Valley performers celebrate successful musical season

May 23—LEWISBURG — The Lewisburg Area High School auditorium was filled with bouts of laughter, hoots and hollers and rounds of applause as young performers gathered Wednesday night to celebrate a successful season of musicals.

The event, hosted by The Daily Item and organized by Features Editor Kyra Smith-Cullen and photographer Robert Inglis, showcased three live performances and footage of productions from Meadowbrook Christian School, Southern Columbia, Line Mountain, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Warrior Run, Milton, Mount Carmel, Lewisburg, Shikellamy, Danville, Selinsgrove and Shamokin.

Audience members said they looked forward to seeing clips of other school performances, especially those that they were unable to attend because they ran the same weekend as their own.

"Our musical was on the same weekend as a lot of others so we weren't able to go see them," said Katie Kelley, a Lewisburg senior who played the role of Mary Poppins in her school's production.

Shikellamy junior Brooklyn Colon said she was especially excited to get a glimpse of Southern Columbia's "Little Shop of Horrors" and Shikellamy senior Angel Ortiz was looking forward to Selinsgrove's "Shrek, The Musical."

Inglis, who emceed the event, said he loved seeing a mix of new and experienced actors on stage.

"It really creates a neat dynamic on stage and is a great way to get some of the younger kids some exposure to it and helps to build the program for years to come," Inglis said. "The overall quality of the performances continues to amaze me — and what high schools can do with limited budgets to put on the imaginative productions that they do."

Smith-Cullen, said she enjoyed seeing so many smiles in the audience.

"It was great to see all the kids dressed up and enjoying themselves," Smith-Cullen said. "They work hard, and I'm glad The Daily Item can do something to celebrate them. It was a great night."

The young actors encouraged community members to get out and see a show next year.

"It's nice to get to see people shine who aren't usually in the spotlight," Kelley said.

Ortiz said his favorite part of performing is meeting the audience afterward and seeing how they were impacted by the show.

For Danville junior Kyla Brookhart, seeing the diverse group of kids that come together on the stage is worth the price of a ticket.

"It's cool to see people on stage together who you wouldn't normally see together," Brookhart said.