HINSDALE, ILL.: BAMtheatre, an educational theatre program based in the western suburbs of Chicago, will send 30 of its students to Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 18-20, to compete in the Junior Theatre Festival West.
According to BAMtheatre managing director Julie Peterson, the event “brings together student musical theatre troupes from all over the world for a weekend of musical theatre mayhem and madness.” Each troupe will perform 15 minutes of a show for adjudication by a panel of musical theatre experts. The weekend also features workshops and performances for students and parents to attend.
BAMtheatre’s students, who auditioned last fall for its Junior Conservatory Ensemble (JrBCE) program, will perform an excerpt from Shrek the Musical, Jr. at this month’s festival. The 30 participants (with their Illinois hometowns) are Liam Rees (Elmhurst); Gianna Porcelli (Berwyn); Mia Angeletti, Kendall Forcash, Libby Foster, Abby Nordby, and Olivia Tobolski (Clarendon Hills); Luke Speyer, Sam Trani, and Ava Dickenscheidt (Downers Grove); Alex McCarty, Ashton Rozich, Gavin Schmitz, Julia Solberg, Sophia Sheth, Veronica Gartner, and Caroline Hurley (Hinsdale); Cole Levin (Oakbrook); Jane Steinhagen and Payton Meller (La Grange); Carlie Thomas and Maeve Rogers (Willowbrook); Ryan Coglianese and Delilah Pawlowski (Western Springs); Cannon Forsman, Ella Forsman, Maddison Beecham, and Kate Myers (Darien); and Giuliano Garcia and Peyton Smolarczyk (Chicago).
BAMtheatre was established in 2001 to create opportunities for youth to receive professional musical theatre training and education in a fun, energetic, and engaging manner. It serves more than 1,000 students annually, some of whom have gone on to study theatre and music at institutions including NYU, University of Michigan, and the Boston Conservatory.
