CCTeens To Perform Gilbert & Sullivan Comic Operetta THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

Never ones to shy away from a challenge (Little Shop of Horrors, Sweeny Todd), the CCTeens (Columbia Children's Theatre's YouTheatre actors in grades 7-12) will tackle the famous Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance beginning Friday, March 23 and running through Sunday March 25. Showtimes are Friday at 7:00 pm, Saturday at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $10.00 per person 3 years of age and up and can be ordered securely on line at columbiachildrenstheatre.com. All performances are held at Columbia Children's Theatre's new performance space on the 1st level of Richland Mall, 3400 Forest Drive next to Barnes & Noble. For more information contact CCT at 803-691-4548. The production is sponsored by Staymobile.

About the Production

Usually referred to as an opera or operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance could more accurately be described as America's first musical hit. While written by Englishmen and set off the coast or Cornwall, Pirates actually made its world premier in New York in 1879 and became an immediate hit. Their decision to premier it in America was based on the nearly non-existent copywrite laws of the time in the U.S. whereby companies could mount productions of their work without paying any royalties for the use of the material, or "pirate" these operettas for their own profit. By premiering the work in the U.S. (and the title was in fact a tongue-in-cheek reference to the practice) they would secure an American copywrite and prevent further unlicensed productions. It was also a hit in that it was composed in the style of the popular music of the times and was a critical and commercial success, (Can anyone say Hamilton?)

The show is directed by CCT Artistic Associate Paul Lindley, (Little Shop, Sweeny Todd, Hairspray,) with choreography by Lisa Sendler. The set is designed by Jim Litzinger with costumes by Jerry Stevenson.

The cast includes 49 of the most talented 7th - !2th graders in the Midlands including Addie Brown, Lucy Grace Burnett, Liam Carrico, Katie Conrad, Megan Crutchfield, Erin Daly, Thomas Daly, Sydney Davis, Coco Diveley, Joshua Diveley, Virginia Dunlap, Molly Edwards-Lehman, Isabella Fleischer, Sam Fleischer, Lily Hadden-Ford, Maggie Hadley, Anna Hedges, Lindsay Hunter, Aaliyah Irving-Jones, Helen Iverson, Isabelle Iverson, Liam Judge, Lilli King, Mya Kowalke, Sarah Krawczyk, Kell Lessley, Mahogany McCreary, Robert McCreary, Ally Montgomery, Baker Morrison, Nathan Mullins, Leah Pennington, Gresham Poole, London Saunders, Grace Sawicki, Eva Shealy, Sylvia Shealy, Morgan Sheffield, Cort Stevenson, Brianna Surface, Riley Triggs, Will Varner, Carter Verwers, Jonas Verwers, Cameron Vipperman, Meliah Washington, Ashton Waters, and Walker Weaver.

This production is part of Music Theatre International's Broadway Junior collection, which reformats full-length productions for young performers, while still maintaining the fun and excitement of the original.

Columbia Children's Theatre is a professional resident not-for-profit theatre dedicated to providing quality live theatre experiences for families and young audiences. CCT's current season is sponsored by The Braddock Group and Columbia Mom's Blog. CCT is also supported in part by the City of Forest Acres, and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

PHOTO: (l-r) Sarah Krawczyk (Mabel), Liam Carrico (The Pirate King), Baker Morrison (Frederic) in CCT's The Pirates of Penzance Jr.

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