Youth thespians perform magically
In the final scene the entire cast of My Son Pinocchio Jr. performs on stage. (Image: Brian Gailey, Basin Beat)
Geppetto singing about how he would like to be a father. While the marionette Pinocchio sits in the background. (Image: Brian Gailey, Basin Beat)
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - In just three weeks of time, dozens of youth from around the basin came together to produce a magical musical, My Son Ponicchio Junior. Practice came to fruition last Saturday when the young cast performed two enchanting shows on the Ragland stage in front of hundreds of friends and family.
“This is my fifth time being a part of the Ragland’s summer camp program, and every year I find myself blown away by the kids attending this camp,” wrote Jeff S. Press, director, in the playbill. “Three weeks to pull together an entire show is an impressive feat and it is always an honor to watch these kids bring a show to live in that short of time.”
During camp, students not only memorize lines, and received acting lessons, and vocal coaching; but also learned just what it takes to produce such a show as My Son Pinocchio Jr.
Press wrote, “Every kid working on this show has poured themselves into it to create the work of art you get to witness today.”
The show ran about an hour and featured twenty-two musical numbers; including classics When you Wish Upon a Star and I’ve Got No Strings.
Fun and entertaining for the audience, the musical held a special message. Taking a classic story and showing it from a new perspective - Geppetto’s struggles of being a new father of a young boy. This perspective contained a strong message of acceptance and not judging others based on one’s own bias.
Leading thespians in the show included: Cyrus Hamilton as Geppetto, Callum Squibb as Pinocchio, Bella Calvin as The Blue Fairy, and Aidan Coe as Stromboli. Each actor showcased their individual strengths depicted within their characters.
My Son Pinocchio Jr. was a production of the Ross Ragland Theater, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwarts, written by David I Stern; based on the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio.
Additional Photography
Basin Beat was able to attend the first showing of My Son Pinocchio Jr. on Saturday. Below are a few images from that performance.
