High School Theatre Productions Raising The Bar

YOUNG STARS SHINING BRIGHT ON STAGE AT LEHIGH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL THIS WEEKEND. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SMASH HIT CHICAGO ELEVATED WITH INCREDIBLE ACTING LIVE ORCHESTRA AND A SET AS BOLD AS THE MUSICAL WGCU ARTS REPORTER TOM HALL HAS THE STORY. >> I KNOW WHAT THE SPOT WHERE THE GYM IS CALLED IN THE PIANOS HOT AND ALL THAT JUST. ITS LEHIGH SENIOR HIGH CENTER FOR THE ARTS AUDITORIUM WHERE THEY'RE PERFORMING CHICAGO TEEN EDITION. IT'S A PAINT. THE TOWN JAZZ EXTRAVAGANZA PERFECTLY SUITED TO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MIGUEL CENTRE. RON'S TRIPLE THREAT THEATER STUDENTS. >> I CHOOSE EACH SHOW BASED ON THE KIDS THAT I HAVE AND WE HAVE POWERHOUSE. LIKE FEMALE. >> PERFORMERS BUT CINTRON HAD AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE. ALSO, I CHOSE CHICAGO. >> HONESTLY, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT LIKE IT'S IT'S A KIND OF LIKE A GIFT TO MY CHOREOGRAPHER. MY LITTLE SAYS LAUREN GOMEZ, AND SHE'S ALWAYS WANTED TO DO IT. AND SO THAT WAS JUST MY LITTLE GIFT TO HER AS WELL. >> IT ALSO TURNED OUT TO BE A GIFT FOR SENIOR SAMANTHA JEAN-MARIE. THERE'S A COMPETITION. IT'S CALLED SWIFT SOUTHWEST FORT DETRICK, A SOCIETY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN ENTER IS A SCENIC DESIGN. AND I CHOSE CHICAGO BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE STATEMENT. INGENIOUS ALSO KILL 2 BIRDS WITH ONE STONE >> CINTRON TOLD HER HE ENVISIONED A JAZZY 1920, SPEAKEASY VIBE. SO THE RAZZLE DAZZLE HIM AND HER SWITCH TO JUDY CATERS. SHE WENT ALL OUT. >> I RESEARCHED CHICAGO IN THE 1920'S LIKE THE CHICAGO IN BRICK, THE TYPE OF THE FIRE SKIPS THE TYPE OF STEEL THAT THEY USED. >> SHE DIDN'T USE STEEL, BUT SHE DID USE LOTS AND LOTS OF LUMBER. THAT'S BECAUSE SHE AND SEN TRUMP WITH THE SHOW'S 14 PIECE ORCHESTRA AND A SECOND-STORY OVERLOOKING THE STAGE. >> CHICAGO, VERY DENSE HEAVY RIGHT? SO IF YOU TO THE STAGE WISELY ON THE BLOCKING, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT LIKE THEY WERE ELEVATED UP, IT GIVES ACTORS MORE SPACE IN ROOM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES AND NOT HAVING TO LIKE LOOK AWAY FOR LIKE THE OTHER BAND MEMBERS. JIM MURRAY DIDN'T JUST TELL CINTRON WHAT SHE HAD IN MIND. >> SHE HANDED THEM A SKETCH. A SCALE MODEL AND THE BLUEPRINT TO GUIDE THE SET BUILDERS. IT WAS A BIT TRICKY. >> BECAUSE I HAD A KIND OF LIKE MAKE SURE THAT THE BAN ON THE UPPER LEVEL IS GOING TO BE THEY'RE SAFE. THEY'RE SECURE, BUT ALSO STILL KEEPING IN MIND THAT I WANTED TO GO FOR LIKE A JAZZ CABARET, CHICAGO AND LOOK >> IT'S ALL THROUGH THE BILL. I TEASE THEM OUT AND USE ALL THE TOOLS. THEY PAINT EVERYTHING THEY I MEAN, WE DO IT ALL TOGETHER. >> AND >> IT'S THE SENATE THAT UNIQUELY ENABLES ENTRANTS CAST TO SHOW OFF HER ACTING DANCING AND VOCAL SKILLS AND SUCH SIZZLING FAUCI INSPIRED NUMBERS. A CELL BLOCK TANGO FEATURING TAYLOR SPRING. THE ROLE OF THEY'LL MCALLEN. >> SHE'S A SENIOR. SHE ACTUALLY WON BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL LAST YEAR. AND SHE'S EXTREMELY TALENTED. SHE'S GOING ON TO STUDY MUSICAL THEATER. >> ALSO TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF JEAN-MARIE SET DESIGNS RODRIGUEZ IN THE ROLE OF ROXIE HART SEEN HERE PLAYING BILLY FLYNN VENTRILOQUIST DUMMY. AND WE BOTH REACHED FOR THE GUN TO US. >> AND SHE'S A JUNIOR >> AND SHE'S A DANCER AND ACTOR VOCALIST >> A VERY TALENTED. THIS IS HER FIRST REAL BIG LEAD THIS YEAR. >> THEN THERE'S THE BIG BAMBOO SALIR, THE RING MASTER HIMSELF. BILLY FLYNN. >> ALSO A SENIOR AND HE WAS RUNNER-UP LAST YEAR FOR BEST ACTOR THIS YEAR IS PLAYING BELIEF IN HIS NAME. IS VIC TAKE ELIZAH. >> THIS INDIFFERENCE PRODUCTION OF CHICAGO HAS LOTS OF FLASHING RAZZLE DAZZLE. >> FOR MORE ON LEHIGH SENIOR HIGH'S PERFORMANCE OF CHICAGO. WE'RE JOINED BY WGCU ARTS REPORTER TOM HALL. TOM, ASIDE FROM THE 2 STORY SET, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GO OUT TO LEHIGH SENIOR HIGH TO SEE THIS WONDERFUL PRODUCTION? >> WELL, JENNIFER IS A MATTER OF FACT. LEHIGH SENIOR HIGH AS ONE OF THE TOP THEATER PROGRAMS IN ALL OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. AT LAST YEAR'S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS. THEIR PRODUCTION OF HAITI'S TOWN WAS NAMED THE BEST OVERALL MUSICAL PRODUCTION. IT ALSO TOOK TOP HONORS FOR TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT FOR VOCAL ARTISTRY AND FOR OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE AND WORKERS TO AND WAS SECOND PLACE IN CHOREOGRAPHY, THEIR STUDENTS ALSO TOOK 3 OF THE 4 BEST ACTOR AWARDS. NOW, IT ALL FLOWS FROM THEIR THEATER DIRECTOR. THAT'S MIGUEL. CENTRUM. AND MIGUEL, AS A AS AN ACCOMPLISHED ACTOR AND MUSICIAN IN HIS OWN RIGHT. HE'S STARRED IN SUCH A LESTER'S PRODUCTIONS IS COULDN'T BERG AND AN ACT OF GOD IN WHICH YOU PLAY THE ALMIGHTY AND THE GUN SHOW, WHICH IS A ONE MAN SHOW WHERE HE'S ON STAGE FOR 2 HOURS AND NEVER LEAVES THE STAGE. >> I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A VERY BIG PRODUCTION >> IT IS IN 2 WAYS. FIRST, THERE'S AN ARMY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THE SHOW. THERE ARE 37 IN THE CAST. ANOTHER 15 AND THE WORKERS TO AND 29 IN THE CREW. BUT IT'S ALSO THEIR COMPETITION PACE FOR THIS YEAR'S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS AT THE BARBARA B MANN PERFORMING ARTS HALL IN MAG. SO EVERY NIGHT THERE WILL BE JUDGES IN THE AUDIENCE EVALUATING HOW THE ACTORS, THE MUSICIANS AND THE CREW STACK UP AGAINST THE OTHER 8 OR 9 SCHOOLS ARE COMPETING THIS YEAR IN THE H M THE DHS MTA. >> TOM, WHAT STOOD OUT TO YOU DURING THIS PRODUCTION? >> SO MIGUEL CINTRON SAYS HE'S GOT A POWERHOUSE CAST AND HE CERTAINLY DOESN'T ALL STARTS WITH TAYLOR BURR WHO PLAYS VELMA. KELLY IN THE TRADITION OF BEBE NEUWIRTH AND CATHERINE ZETA JONES. SHE'S A GENUINE TALENT AND HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE. A MUSICAL THEATER. IT CONTINUES FROM THERE, THOUGH. AND ELLA RODRIGUEZ WHO PLAYS ROXY COMES FROM A COMPETITIVE DANCE BACKGROUND. SHE'S GOT ALL THE MOVES. VICTOR GALARZA IS BILLY FLYNN AND HE HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES. IN FACT, AND WE REACH FOR THE GUN, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MUSICAL NUMBERS HE CARRIES A G 4 NOTE FOR 40, MAYBE 50 SECONDS. I WAS AT A BREATH JUST LISTENING TO HIM. BUT THE REST OF THE CAST, THE STRONGEST CLOROX, INCLUDING THE STUDENT WHO PLAYS MAMA MORTON, STEPHANIE FUENTES. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO ALAN RAZA. HE PLAYS ROXY HEARTS, WOEFUL HUSBAND, AMOS HE MAY BE MISTER CELLOPHANE IN THE SHOW, BUT HIS TALENT WHEN IT COMES TO ACTING AND VOCALS, IT COMES THROUGH LOUD AND CLEAR. SO IT'S IT'S REALLY FOR ANYBODY WHO LIKES A GOOD, STRONG CAST. GO SEE CHICAGO AT LEHIGH SENIOR HIGH. IT SOUNDS ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. IT LOOKS LIKE AN AMAZING PERFORMANCE AND DEFINITELY WORTHWHILE. >> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. IT WAS THRILLED TO BE HERE.