Students are fully immersed in the rehearsal process and bringing this story to life onstage!
Get your tickets today!
Join young Jojo, a “thinker of strange and wonderful thinks,” Horton the Elephant, the tiny Whoville Whos, the Cat in the Hat and other memorable characters for Seussical Jr., a colorful, magical adventure brought to life by the Mount Madonna School (MMS) middle school players, that speaks not only to the power of imagination and determination of love, but also the need for compassion, humanity – and a recognition that “a person’s a person no matter how small.” A humorous, and at times poignant, musical, the score is a “Seussian-like gumbo” of musical styles, ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel and R&B to funk!
Performances are December 14 and 15 at 2:00pm at the Hawks’ Nest Theater at MMS. Tickets go on sale November 4 at mms-seussical.brownpapertickets.com. Adult tickets are $15; $10 for 18 and under; all seats are reserved.
“Seussical Jr. teaches us to embrace imagination and believe in the power of our creative mind,” commented Director Erin Fitzgerald. “This theme lines up wonderfully with the goals of our performing arts program. During rehearsals with the students, we encourage them to use their own imagination when diving into their characters, and opportunities often arise where it seems most important for the production to invite a collaboration with students rather than just ‘puppeteering’ their experience.
“We are especially fortunate to be able to do a show with an entire library of resources to draw from for character development,” she continued. “Our cast, which includes every MMS middle school student, creates a ‘character project’ as part of their preparation. For this project, students are researching their role and character using Dr. Seuss’s stories as a resource, to help develop their character’s story with both a written piece and an artistic representation.”
A rich performing arts tradition and integrated arts curriculum make MMS performances outstanding. Put aside any stereotypes of what “middle school play” might bring to mind – think quality, great costumes, staging, musical talents and dramatic accomplishment. These kids work hard and it shows!
“It is an exciting process as a director to see our middle school students explore the possibilities,” said Fitzgerald, “and bring these imaginative and colorful characters alive onstage.”
Seussical Jr. book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle. Based on the works of Dr. Seuss. Music supervised, adapted and produced by Bryan Louiselle. Seussical Jr. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com
The following photos are from Mount Madonna School’s 2014 production of Seussical Jr.
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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, director of marketing & communications,
Nestled among the redwoods on 375 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a community of learners dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.
