Seniors direct, stage “Shout! The Mod Musical” Feb. 26-March 1

North Central College seniors will direct and stage “Shout! The Mod Musical,” a musical review featuring songs from the swinging ’60s.

Four performances of “Shout!” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, 27, 28 and at 2 p.m. March 1 in Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave. Tickets are $15/adults and $10/students and senior citizens; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.

A hilarious musical created by Phillip George and David Lowenstein, “Shout!” journeys through the soulful pop anthems and ballads during the 1960s in England. Tracking five young women as they come of age during the liberating days of the ’60s, it explores the roles of feminism and the ways they continue to change today. The production recreates period advertisements, fashion, hairstyles and dances and features songs like “Downtown,” “Goldfinger,” “To Sir With Love” and “Son of a Preacher Man.”

Co-directed by senior musical theatre majors Aronzo Traylor II, of Chicago, and Jesek West, of Cerro Gordo, “Shout!” is a collection of songs with minimal storyline. “To better support material that doesn’t have a straight-forward plot, we’re treating the production through the lens of a ’60s variety show,” says Traylor. “We’re looking to transport our audience to a retro TV studio, where they can watch a live taping akin to a swinging bandstand featuring memorable songs of that era.”
 
But as the show goes on, he says, some layers are stripped away to reveal the realities lurking behind the scenes and in the lives of the five featured women.

This production is directed, produced and staged by North Central College seniors majoring in theatre or musical theatre. They are:

Musical director: Mark Miller of Savanna, Ill.
Orchestral director/conductor: Sarah Schoonhoven of Chicago
Choreographers: Chelsea Ward of Warrenville and Haleigh Hutchinson of Geneva
Production manager: Katherine Fecht of Toluca, Ill.
Stage manager: Matthew R. Wolski of Darien
Assistant stage manager: Jacari Campbell of Darien
Set designer: Liz Havenga of Downers Grove
Props designer: Taylor Calderone of Mishawaka, Ind.
Costume designer: Olivia Crary of New Glarus, Wis.
Sound designer: Katherine Sanderson of St. Charles
Make-up/hair designer: Eve Bowman of Plainfield
Lighting designers: Amanda Strolia of Woodridge and Elise Floss of Willow Springs
Acting coach: Maddie DePorter of Orion, Ill.
Vocal coaches: Abe Vences of Berwyn and Nik Kmiecik of West Chicago
Dialect coach: Sam Young of Oswego
Dramaturg: Emma Smith of Downers Grove
Publicity: Sean Lynch of Warrenville

The cast features (role, actor, town, year, major):

Green Girl: Colleen DeRosa of Downers Grove, a junior majoring in theatre and speech communications
Red Girl: Allyson Martens of Milan, Ill., a junior majoring in marketing
Yellow Girl: Tina Naponelli of Crystal Lake, a senior majoring in theatre
Orange Girl: Rachel Rodewald of Hampshire, Ill., a sophomore majoring in musical theatre
Blue Girl: Ashlyn Seehafer of St. Charles, a junior majoring in musical theatre
The Voice of the Magazine: Cameron Sherrill of St. Charles, a freshman majoring in theatre
Gwendolyn Holmes: Kevin Troxell of Des Plaines, a freshman majoring in English writing

North Central College offers majors in theatre or musical theatre and a minor in dance. A full range of acting and dance classes is available, as well as opportunities to direct a full-length production. Students of all majors can participate in musical and nonmusical performances, actor showcases and one-act plays and performances in the College’s four theatre venues. Full-time professors and active professionals who are artist-teachers serve as faculty.