Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts Presents ALL SHOOK UP at Seacoast Rep

Seacoast Repertory Theatre's Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts is getting ready to kick off their Youth Mainstage offering, All Shook Up, which premiers on Friday, November 4th at 8pm.

All Shook Up is a Broadway jukebox musical based on the music of Elvis Presley, and strangely enough, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The story follows a young, guitar playing rebel and a small town girl with big dreams as they discover romance and the power of Rock & Roll.

29 teens are cast in the production, all members of the youth company of the Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts.

"A lot of people don't know that the Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts came before Seacoast Rep," said Director of Youth Education, Seraphina Caligiure. "Education is a huge part of what we do as a professional theatre, and you can see these kids develop their talent so rapidly over the course of a production. We feel like it's important to showcase these kids with a full production like this. It forces them to learn and grow just like any professional would."

The cast performed the show's version of the "Can't Help Falling in Love" to a standing ovation at the Rep on the River Gala.

Also in the pipeline are two more PAPA workshop productions for the holidays: Run Turkey, Run!, which runs November 12th-20th, and Rudolfoletto, which runs December 10th-18th, both original musical adaptations by Artistic Director Miles Burns.

"Workshop productions are tailored to each student," said Burns. "Every time we do a new one, or remount it, we write it or rewrite it to make sure it plays to each student's strengths."

Seacoast Rep plans for more Youth Mainstage and Workshop productions for its 2017 season, with three Youth Mainstage and four Workshop productions planned throughout the year, in addition to year-round classes and camps.

"PAPA is growing," says Caligiure. "As long as we have students and a stage for them to stand on, we'll serve them as best we can."

Tickets are available now for all PAPA productions at seacoastrep.org/tickets or through the Box Office at 603-433-4472. All Shook Up runs 8pm Fridays, 2pm and 8pm Saturdays, and 2pm Sundays from November 4th-13th. Run Turkey, Run! runs Saturdays and Sundays at 10am from November 12th-20th. Rudolfoletto runs Saturdays and Sundays at 10am from December 10th-18th.

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