After months of rehearsals, students were ready for their starring turn in The Lion King Jr. On Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11, the cast put on two performances in the Gaynor Gymnasium. The play was co-directed by Meredith Akins, Abby Shuppy, and Brendan Stackhouse along with co-director and stage manager Andrea Patti, and stage manager Zoe Carril.
Based on the Disney movie, The Lion King Jr. tells the story of a young lion named Simba and the kingdom he is to inherit from his father, Mufasa. Not everything goes as planned, however, due to Mufasa’s brother Scar who seeks to usurp him. Students sang classics from The Lion King, including “The Circle of Life,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “I Just Can’t Wait to be King.”
“I am incredibly proud of these students for their consistent hard work and dedication to this wonderful production,” said Stackhouse. Meredith Akins chimed in as well. “Thank you Stephen Gaynor School for this wonderful opportunity to advocate for students and the arts. No risk, no reward!”
While the drama department has not yet chosen next year’s play, they do have one thing planned – they hope it will be the inaugural performance in Gaynor’s new Performing Arts Center, slated to open in fall of 2018.
