“Queen of Hearts” (Georgia Horgan from West Valley), “Dorothy” (Bailey Bevington from Worthington), “Alice” (Kierra Armstrong from Kittanning), and “King of Hearts” (Tommy Switzer from Kittanning) practice their lines during a private rehearsal last night in preparation for the Armstrong Community Theater children’s production.
Dorothy figures out she ain’t in Kansas no’more when she finds her way into Wonderland in the latest children’s production from the Armstrong Community Theater (ACT).
The musical, “Dorothy In Wonderland,” is a blend of two other productions, “Wizard of Oz” and “Alice In Wonderland” and follows the lead character Dorothy as she is caught by a twister before she can make it back home.
“Another twister comes through the city of Oz and drops Dorothy, the scare crow, the lion, and the tin man and a few other characters into Wonderland along with all their cast of characters,” Director Troy Dinga said. Dinga Shared co-Director duties with Casey Velcko.
“They’re going through trying to figure out how they’re going to get home while also bashing heads against the insanity that Wonderland inspires in most of its residence. Of course they run into Alice, who seemingly is the only other sane person that they can speak with. Together, after they find the wizard, they work together to take down the Queen of Hearts.”
Bailey Bevington, an 8th grader playing the role of Dorothy, has been part of ACT for a few years.
“I’ve been doing this since I was in 1st grade,” Bevington said. “I love the experience and the people here. They make it really enjoyable and pleasant for everyone.”
During the musical, Dorothy runs into Alice, who is played by 8th grader Kierra Armstrong.
“I started in 4th grade and have been doing this every other year,” Armstrong said. “I do some school plays outside of (ACT), but I really just enjoy acting out the songs during the shows.”
Alongside Armstrong and Bevington, there is a big group involved in the production.
“We have 43 kids on the cast list,” Dinga said.
ACT does a mix of shows, but the “Dorothy In Wonderland” musical is their children’s show.
Once they finish 8th grade, that’s where the cutoff for auditions for our children’s production,” Dinga said. “Once they’re a freshman in high school, they can no longer audition for the children’s show, but they can audition for the main summer musical.”
Trying to put on a show takes a lot of time, and of course, a lot of rehearsing.
“For this show we started practice on May 8th and have closed practices Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Dinga said. “We have had to have a few Saturday rehearsals to cover stuff that might have gotten missed at some point. There’s a lot of work that goes into being ready for the first show on June 21.”
A lot of the kids involved in ACT are also involved in school-related productions, so being involved with outside groups gives them a chance to continue to do what they love.
“This is great because a lot of these kids take interest in their high school musicals and other shows that they do at their school, so it’s definitely beneficial that they get to do this. It keeps them going and it helps them to be more prepared for the next level. They really enjoy it”
You can see “Dorothy In Wonderland” at 7:30 PM on June 21, 22, and 23 at the Casino Theatre at 145 Lincoln Street in Vandergrift. Tickets are available at the door or purchase in advance from Quality Inn Royle, Worthington Community Library, and Pomfret’s Paint and Variety Store.
by KP Intern Kyle Predmore