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Cape theater companies earn major kudos

By CJ HADDAD - | Jan 26, 2023

Multiple talented young thespians from the Southwest Florida recently showed they belong with the best the country has to offer.

Four different theater companies, including two in Cape Coral, were honored and recognized at the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta that took place Jan. 13-15.

The Belle Theatre in Cape Coral won a Freddie G Excellence in Music award; the Naples Performing Arts Centers took home a Freddie G Excellence in Ensemble Work award; and Gypsy Playhouse in Cape Coral and the Florida Repertory Theatre Education in Fort Myers both earned praise and other recognition.

The monumental weekend dedicated to rewarding and celebrating excellent student-driven musical theater programs took place at the Cobb Convention Center in Atlanta.

The Belle Theatre presented Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach JR. to actor Brion Watson (Hamilton, national tour, Wicked, national tour); Nina Meehan, Bay Area Children’s Theatre (BACT) founding CEO; and Peter Avery, director of Theater for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE).

“The Junior Theater Festival is such an electric atmosphere, where the excitement and love of theater is palpable,” said The Belle Theatre’s JTF Team Director, Dana Alvarez. “It is incredibly rewarding to bring such talented and hard-working young people to JTF, especially after enduring a fall season like we all did in Southwest Florida. Our team was 11 students bigger before Ian hit, and sadly many families had to step back in this time of uncertainty. But being able to work through the challenges and have community support to get our team there was such a special feeling, especially for our seniors who wouldn’t have had another chance to attend after this year.”

The 2023 JTF Atlanta featured an incredible weekend of singing, dancing, acting, and learning. There were 125 groups from 28 states, as well as Washington DC, Canada, and Australia, participating in the festival. Groups enjoyed a New Works Showcase of performance selections from upcoming Broadway Junior® musicals presented by JTF groups, and other main-stage performances featuring powerhouse Broadway guests and took part in workshops.

This was The Belle Theatre’s first trip to JTF, and they showed the talent they possess by taking home a top Freddie G award in Excellence in Music,

Of their performance, Avery said, “Wow! The Belle Theatre really brought us into their mysterious world of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach JR. I loved their character work.”

Meehan added, “This cast had incredible character creation and exuberant storytelling, and fabulous vocals. It’s clear this program is inspiring a true joy and love for musical theater in its students.”

Watson agreed, saying, “The way this group embodied this story was that of a professional production. Their presentation showed the genuine support that is given to them on a daily basis.”

Alvarez said it was such an honor to earn the award, and to be recognized for excellence in music means that the judges considered their students advanced in their musical knowledge and singing voices.

“It’s not enough to just sing loudly and nicely, but the judges noted how we paid attention to dynamics and harmonies, the rises and falls in the material, that really built anticipation and elevated the storytelling,” Alvarez said. “The book-writer of James was in the audience for our set and he told me that musically, it was the best rendition of James and the Giant Peach he has ever heard. So that kind of acknowledgment was an incredible honor. We are so glad that other people can hear and see what we think is so exceptional about these young people.”

There’s no denying that James and the Giant Peach is an odd and unique story that involves marvel and magic that causes strange and unusual things to occur: like a giant peach growing and five insects becoming life size, who then take the orphan, James, in as part of their family. Alvarez said, “Our students who played the insects truly delved deep into the body language and mannerisms of a grasshopper, ladybug, centipede, etc. Other students actually built the giant peach out of their bodies. As a whole, the ensemble portrayed their characters as ones with great mystery, intrigue, and depending on the song — they were even seagulls or sharks. In 15 minutes, they really spanned a great variety of characters.”

Gypsy Playhouse presented Disney’s and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins JR. to actor Katy Geraghty (Into the Woods, Broadway); Michael J. Bobbitt, playwright and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Bradford Theatre Teacher/Director Holly Stanfield (2021 Stephen Schwartz Theatre Teacher of the Year, National student premieres of Groundhog Day, The Musical, Rent School Edition).

Of their performance, Bobbitt said, “My heart soared when these students sang, ‘Anything can happen if you let it.’ It was stuck in my throat and for the first time, Mary Poppins message came through. I can tell that Gypsy Playhouse treats its students like artists and not like kids. The students truly seemed to own the material, and that’s the mark of great teaching and directing.”

Naples Performing Arts Center presented Disney’s Moana JR, and along with earning the Freddie G award for in Excellence in Ensemble, Mia Zottolo received a Freddie G Outstanding Individual Performance award.

Additional recognition went to Florida Repertory Theatre Education’s students Hannah Cruz, Violet Salcido, and Emmanuel Tojanci; Gypsy Playhouse’s student Robert Gosling; Naples Performing Arts Center’s students Suzanna Lawson and Grace Layne Ryan, and The Belle Theatre’s students Athena Rose Belis, Macy Magas, and River Reed made it to the callback for a yet to be announced special video project which will promote musicals in schools.

Florida Repertory Theatre Education’s students Hannah Cruz and Danae Teblum; Gypsy Playhouse’s students Sophia Brook and Lia Jaquez; Naples Performing Arts Center’s students Lantz Hemmert and Aiden Johnson; The Belle Theatre’s students Katae Boswell and River Reed were named Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, a select group of outstanding performers.

As for the impact this event has on young thespians, Alvarez, who has attended many festivals in the prior year, said, “JTF gives student performers a chance to gain perspective on their art and the world scene of theater. They get to see amateur groups sing their faces off and conservatory programs lay it all out there- and they can appreciate the wide array of skills and talents that their peers have. Students are also exposed to the stories and performances of real Broadway performers and get to see what the end-game can look like or how challenging the journey can be. So it helps them to see they are not alone: other people burst out into song randomly while walking down the hallways… and also, they are not the only talented student in the world- there are thousands. So it is both reassuring and humbling.”

–Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj

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