Young actors ready to take the stage

HACKETTSTOWN — Musicals galore fill the schedule of the annual Summer Festival of Shows August 10 to 19 at the Centenary Young Performers Workshop with a cast of young thespians from Morris, Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex counties. The Centenary YPW has been hailed as a state treasur” by Peter Filichia of the Star Ledger. The festival will feature the musicals "Over The Moon" by fiction writer Jodi Picoult, Jake Van Leer, and Ellen Wilber; Bob Fosse’s "Pippin"; "The Roundabout Inn"; and "The One Acts Playhouse."

Performances will be held in Little Theatre on the campus of Centenary College at 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown. The YPW is led and directed by Broadway, film and television veteran Michael Blevins.

Part Shakespearean comedy and part fractured fairy tales, "Over The Moon" is a fun-filled musical whose characters are from beloved childhood stories. The story begins when Luna, the moon, descends to a small town on earth disguised as a boy and sets out to help humans find love. "Over the Moon" performances will be Friday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 11 at 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 12 at 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 18 at 5 p.m and Sunday, Aug. 19 at 1 p.m.

"They’re Playing Our Song," a musical based on the book by Neil Simon, follows the story of an award-winning composer who agrees to partner with a young lyricist, and falls in love as they create beautiful music together. "They’re Playing Our Song" will perform Saturday, Aug. 11 at 5 p.m, Sunday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m, Saturday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m and Sunday, Aug. 19 at 4 p.m.

Bob Fosse’s "Pippin" is the story of a young prince who longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. Ben Vereen won a Tony Award as the leading player in the original Broadway production with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. "Pippin" runs Saturday, Aug. 11 at 8 p.m, Sunday, Aug. 12 at 1 p.m, Friday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m, Saturday, Aug.18 at 2 p.m and Sunday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.

"The Roundabout Inn," written by program Director Michael Blevins, is a dramatic play whose character’s ambitions are bound by the four walls of the Roundabout Inn Bed & Breakfast. The story unfolds the bittersweet family relationships that exist within the constraints of the Inn. "The Roundabout Inn" runs Tuesday, Aug. 15, Wednesday, Aug. 16, and Thursday, Aug. 17. All performances are at 7 p.m.

The One Act Playhouse is a free event that is filled with short scenes and skits the students have been rehearsing during their five-week summer intensive. The One Act Playhouse runs Saturday, Aug. 18 at 11 a.m. and Sunday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m.

Tickets to the Centenary YPW Summer Festival of Shows are $10 for adults and $8 for children under 12. Tickets are available at www.centenarystageco.org or by calling the CSC Box Office at 908-979-0900.

The YPW is the educational arm of the professional Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theatre in residence on the campus of Centenary College. Programs at CSC are made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, and CSC members and sponsors.

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