OVER THE MOON Kicks Off Centenary Stage's Young Performers Workshop's Summer Festival, 8/10

Musicals galore fill the schedule of the annual Summer Festival of Shows August 10-19th at the Centenary Young Performers Workshop with a cast of talented young thespians from Morris, Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex counties.

The festival will feature the musicals Over The Moon by fiction writer Jodi Picoult, Jake Van Leer, and Ellen Wilber; Bob Fosse’s Pippi;, The Roundabout Inn;and The One Acts Playhouse. Performances will be held in Little Theatre on the campus of Centenary College at 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown, NJ. The YPW is led and directed by Broadway, film and television veteran, Michael Blevins.

Part Shakespearean comedy and part fractured fairy tales, Over The Moon is a fun-filled musical whose characters are from beloved childhood stories. The story begins when Luna, the moon, descends to a small town on earth disguised as a boy and sets out to help humans find love. Over the Moonwill perform Friday-Aug. 10 @ 8pm, Saturday-Aug. 11 @ 2pm, Sunday-Aug. 12 @ 4pm, Saturday-Aug. 18 @ 5pm and Sunday-Aug. 19 @ 1pm.

They’re Playing Our Song, a musical based on the book by Neil Simon, follows the story of an award-winning composer who agrees to partner with a young lyricist, and falls in love as they create beautiful music together. They’re Playing Our Song will perform Saturday-Aug.11 @ 5pm, Sunday-Aug. 12 @ 7 pm, Saturday-Aug. 18h @ 8pm and Sunday-Aug. 19 @ 4pm.

Bob Fosse’s Pippin is the story of a young prince who longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. Ben Vereen won a Tony Award as the Leading Player in the original Broadway production with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Pippin runs Saturday-Aug. 11 @ 8pm, Sunday-Aug.12 @ 1pm, Friday-Aug. 17 @ 8pm, Saturday-Aug.18 @ 2pm and Sunday-Aug. 19 @ 7pm.

The Roundabout Inn, written by program Director Michael Blevins, is a dramatic play whose character’s ambitions are bound by the four walls of the Roundabout Inn Bed & Breakfast. The story unfolds the bittersweet family relationships that exist within the constraints of the Inn. The Roundabout Inn runs Tuesday-Aug.14, Wednesday-Aug. 15, and Thursday-August 16. All performances are at 7PM.

The One Act Playhouse is a free event that is filled with short scenes and skits the students have been rehearsing during their 5-week summer intensive. The One Act Playhouseruns Saturday-Aug. 18 @ 11am and Sunday-19 @ 11am.

Tickets to the Centenary YPW Summer Festival of Shows are $10 for adults and $8 for children under 12. Tickets may be purchased online at www.centenarystageco.org or by calling the CSC Box Office at (908) 979-0900.

The YPW is the educational arm of the professional Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theatre in residence on the campus of Centenary College. Programs at CSC are made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, and CSC members and sponsors.

YPW CAST: Elaine Belenguer (Long Valley), Cydney Black (Hackettstown), Jenna Black (Hackettstown), Zack Clark (Hackettstown), Izac Donovan Cruz (Budd Lake), Larissa Davis (Newton), Jessica DeFort (Washington), Savannah Doelfel (Hackettstown), Gracelyn Donovan (Blairstown), Tyler Donovan (Blairstown), Kyli Engle (Washington), Kori Engle (Washington), Elizabeth Gerold (Blairstown), Lily Gregorio (Hackettstown), Aree Kim (Pine Brook), Daniel Marion (Newton), Erica Murphy (Newton), Joy O’Brien (Blairstown), Quinn O’Hara (Hackettstown), Sydney Phythian (Oxford), Raphael Pelczmann (Morristown), Nicolette Policastro (Hampton), Samantha Pulido (Hackettstown), Sarah Putz (Hackettstown), HAnna Rose (Blairstown), Hannah Schroeder (Long Valley), Anthony Sica (Sparta), April Sigler (Stanhope), Christina Stanton (Hackettstown), Casey Stone (Hackettstown), Julie Ullmann (Newton), Lilly Vaz (Califon), Kevin Wehrhahn (Long Valley), Meghan Yarussi (Hackettstown), Katie Yarussi (Hackettstown), Anthony Zas (Hackettstown).

More Articles by This Author...