Song and Dance on BW Stage this Weekend

Belleville West Little Theatre closes its 2011-2012 season with the musical Sweet Charity.  Performances will be held this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Belleville West Performing Arts Center.

BW Senior Wins State Journalism Championship

Senior Sterling Beckmann won the state title in Broadcast News Writing at the IHSA State Journalism Contest.  The contest was held at Eastern Illinois University on Friday, April 27.  Congratulations to Sterling and to all members of the Hy News and Bellevinois staffs who qualified to compete at the state tournament.

Yearbook Distribution Set for May 10 and 11

The 2011-2012 edition of the Bellevinois, the Belleville West yearbook, will be distributed during lunch hours on Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11.  December graduates can pick up their yearbooks from 4-6 p.m. on May 10.  For any student who did not preorder a book, the staff will have a limited number of yearbooks available for $60 each.

Journalism Students Take Sectional Title

Congratulations to the Hy News, the Belleville West student newspaper, and the Bellevinois, the Belleville West yearbook.  Members of these publications won the IHSA Sectional Journalism Contest on Saturday, April 21.

The following students will represent Belleville West at the state contest:  Sterling Beckmann (first place in Broadcast Journalism), Kayanna Clark (first place in Advertising and third place in Editorial Cartooning), David Felts (first place in Editorial Writing and second place in Review Writing), Brandon Bernhardt (first place in Headline Writing), Gabriela Zamfir (second place in Newspaper Page Layout), Jorden Guldner (second place in Infographics), Hannah Bernardini (third place in Photography), and Joey Hasenstab (third place in Sports Writing).

The advisor of the Hy News is Ms. Laurie Bielong; the advisor of the Bellevinois is Ms. Soune Ursani.

English Department Sponsors Summer Yard Sale

The Belleville West English Department will host a school yard sale in the BW Commons on Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2.  The yard sale will be open from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. each day.  The admission charge is just $1.

Organizations, clubs, teams, or individuals who would like to reserve tables for the yard sale should contact Mr. John Lodle at jlodle@bths201.org for more information.

Musical Slated for First Weekend in May

The Belleville West Little Theatre will present its annual musical on Thursday through Saturday, May 3 through 5.  This year’s production is Sweet Charity.  It features a book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman, and lyrics by Dorothy Fields.  It was originally directed and choreographed by legendary Broadway director Bob Fosse.

Have you ever known a girl who wanted something so badly that she tried too hard to get it?  Meet Charity (junior Taylor Keel), the girl who wants to be loved so much that she has lost sight of who she is.  Charity sings, dances, laughs, and cries her way through romances with the “animal magnetism” hero (senior Michael Caponi), the “ultra-chic continental” hero (senior Zac Chamberlin), and the “imp0ssible-to-believe-but-he’s-better-than-nothing” hero (senior David Felts).

Her world is the gritty world of Times Square, and the people who pass through her world are as charming a group as ever swept across the stage.  From her cynical friends at the dance hall (senior Katherine Eckert and junior Emma Geiger), to the phony evangelist (junior Lloyd Coakley), to the Coney Island fun people, to the Central Park strollers, every character is interesting.

This is a bright and sophisticated show in every sense.  Memorable musical numbers include “Big Spender,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” “I’m a Brass Band,” and “Baby, Dream You Dream.”

This year’s production of Sweet Charity is directed by Ms. Jennifer Sage.  Dr. Thomas Birkner serves as the musical director.  Mr. Nick Johnson is the choreographer.  Mr. John Lodle is the technical director.  The student directors are senior Michael Caponi, sophomore Dean Fults, and sophomore Kirsten Couvillion.  The student technical directors are seniors Woody Gardiner, Alex Knapp, Shannon Miller, Morgan Munro, junior Rebecca Rockwell, and sophomore Nick Klein.

Performances are at 7:00 each evening in the Belleville West Performing Arts Center, located at 4063 Frank Scott Parkway West.  Tickets are $5 for students, $8 for adults, and $6 for senior citizens.