Educational Theatre at Highlands Performing Arts Center.
First up is the elementary students’ show, Aristocats KIDS at 7:00 P.M. Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2. Aristocats KIDS is based on the beloved Disney animated film, and features a jazzy, upbeat score – a non-stop thrill ride of feline fun, complete with unbelievable twists and turns.
In the heart of Paris, a kind and eccentric millionairess wills her entire estate to Duchess, her high-society cat, and her three little kittens. Laughs and adventure ensue as the greedy, bumbling butler pulls off the ultimate catnap caper. Now it’s up to the rough-and-tumble alley cat Thomas O’Malley and his band of swingin’ jazz cats to save the day.
The middle school students are up next in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown – 7:00 P.M. Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16. Though considered a “good man” by his friends, Charlie Brown can’t seem to win the heart of the Little Red-Haired Girl, nor his friend Lucy, her crush, the piano-playing Schroeder. Meanwhile, Snoopy and Linus daydream and the rest of the friends battle with kites, school, baseball and misunderstandings before finally coming to realize what makes them truly happy.
Under the direction of co-artistic director Erik Bishop, musical director and co-artistic director Joi Chapman, and associate director Lee Trevathan, the students have been working all semester on these two shows – learning the songs, the choreography, the stage blocking and the lines. The students have been coming to HPAC in the afternoons to get “accustomed” to the stage and the audio demands. Come support our school’s students.
Tickets are available at HighlandsPerformingArts.com.
Save the Date – Oliver is coming to the Highlands PAC in April. The PAC Educational Theatre will present the full production of Oliver on April 26 – 28.