Entertainment : All-Teen Musical comes to Benton County

The only all-teen musical to ever run on Broadway comes to Benton County August 6 – 15, 2010, produced by ACT I and performed at the Vinton-Shellsburg High School auditorium. This will be one of the first productions of the show in the Midwest and possibly the first in Iowa. Auditions were held April 24 and 25, 2010 at 2:00 pm in the ACT I Studio above Clingman Pharmacy in Vinton. Over 25 area young people showed up to audition for the 13 member show! 13 is a fast-paced, edgy look at being thirteen years old, as seen through the eyes of Evan Goldman, a Jewish boy from New York City who must move to Indiana with his mother following his parents’ divorce. The story is funny and bittersweet, told with a dynamite rock and roll score featuring over twenty musical numbers.Deiector Steve Arnold and Music Director Jesse Bunge held reading and muscial auditions and were able to announce a final cast list Sunday night. Lead actor Bentlee Birchansky has appeared in Follies the last five years, he has acting credits at TCR, Starlighters, and the Iowa City Community Theatre, and he was in the film The Final Season. There are four area school districts represented in the cast.

Characters: Evan Goldman - Bentlee Birchansky: Fast-talking Jewish kid from New York who finds himself stranded in Indiana as he prepares for his Bar Mitzvah. Evan is always quick to sell his next idea as he tries to work his way to popularity at his new school. (Think of him as a junior version of Harold Hill.) Featured in twelve of the show’s songs, this is one of the biggest and best roles for a teen boy in any musical out there. Archie - Ian Stuelke: Archie suffers from muscular dystrophy and walks with crutches. He is intrinsically funny and has a dark sense of humor, and he is not above using his disability to manipulate people into giving him what he wants; yet he is also the most fundamentally wise character in the show. Brett - Will Hancock: This self-absorbed athlete assumes the world revolves around him and uses his popularity to manipulate everyone he knows. Evan knows that to get the other kids to attend his Bar Mitzvah, he’ll need Brett’s help, but that proves easier said than done. Brett has a dark side that becomes progressively more evident as the show progresses. Patrice - Katie Hancock: This off-beat intellectual is the first friend Evan makes in Indiana. She has no use for the “cool kids,” nor they for her. Patrice is featured in several musical numbers, including two big solos. Kendra - Makala Neimeier: The head cheerleader, Kendra is the fantasy love interest of both Archie and Brett. A “good girl,” Kendra wants to do the right thing, but she also wants Brett – no matter what. Lucy - Taylor Livengood: The villain of the story, Lucy is shamelessly manipulative. She’ll do anything to get Brett, including stabbing her best friend in the back. Malcolm - Luke Owens, Eddie - Collin Schlotfeldt, Simon - Nathaniel Seitz, and Richie - Kevin Schlotfeldt: The secondary boys need to be cast with first-rate singers and are featured in several scenes. They bring down the house with their show-stopping R&B number Bad Bad News, where Richie hits a high “F” at full volume and holds it forever! The role of Malcolm is written for an African-American actor but a white actor can be substituted if needed. Charlotte - Willow Huber, Cassie - Kayla Taylor, and Molly - Hannah Seitz: The secondary girls also require top-notch singers and get plenty of stage time as well. They are featured in two musical numbers.