Adolescent Ennui Gets a Reboot in Staged! Conservatory's Concert Reading of 1980's TEEN MUSICAL

Building on the success of their sold out smash hit Heathers: The Musical, Staged! presents a concert reading of 1980's Teen Musical, a piece designed for teen performers by Mark LaPierre (4X4=Musicals) and Eric Nordin (The Snowstorm) and directed by Diane Englert (Heathers: The Musical).

This trapper keeper of a musical offers a warmly imagined and inclusively written homage to the eighties, stuffed with Journey tributes and Cyndi Lauper style while still tackling the tricky challenges of the teen years with Staged!'s trademark depth and humor.

Performances are January 27 & 28 at 7:00 pm at the World Trade Center (121 SW Salmon St.) Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at fertilegroundpdx.org.

It's 1989 at John Hughes High where every student is fabulous and amazing EXCEPT Samantha. Ignored and literally invisible, Samantha has found the answer to her escapist prayers - spending her senior year at the French School of Ennui. Her depressingly impressive Mom (played by LisaMarie Harrison), won't let Samantha go until she tries, "really tries," to make friends with the Vision-Questing Jocks, Fame Dancers, Pop Divas, Real Genius Nerds, and Rebellious Idealists in her school's breakfast club. What's an anti-heroine to do but dance, sing and charm her way to the top of the high school heap?

The cast features local musical luminaries Susannah Mars and LisaMarie Harrison alongside Staged! Conservatory performers from high schools all over the Portland metro area including Amy Martin (Sunset HS); Kaylee Bair (Tigard HS); Isaac O'Farrell & Brendan Long (Southridge HS); William Duff (Skyview HS); Carson Welker & Sydney Heim(Alliance Charter Academy); Christina DePinto (Grant HS); Xavier Warner (Jesuit HS); Marilyn Blakewood (NW Academy); Miette LaPierre (Wilson HS); Celia Straub (Milwaukie HS); Ronni Lee (Arts & Communication HS); Jacob Skidmore & Lily Gleason (Lakeridge HS); Bowen Hampton (Lincoln HS); Anna Carr, Kylee Kamikawa, & Izzy Ochocki (Wilsonville HS); Hudson Hale (Oregon Episcopal School); Katie McClanan (Catlin Gabel); and Maya Barbon (Westview HS).

The piece has been written with inclusive casting goals in mind, offering opportunities to mix and match gender, race and ethnic identity as needed to work with the strong suits of each company that elects to perform it.

The show is written by Mark LaPierre, creator of 3 seasons of sold out 4X4=Musicals performances at past Fertile Ground Festivals in collaboration with composer Eric Nordin, whose 2015 Fertile Ground production of The Snowstorm garnered a Drammy Award for best production. Director Diane Englert helmed Staged!'s smash-hit production of Heathers: The Musical and offers over 20 years of new play development experience ranging from Off-Broadway to Portland Center Stage.

The Staged! Conservatory offers a unique year-long, intensive, pre-professional training program for teens. Students meet for four hours each week to develop their acting, singing, movement and ensemble building skills. 100% of Staged! Conservatory students graduate high school and go on to higher education at such schools a Stanford, Fordham, Adelphi, SMU and others. This production offers the conservatory students an opportunity to originate a role, building important skills for future performance in the regional and national theatre community.

Staged! is committed to growing artists through award-winning productions that have garnered more PAMTA and Drammy Awards per production than any other Portland theater company.

Fertile Ground is an 11-day city-wide arts festival that includes dozens of Portland-generated new works each year. From fully staged world premieres, workshops and readings of theatre, to ensemble and collaborative driven work, dance, comedy and film...this festival spans the spectrum of creative endeavor and seeds the next generation of creation.

Purchase tickets and Festival Passes here http://fertilegroundpdx.org/

Staged! also offers a pre-show panel discussion on Jan 28th at 5:00 pm -
Art Factory: Building a Musical, featuring the following panelists:

Broadway actress Barrett Wilbert Weed - the original Veronica in Heathers: The Musical

Tony-Award winning Producer Corey Brunish

Award winning musical theatre writers Mark LaPierre and Eric Nordin

Discussion is free with suggested donation.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust, Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation. Season sponsor Ronni Lacroute.

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