Oak Parkers will have a chance to catch a Broadway-style student show at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, about one month after voters approved two referendum questions on April 4 that, in part, avoided possible cuts to School District 97’s theater programs.
BRAVO!, one of District 97’s theater programs, debuted its production of “The Lion King” on April 28, with several other performances that will run through the first weeks of May.
Shows are set to run at 7 p.m. May 5, May 6, May 12 and May 13. There also will be 2 p.m. shows on May 6, May 7, May 13 and May 14. For information, visit www.bravoperformingarts.org.
In April, voters approved two questions — a $13.3 million operating referendum and $57.5 million capital improvements referendum. Organizers first began planning the show in September 2016 and dealt with uncertainty about the future of BRAVO! throughout the process, with district leadership suggesting slashing programming if the referendums failed.
“We are all very thankful and relived that it did pass and incredibly grateful to our Oak Park community,” Tina Reynolds, the show’s director and BRAVO! program manager, said April 24, referring to the two referendums. “There is immense emotion, raw emotion, that has been poured into this [show] from the children.”
The show’s cast and crew will include around 130 students, Reynolds said, and features “incredible” costumes and choreography. Dozens of outside artists and parents volunteered, too.
“It has been a massive undertaking,” Reynolds said. “What’s really unique in this show is the use of masks and costumes that merge the human figure and animal physicality of each character.”
The show’s large cast size offered BRAVO! the ability to open spots in the production for many students. Reynolds also mentioned BRAVO! “double cast” the show, meaning different students will perform the same role depending on the night, and offered some roles as “no audition” parts for students busy with other commitments, like sports.
Before voters went to the polls April 4, BRAVO! alumni, current students and educators all appealed to the community to preserve the program’s funding. Some students in the show participated in a March 18 gathering at Oak Park’s Scoville Park to rally support for the two referendum questions.
BRAVO! also received support from two Oscar-winning songwriters, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who won an Academy Award this year for their contribution to the music of “La La Land.” The pair filmed a video backing the program and have worked with BRAVO! in the past through its partnership with iTheatrics, a New York City-based theatrical company that adapts production for schools.
More Top Picks Welder
“They’ve traveled around the world and said they’ve never seen another middle school theater program like BRAVO!,” Reynolds said of Pasek and Paul. “They’re true fans of the program.”
The Lion King’s themes of family, loyalty, honor and love should, Reynolds added, appeal to Oak Parkers of all ages.
“We don’t see BRAVO! just as an after-school drama club. We see it as an opportunity to help educate and shape our young people,” Reynolds said. “I have no doubt, absolutely no doubt, that the passion and the excellence that the kids have for musical theater and what its done for their lives will resonate with the audience.”
Thomas Vogel is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.