Thespian Troupe Honors Seven New Members

On Saturday, May 5, Belleville West Thespian Troupe #369 welcomed seven new members:  sophomores Abigail Blakey, Mary O’Donnell, Luke Schauster, and Carmen Wilder; juniors Annabelle Brown and Shae O’Brien; and senior Kim Haguewood.

The International Thespian Society is an honors organization that recognizes outstanding contributions to high school theatre.  Each of these students has devoted at least 300 hours to Belleville West theatre productions, with a minimum of 150 hours in backstage work.  Congratulations!

Yearbook Earns National Honor

The 2016-2017 edition of the Bellevinois, the Belleville West yearbook, recently received an honorable mention from Balfour Yearbooks.  This is a national recognition for outstanding contribution to student journalism.  Congratulations to the yearbook staff and to Ms. Ashley Short, the yearbook adviser!

BW Little Theatre Presents Musical this Thursday, Friday, Saturday

The Belleville West Little Theatre will present its annual musical on Thursday through Saturday, May 3 through 5.  This year’s production is Ragtime, the winner of multiple Tony Awards.

Ragtime features music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the team behind Once on This Island, Seussical the Musical, and Anastasia.  The book is by Terrance McNally, based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow.

Set at the dawn of the twentieth century, everything is changing…and anything is possible.

In the volatile melting pot of turn-of-the-century New York, three distinctly American tales weave together:  A stifled upper-class wife (senior Cassidy Farrar), a determined Jewish immigrant (senior Wade Cook), and a daring young Harlem musician (senior Miles Wadlington).

Though they come from different backgrounds, the three are united by their courage, compassion, and belief in the promise of the future.

Together, they confront history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair.  In a story whose echoes ring true today, Ragtime examines what it means to live in America.

Ragtime received its world premiere in Toronto in 1996.  It opened on Broadway in 1998, winning Tony Awards for Original Score, Book, and Orchestrations.  The show was revived on Broadway in 2009.

The Belleville West production of Ragtime is directed by Mr. Nick Johnson.  Mr. Michael Pond-Jones serves as the musical director.  Ms. Kay Guebert is the choreographer.  Mr. John Lodle is the technical director.

Performances are at 7:00 each evening in the Belleville West Performing Arts Center, located at 4063 Frank Scott Parkway West.  Tickets are $8 for students, $12 for adults, and $10 for senior citizens.

All pictures above are courtesy of Mr. Adam Becherer.