Kymberli Skye
Kymberli Skye…Moonlight Youth Theatre, in association with Moonlight Cultural Foundation, is proud to close their season with the ever-lovely Thoroughly Modern Millie – A Tony Award winning show about a young Midwest girl trying to find love and her own way in The Big Apple in 1922!
Moonlight veterans Director Sarah Errington, Music Director Lyndon Pugeda, and Choreographer Danny Hansen bring this story to life with an enthusiastic and wonderful cast of students. Errington discussed her excitement to be working with a group of smart, talented, and diligent children, “With kids, they’re like sponges, they soak up everything so quickly and their growth happens so fast! And it’s so charming to watch them, you know? They may not do something perfectly, but they do it with so much heart and determination that you don’t mind that it’s not perfect. And It doesn’t have to be perfect to be great. And they are all fantastic! They each have taken ownership of the show in their own way. And that’s so important.”
Actors Cassie Bleher (Millie Dillmount) and Jake Bradford (Jimmy Smith) discuss their rewarding experience acting with Moonlight Youth on this production. Despite the show being “dated”, Director Errington says the play holds a lot of relevancy to today’s culture: women’s rights, an individual trying to find their place in this world. That feminist strength resonated with Cassie as she connected to Millie in rehearsals; “Millie has been a role model for me: she is a strong, confident, young woman! And I’ve learned so much about myself through Millie. And this experience has taught me how rewarding it is to be vulnerable and to allow myself to connect with other people and to myself.” Jake says, “It’s awesome to work with professionals; I see them perform on stage and then direct rehearsals. I hope I can switch roles like that too. The casting of the show makes it unique too – we have such a variety of ages, ethnicity, and experience. The diversity creates something entirely new and it’s been so much fun. One of my favorite moments, as an ensemble, has been nailing a music moment we all worked so hard to accomplish! It was so rewarding to do that together!”
Moonlight Youth Theatre is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and has been working for 30 years now. This program works to give students from 7 – 18 a professional and rewarding experience on stage. They work with professional artists and perform on the grand Moonlight Amphitheatre stage! And for many of these children, this is their first time on stage! These children learn about art, teamwork, creativity, and so much more by participating in theatre. And this would not be possible without the amazing support of Moonlight’s donors.
We hope you get your chance to see this amazing production and support these brave and talented kids! Thoroughly Modern Millie opens on the Moonlight Amphitheatre stage on Friday, October 14th. Performances are at 7:00 pm, October 14 – 15 and October 20 – 22nd.
For tickets, please visit https://www.vistixonline.com/shows/thoroughly%20modern%20millie/events
