Students showcase their talent in fall musical Nov. 5-8

North Central College presents its fall musical, “The Light in the Piazza,” winner of six Tony Awards in 2005, including Best Original Score by Adam Guettel.  

Four performances of “The Light in the Piazza” will be presented at 8 p.m. Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6-7 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 8 in Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave. Tickets are $15/adults and $10/students and seniors; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.

“The Light in the Piazza” is a story about Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara who take a summer trip to Italy, where Clara meets Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine. While Margaret watches her daughter fall in love, she ponders the questions every mother asks as she sees her child grow up. Will she hold on or let go? Will her daughter still need her? Believing she is shielding her daughter from inevitable pain, Margaret works to keep Clara and Fabrizio apart as a secret is revealed.

This student production will be directed by guest director Adam Goldstein with musical direction by Jermaine Hill, assistant professor of theatre and coordinator of the College’s musical theatre program. Goldstein teaches directing, voice and acting at North Central College and at Columbia College Chicago and Northwestern University. He also serves as core faculty at the Actors Training Center in Wilmette.

“In our story,” says Goldstein, “Margaret looks backward and revisits the birth of old love in the hopes of bolstering its glow, while her daughter looks forward to new love and creating a story and identity all her own. But in Margaret’s quest to locate herself again, she encounters a haunting truth: She’s never truly been seen and, therefore, never truly established a light waiting for her at home outside of her daughter. In that conflict lives the fable that is ‘The Light in the Piazza.’”

The cast for “The Light in the Piazza” is (role, name, town, year, major):
Margaret Johnson: Rachel Rodewald of Hampshire, a junior majoring in musical theatre
Clara Johnson: Maddie Burke of Monroe, Mich., a junior majoring in theatre
Fabrizio Naccarelli: Mark Yacullo of Naperville, a senior majoring in theatre
Giuseppe Naccarelli: Cody Talkie of Joliet, a junior majoring in musical theatre
Franca Naccarelli: Sarah Rosenberg of Arlington Heights, a sophomore majoring in Spanish
Signora Naccarelli: Ashlyn Seehafer of St. Charles, a senior majoring in musical theatre
Roy Johnson/Ensemble: Matt Lusa of Orland Park, a freshman majoring in theatre
Signor Naccarelli: Josh Lahey of Orland Park, a junior majoring in organization communication
Tour Guide/Priest/Ensemble: Bobby Taves of Oswego, a junior majoring in theatre
Ensemble: Bridget Adams King of Western Springs, a freshman majoring in musical theatre
Ensemble: Miranda Harris of Normal, a junior majoring in musical theatre and French
Ensemble: Anne Lorentzen of Sequirm, Wash., a freshman majoring in musical theatre
Ensemble: Kellyn Maguire of Downers Grove, a sophomore
Ensemble: Sam Zebarth of Dubuque, Iowa, a freshman majoring in theatre

The crew is (role, name, town, year, major):
Director: Adam Goldstein, lecturer in theatre
Music director: Jermaine Hill, assistant professor of theatre
Assistant director: Noelle Humbert of Geneva, a senior majoring in theatre
Stage manager: Kate Darby of Huntley, a senior majoring in theatrical design and technology
Assistant stage manager: Carrie Anderson of Bolingbrook, a junior majoring in theatre and German
Scenic designer: Caitlyn Woods of Naperville, a senior majoring in theatrical design and technology
Costume designer: Bri Tobin of Shorewood, a senior majoring in theatrical design and technology
Sound designer: Cassie Fenwick of Naperville, a sophomore majoring in theatre
Makeup and hair designer: C.J. Chezem of Warrenville, a freshman majoring in entrepreneurship and small business management
Dramaturg: Taylor Benoit of Bartlett, a junior majoring in musical theatre
Master electrician: Alexander Poe of Thousand Oaks, Calif., a freshman majoring in theatre
Props master: April Newman of Monmouth, a freshman majoring in musical theatre
Assistant props master, props crew: Allyson Martens of Milan, a senior majoring in marketing
Assistant lighting designer: Ruby Lowe of Aurora, a sophomore majoring in theatrical design and technology
Sound support: Laura Dougherty of Winnebago, a freshman majoring in interactive media studies, graphic arts
Musical staging: Cindy Hartigan, adjunct theatre faculty
Lighting designer: Rebecca Barrett, adjunct theatre faculty
Technical director: Peter O’Neill, adjunct theatre faculty

North Central College’s 2015-2016 Fine and Performing Arts Season is partially sponsored by Nicor Gas, Advanced Data Technologies, BMO Harris Bank, Savant Capital Management, USG Corporation, Monarch Landing, Naperville Special Events and Cultural Amenities Fund, Illinois Arts Council Agency, DuPage Foundation and Naperville Development Partnership.