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Drama Club History

Charlton Heights Drama Club History

In 1980, what started as the dream of visionary PTA presidents Carol and Bob Fagan became a reality. Members of the community had become interested in theater for children. Little People’s Theater at Charlton Heights was a parent supported theater group designed for children in grades K-6.

1980: “Tom Sawyer, Pirate” 33 children were in the cast. Community members wanted to recognize how special the students are while giving them an opportunity to explore art, costumes, acting, creativity, publicity and working together.

1981 “Alice in Wonderland” 96 students in the cast. The production crew includes Jolyne Hatch as the director, Jane Coffey as the musical director, accompanists Cici Hunt and Joyce Snavely, and set design by Bob Garling.

1982  “Pinocchio” – 149 youngsters participated in a staged performance. The show was double cast to accommodate the many interested area children. This meant twice the number of costumes, music rehearsals, and twice as many children receiving the opportunity to grow.

1983 “All on a Rainy Day”- 159 students are in the cast

1984  “The Enchanted Toy Shoppe”- Had a cast of 189 students, and the show was written especially for the children of Charlton Heights. 400 tickets were sold for each performance, completely selling out.

1985 “Circus” – This was produced with an original script by Julie Smith and music by Cici Hunt. Due to growth in the organization, the PTA limited auditions to students in grades 3-6, with 89 children participating.

1996 “Excerpts from Barnum”- The fourth graders at Charlton Heights put together a circus, complete with songs from Barnum. There were many acts, including comedy, clowns, and feats of strength.

1997  “Grease” – The fourth graders from the classrooms of Joanne DeChants, Jane Lippiello and Tim Sinnenberg presented this show with live music. The students also performed “We Go Together” at the BH-BL Follies.

1998  “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown”- Fourth grade students also performed “The Baseball Game” at the BH-BL Follies.

1999  “Excerpts from Annie and Oliver” After bigger productions the prior two years, the fourth graders presented several songs from each show to family members in the cafeteria.

2000  “Wizard of Oz” A bigger production was held back in the gymnasium, but not using the stage. Instead, the children performed on the long wall of the gym.

2009 “Toby Tyler”  The Charlton Heights Drama Club is created for students in grades 4 and 5, with 23 children participating, and directed by Tim Sinnenberg.

2010  “The Emperor’s New Clothes”  22 students participated in the show.

2011 “Sleeping Beauty” 63 students are in the show, with songs and musical effects based upon Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet. The musical director is Gina Kirsty, with Candy Goudey the co-director.

2012 “The Little Mermaid”- 68 children are in this show, and several songs are added to the production. The producers of the show are Alison Donofrio, Amy Hotaling and Bobbi Barringer.

2013  “Aladdin” 59 students participate in the show, with three songs added to the show.

2014  “The Jungle Book”  66 children are in the play, with four songs included.

2015 “Shrek”- The musical has 59 fourth and fifth graders. Scenery is designed by Lisa Johnson and Cindy Turgeon.

2016 – “The Lion King Junior”- 74 children are in the first musical that Charlton Heights does in conjunction with Music Theatre International, using their junior series of musicals.

2017– “Grease Junior”- There are 87 children in the cast, produced with Samuel French. The costume designers are Sharan Zarnofsky, Chris Katz and Amy Hotaling.

2018 – “Willy Wonka Junior”- 100 students participate in the performance. Charlie Smith joins the production team with his technical expertise.

2019 – “Aladdin Junior”- Has the largest cast ever with 108 fourth and fifth graders in the Charlton Heights Drama Club. Choreography is done by Kasie Batty, Alison Donofrio, Lauren Kritz, Jill Ollari, Eric Hatch and Tim Sinnenberg. The musical director is Susan Weisman.

2020 – “Frozen Junior”- The show is originally thought to be a stage production, but due to the global CoVid pandemic, a movie version is filmed instead at the home of the Trbovich Family. The show has 98 participants.

2021 – “Annie Junior”- This musical is conceived as a movie production, with the premiere at Ellms Farm as a drive-in theater experience. The show features 56 fourth and fifth graders.

2022 – “High School Musical Junior”- Features 77 students in the cast and crew.

 

Production Lists