Arts & Entertainment

North Central College Students Present 'The Wedding Singer'

Four performances will be staged at 7:30 p.m. March 3, 4 and 5, and at 2 p.m. March 6 in Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville. Tickets are $15/adults and $10/students and senior citizens; call the Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.  

"The Wedding Singer" takes the audience back to 1985 in Ridgefield, N.J. Wannabe rock star Robbie Hart happens to be New Jersey's favorite wedding singer. But after Robbie's fiancée dumps him, he wreaks havoc during the weddings where he sings. Robbie's life seems to take a turn for the better when he meets Julia, a waitress he meets during a wedding, but the situation gets complicated since she's already involved with a Wall Street broker.

Adapted from the 1998 film of the same name, "The Wedding Singer" ran on Broadway for 285 performances in 2006 under the direction of Tony Award-winning director John Rando. The production was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

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North Central's production of "The Wedding Singer" is directed, choreographed, staged and coordinated entirely by senior students majoring in theatre. Nine seniors started working together last spring, selecting the show they wanted to present, then holding auditions and rehearsals this school year.  

"Being part of 'The Wedding Singer' is one of the highlights of my senior year," says co-director Kaylee Oost of Plano, Ill. "Our team, cast and support system has been so wonderful and I have looked forward to this opportunity for years. This is the time when we all get pushed to our limits and I'm excited to see how we all grow and come out of this process."

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"It'll be a night of laughter, love and reminiscing for the audience," says co-director Aileen Rak of Shorewood, Ill.

The principal parts for North Central's "The Wedding Singer" are:

Parts: Actor, town, year, major

Robbie: Max DeTogne of Arlington Heights, Ill., a sophomore majoring in speech communication

Sammy: Garrett Lutz of Aurora, Ill., a junior majoring in musical theatre

George: Bryan Renaud of Sugar Grove, Ill., a sophomore majoring in theatre

Julia: Kathryn Lepine of Naperville, Ill., a junior majoring in elementary education

Holly: Daryn Harrell of Peoria, Ill., a junior majoring in musical theatre

Glen: Dave Musselman of Woodridge, Ill., a junior majoring in musical theatre

Rosie/Angie: Emily Schmidt of Mascoutah, Ill., a junior majoring in theatre and English writing

Linda: Emma Van Ommeren of Lake Mills, Wis., a sophomore majoring in musical theatre

Crew: Name, town, year, major

Director: Aileen Rak of Shorewood, Ill., a senior majoring in musical theatre

Director: Kaylee Oost of Plano, Ill., a senior majoring in theatre

Choreographer: Tommy Rivera-Vega of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, a senior majoring in musical theatre

Music director: Taylor Martin of Madison, Wis., a senior majoring in choral music

Stage manager: Curtis Stelter of Lemont, Ill., a senior majoring in musical theatre and theatre

Production manager: Marissa Backlin of Monee, Ill., a senior majoring in music

Set designer: Ian Johnson of Downers Grove, Ill., a senior majoring in psychology and theatre

Light designer: Drew Ogden of Medina, N.Y., a senior majoring in theatre

Producer: Jared Grebner of Washington, Ill., a senior majoring in theatre

North Central College offers majors in theatre performance, technical theatre or musical theater and minors in theatre or dance. A full range of acting and dance classes is available, as well as opportunities to direct a full-length production. Students of all majors can participate in musical and non-musical performances, actor showcases and one-act plays and performances in the College's four theatre venues. Full-time professors and active professionals who are artist-teachers serve as faculty. For more information about North Central College's theatre programs visit northcentralcollege.edu/theatre.


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