Willimantic – EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater Arts Academy (CTAA) will present a fully staged performance of the enchanting musical, Brigadoon, at 7 p.m. on Fri. and Sat., Aug. 8 and 9, 2014, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sat., Aug. 9, at EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater, 896 Main St., Willimantic. The public is invited.
Set in Scotland, the musical follows two vacationing Americans who become lost in the Scottish Highlands and stumble upon a centuries-old, magical village that only appears out of the mists every 100 years. Based on the award-winning 1947 Broadway musical by Allan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, CTAA’s performance of Brigadoon will feature a live pit orchestra playing familiar tunes like “Almost Like Being in Love” and “I’ll Go Home With Bonnie Jean,” among many others from the original production.
Thirty-six talented students, ages 9 to 17, from 18 northeastern Connecticut communities, are participating in CTAA’s Brigadoon production this summer. Students’ hometowns include Amston, Canterbury, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Hampton, Lebanon, Manchester, Mansfield, Moosup, North Windham, Norwich, Plainfield, South Windham, Tolland, Willimantic, Willington and Windham.
The Brigadoon cast includes Matthew Hohman, from Chaplin, as Jeff Douglas; Connor Shirshac, Columbia, as Tommy Albright; Camden Tedford-Coles, Lebanon, as Charlie Dalrymple; Jamie Rego, Canterbury, as Fiona MacLaren; Gina Ritchie, Columbia, as Jean MacLaren; Sydney Lambert, Amston, as Meg Brockie; Rachael Vroman, Chaplin, as Mrs. Lundie; Emily Foust, Coventry, as Mr. MacLaren; and Randy Ferrigno, Canterbury, as Harry Beaton.
Under the direction of local arts professionals and teachers, CTAA students learn about stage design, set construction, lighting and costume design, in addition to rehearsing their singing, dancing and acting parts. The program also includes an academic component. During the summer, CTAA students will perform scenes from Brigadoon at Willimantic-area venues that include the Windham Senior Center and July’s Third Thursday Street Fest.
CTAA’s Brigadoon production is directed and choreographed by Rachel Roccoberton with musical direction by Kasia Popovic. Costumes are designed by Erika Webb and sets are by Jen Rankin. The educational component of the CTAA Summer Musical Theater Program is led Dara Bowling and Dylan Schiff.
Regular tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and children under 12. Call EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater Box Office at 860-465-5636, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; the box office window is open 45 minutes before show-time for walk-up ticket sales. The theater is air-conditioned. Free parking is available along Main Street and in the public lot on Walnut Street.
EASTCONN, a public, non-profit regional educational service center, administers CTAA, a year-round, after-school, community arts program that serves northeastern Connecticut residents, ages 3 and up.
To learn more about CTAA programs or its fall classes, contact 860-465-5636, ext. 3, or visit www.eastconn.org/ctaa.