Fresh air, snacks, and the sound of music under the stars. That’s what it’s like for people who attend Starlight Theatre shows. A community tradition returns for its 56th season this year.
Starlight Theatre will be performing Footloose, In The Heights, Oliver!, and Cinderella. The junior, Starlittle show will be performing Stinky Cheese Man. Each show has a unique directing team who are already working hard.
Footloose will be directed by Amanda Jenson, In the Heights will be directed by Mychall Cornejo and both Oliver! and Cinderella will be directed by Chris Brady.
Autumn Dancy is the Stage Manager for Cinderella and Stinky Cheese Man. This is Autumn’s 8th season with Starlight. She started out as a member of the running crew and worked her way up to stage managing shows.
“We have such a good season lined up this year,” Dancy said. “We start off the season with Footloose, which is a classic. It’s dance-heavy. It’s so fun. Then we move into In the Heights, which is one of my personal favorites. A show that I honestly a little bit regret not auditioning for, but it’s just such a beautiful story, and it’s the POC show this season. So we get to go into Hispanic culture and everything of that sort. Then we move into Oliver!, which like incorporates a lot of the kids, and it’s the story of Oliver Twist. Then we move into Cinderella, which is a Disney classic. It’s just one of those stories you grew up with. It feels good. We finally end the season with our kid’s show Stinky Cheese Man which is a book that a lot of adults are still familiar with to this day. ”
Starlight Theatre is a team effort for the community. Everyone is welcome to get involved. It is a tradition that many families look forward to in the Rockford area. There are many talented people in Rockford, and they come to Starlight to showcase those talents.
Chris Brady is the Producing Artistic Director for Starlight. He also directs and produces the shows.
“It feels like it’s on the verge of professional, but it’s not even close to what I want for it,” Brady said. “I feel like it needs to stay community oriented. In that way, I’m thinking about what it means to the community and what it should mean to the community more and more. We’re trying to get more reflective of the community when we’re casting it in the first place. Our community is a lot more diverse than it is presented on stage, and we really need to find that aspect of who we are. ”
Rehearsals have started, and tickets are available to be purchased. Each show has many dates across different weeks to be seen:
- Footloose the Musical: June 7-10 & July 12-16
- In the Heights: June 14-17 & July 19-23
- Oliver!: June 21-24 & July 26-30
- Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: June 28 – July 1 & August 2-6
- The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales: August 10-12
Tickets and more information:
To purchase tickets or find more information about Starlight, visit their website at: rvcstarlight.com.
