Alliance High School (AHS) will host a full-scale musical for the first time since the spring of 2019 this weekend. Disney’s The Lion King Jr. will consist of a cast of over 140 students from second to twelfth grade in a total of six shows performed Thursday, March 31 to Sunday, April 3.
\r\nWith such a large cast, Carrie Chunat, the choir director at AHS, chose to have six shows instead of the usual four shows to allow students equal opportunity to perform and allow for more viewing opportunities for families and the community. The students will be split into two casts, Cast A and Cast B, and each will perform three shows.
\r\n“It has been so moving as a professional musician to see the interest in this musical really come alive after not having a true spring musical for three years, let alone a show incorporating our young students as well,” Chunat said. “The younger students are enthralled to see the high schoolers perform on stage and to see each other perform. It certainly is an exciting experience for everyone involved.”
Cast A will perform on Thursday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2:30 pm. Cast B will perform Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2:30 pm and Sunday at 7:30 pm.
\r\nTickets for the show are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and $8 for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. If a young child will be attending and an adult plans to hold them for the duration of the show, a ticket does not have to be purchased for them. Tickets are reserved seats and are available online at https://singingaviators.ludus.com/index.php. There will also be select tickets available at the door.
\r\nPutting on a performance of this magnitude is no easy feat. Chunat recruited the help of a number of teachers and programs to help create the props and elaborate costumes the students will be wearing throughout the performances. The AHS Sports Medicine program created props such as the bones for the graveyard scenes, the art classes at Alliance Intermediate School created the animal headbands the actors will be wearing for their characters and the AHS art classes created some of the larger animal props the audiences will see in the shows.
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“It has been so exciting to work with passionate colleagues to help this production come to life,” Chunat said. “The art department is amazing. The Alliance Intermediate School art department created all of the headpieces in the show. The Alliance High School art department created birds, giraffes and elephants for the shows. They took the ideas I had and ran with them creating detailed puppets that are sure to capture the attention of the audience.”
\r\nCast A includes:
\r\nKacie Bench as Simba, Dominic Falconer as Young Simba Cali England as Rafiki, Orah Green as Sarabi, Summer Hill as Pumba, Avery Horning at Timone, Gabby Hill as Nala, Sadie Tritico as Young Nala Ryan Bench as Mufasa, Rylee Horning as Zazu and Lee Bryce as Scar.
\r\nAlong with the following as the remainder of the cast and crew: Aubree Bell, Micah Braisted, Allison Cunningham, Emree Doak, Americus Eberling, Grace Edwards, Ella Fontaine, Mya Hill, Andrew Horning, Marlie Hudachek, Paytin Jennings, Natalya Jimenez, Abigaile Lively, Jaxon Lowe, Jazmine Maxon, Aubrey McPherson, Barrett Moats, Adalyn Rastetter, Aubree Ross, Aliyah Rounds, Allyssa Schaffert, Pauline Smith, Daisy Stephenson, Harmony Thomas, Lila Turner, Elsie Washington, Maddie Woodruff, Adalynn Yeagley, Jonathan Chunat, Noelle Lewis, Ava Selander, Robert Beckley, Allenna Bertram, Kris Blyer, Natty Brown, Liz Burns, Adam Burse, Olivia Chiporo, Andrew Chunat, Mallory Chunat, Trevor Collage, Carli Cooper, Brooke Figenshuh, Kah Hawkins, Jenna Heslop, Tamra Jackson, Saniya Jones, Kennedi Masters, Madalyn McNeal, Phoenix Motry, Jacklyn Mozzochi, Tabbie Poindexter, Kylee Puckett, Alea Simbro, Care Ulbricht, Rhi Underwood, Lily Walker, La’Kayla Williams, Nathaniel Woerther, Radric Atherton, Immani Brown, Ava Doak, Lyla Kingan, Raelyn Kline, Lorena Melchor-Arroyo, Brooklyn Schuette, Dalilah Stephenson, Dominic Falconer, Sadie Tritico, Kadence Adkins, Natalie Austin, Alivia Bandy, Arabella Barnes, Gracelyn Durenda, Kara Eversdyke, Miley Gross, Gabby Heslop, Corie Horning, Stella Jackson, Aiden Kern, Amiyah Lloyd, Grace McGeehen, Gianna Phillips, Rylee Pisino, Beth Poindexter, Makenna Root, Audrina Wait.
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Cast B Includes:
\r\nCaden Nicholson as Simba, Dominic Falconer as Young Simba, Zhaniya Wood as Rafiki, Sierra Brown as Sarabi, Gracie Weaver as Pumba, Eliza McDonald as Timone, Anna Eversdyke as Nala, Sadie Tritico as Young Nala, Ryan Bench as Mufasa, Rylee Horning as Zazu and Bryce Lee as Scar.
\r\nAlong with the following as the remainder of the cast and crew: Robert Beckley, Allenna Bertram, Kris Blyer, Natty Brown, Liz Burns, Adam Burse, Olivia Chiporo, Andrew Chunat, Mallory Chunat, Trevor Collage, Carli Cooper, Brooke Figenshuh, Kah Hawkins, Jenna Heslop, Tamra Jackson, Saniya Jones, Kennedi Masters, Madalyn McNeal, Phoenix Motry, Jacklyn Mozzochi, Tabbie Poindexter, Kylee Puckett, Alea Simbro, Care Ulbricht, Rhi Underwood, Lily Walker, La’Kayla Williams, Nathaniel Woerther, Dominic Falconer, Sadie Tritico, Kadence Adkins, Natalie Austin, Alivia Bandy, Arabella Barnes, Gracelyn Durenda, Kara Eversdyke, Miley Gross, Gabby Heslop, Corie Horning, Stella Jackson, Aiden Kern, Amiyah Lloyd, Grace McGeehen, Gianna Phillips, Rylee Pisino, Beth Poindexter, Makenna Root, Audrina Wait, Natalie Blount, Lilyana Elke, Lyla Fountain, Reese Hays, Katherine Kline, Amiyra Lambert, Charis Poindexter, Katherine Simbro, Jaxxon Trainer, Nevaeh VanPelt, Bryce Beadnell, Liliana Bert, Christopher Blue, Victoria Briden, Kathlynn Briner, Brantley Buetel, Brynlea Ceresna, Gabriel Cox, Natalie Eversdyke, Brady Floyd, ShaRiyah Fortner, Kaidyn Gamertsfelder, Kaleb Gamertsfelder, Kajawn Grant, Charlie Hoopes, Elizabeth Hull, Brooklynn Jeffray, LaSon Johnson, Avea Kelly, Perez McLendon, Lydia Moore, Tristan Penny, Mila Petti, Samara Snodgrass, Addison Sweger, McKenzie Thomas, Aamir Tufail, Laikynn Walker, Kenzie Wilson.
\r\nChunat has served as director of the show and has been assisted by Natalie Kern and Shawna Taylor, with lighting and sound direction by Matt Lansell.