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General News: Millie Shines With Young Talent
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| At the Priscilla Hotel, Meers controls everything |
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| caught up in their own worlds. |
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| Dorothy brings her dreams to the big city |
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| Everyone falls in line |
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| including the mail. |
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| Millie Dillmount comes to town |
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| Mrs. Meers' henchmen, Ching Ho and Bun Foo. |
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| One man stops to help her |
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| Susanne Shand & Andrew McWilliams |
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| The girls learn about the white slave trade |
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| The stenographers pool |
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| Trevor Graydon III |
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| where busy New Yorkers ignore her, |
July 18, 2007
On the set of a recent rehearsal of the musical comedy Thoroughly Modern Millie at Storm King School’s Walter Reade Jr. Theater, one could find a remarkable group of young adults and teens putting on a show that rivals the best in regional theater.
They are all part of Admit One, an ensemble made up of high school and college students who’ve gotten together for the third summer in a row because they love theater and can’t get enough of it during the school year.
Under the direction of Susanne Shand and Andrew McWilliams, the Admit One actors burst with drama and vibrant song. With its songs about ambition, romance, and betrayal, the story of Millie couldn’t be better matched to the mood of the young actors.
In the show, Millie (played by Kaitlin McKeon), comes to New York City to find her fortune in the roaring 20s. Living in a rooming house with other starry-eyed girls, Millie is determined to marry a rich man but finds herself one of several available women in the office typing pool.
She flirts with Jimmy Smith, played by Devlin Shand, a paper-clip salesman who falls short of being the millionaire she hopes to wed. The plot thickens when Millie discovers that Mrs. Meers (played by Wendy Ables), the woman who runs the girls’ rooming house, is involved in the white slave trade and preys on unattached women.
At every twist and turn in the storyline, the cast of characters finds a reason to start singing and dancing in their elaborate period costumes. Choreographed by Victoria Valentine and Suzy Downey, the dance numbers showcase the sheer talent of these performers.
Susanne Shand, a mother of three, teacher, director and all-around theater-lover, has been the driving force behind Admit One since her son Devlin and his friends from Cornwall high school talked her into working with them to present the troupe’s first production, The Fantastiks, in 2005.
Susanne has worked with the Cornwall Community Theatre, the high school drama club productions, and at the Vineyard Playhouse, an Equity Actor’s venue in Massachusetts. She also coached the Cornwall High School Odyssey of the Mind team that made it into the World Finals in 2003, ’04 and ‘05.
“The kids didn’t want to see an end to the idea of performing in their hometown,” Susanne says, remembering how her son and his friends felt after graduation. “They get joy and pleasure putting on a show.”
Several of the younger players say that it’s the comradery of the group that attracts them, as well as a chance to learn from more experienced players and crew. Susanne’s co-director, Andrew McWilliams, is a third-year student of drama at Queens College in Toronto. Musical director Timothy Getz is in his third year of studying music at Oberlin College. He directs a pit orchestra with students from the area.
Several adults play important behind-the-scenes roles, including Steve Shand, the set designer, Angela Palaggi and Sarah Ricker on costumes, and Shane Mongar and Mike Lockwood creating the lighting and the sound.
Susanne says that the group has always had a strong community orientation and donates all of its profits to the venue where their production is held.
With opening night of Thoroughly Modern Millie just days away on Friday night, July 20, the cast is brimming with excitement. Some of the performers, including Samantha Kelly, Molly Coyne, Valentina Monte and Danny Distasio, will return to Cornwall High School in the fall with this tremendous experience under the belt. Others, like Elan Riggs and Kaitlin McKeon are off to college to pursue their dreams fueled by their hometown theater group.
For the performance times of Thoroughly Modern Millie, click here.
The photos at right give a sampling of what's in store for theater-goers. Click on the photos for a larger image.
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