Imagination on stage

By Sage Merritt

Published: June 3, 2008

To develop their roles for ShenanArts’ upcoming musical, “Oliver!,” the musical’s young actors used the power of their imaginations to put themselves in a world much different than their own.
“The directors have interacted really well with the kids, getting them to imagine what it would be like to live in a workhouse,” said Kirsten Katzenbach, mother of Grayson Katzenbach, an actor in the “Oliver!” youth ensemble. “They’ve had to create lives around their characters.”
“Oliver!,” opening Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Stage4 Theatre in Verona, reimagines Charles Dickens’ classic tale of crime and poverty in 19th-century England, “Oliver Twist,” including well-known songs such as “Food Glorious Food,” “Where Is Love?” and “As Long As He Needs Me.”
The cast of 40 includes a youth and an adult ensemble, and features many new faces alongside community theater veterans. Michael Hawes plays Oliver Twist, Morgan McDowell plays the Artful Dodger, Andrew Nichols plays Fagin and Jayne Gallagher protrays Nancy.
“They’re all wonderful,” director Stephanie Freed said. “It was kind of intimidating at first, because we had 70 audition, and we have a cast of 40. It’s been a challenge, but a good challenge. You give them the tools and you get stuff you wouldn’t imagine.”
The cast is primarily youth, but “it’s not just a youth-directed show,” Freed noted. The plot twists and dialogue in “Oliver!” touch on themes that both kids and adults can appreciate.
“We decided on ‘Oliver!’ because it spans the generations audience-wise and for the performers as well,” Freed said. “It isn’t just happy-go-lucky, but
the characters are fun.”
The many available childrens’ roles in “Oliver!” have given some kids in the cast their first shot at a production with ShenanArts, working with other kids and adults who have been involved with the organization for years. Freed, musical director Matthew Stephens and choreographer Lindsey Walters, all students at JMU, have been learning the art of theater at Stage4 since they were young.
“It’s really rewarding to get to work with younger people,” Freed said. “That’s how I got started in the theater and now I’m a theater major. I just want to be able to give some of that back.”
That “giving back” has had a profound effect on at least one participant in the show.
“Grayson has wanted to be an actress for a long time, for all of her 10 years,” Katzenbach said. “It’s been her dream. Now, she’s having a ball.”
The show opens on Friday and will run through Sunday, and again on June 13-15. Showtimes on Fridays and Saturdays are at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets for “Oliver!” are $14 for reserved seating, $12 for general admission and $8 for students (through college).
The Stage4 box office will be open for advanced ticket sales through Friday from 6-8 p.m. Only general admission tickets will be sold during these dates. Tickets for reserved, as well as general admission, may also be purchased any time by calling the box office at 248-1868.
For more information about the show and the cast list, visit http://www.shenanarts.org.