The Blue Ridge School’s Performing Arts Department gave three performances of Damn Yankees on Friday, February 10, and Saturday, February 11, on the DeAngelis Stage in Jessup Auditorium to very enthusiastic audiences! The musical was directed by Mr. Will McGreal with musical direction by Mr. Jim Niederberger and Mr. Mike Vinson. They were assisted by a number of adults in the community, including the Reverend Anne West (assistant director and costumes), Mr. Will Hare (lighting director), Mr. Ed Blain (set director) and Mrs. Patricia Deane (choreography).
The set crew included Will Burton ’18, Huntley Hacker ’17, Christian Joskowiak ’18, Will Rukuba ’19 and Pearson White ’17. The lighting crew were Nova Arsenault ’20 and Julien Couraud ’20.
The orchestra pit musicians were Andrew Kerchner ’18, Hayden Kim ’18, Junfeng Liu ’18, Kamryn Norwood-Blackwell ’17 and Jason Yu ’18.
This production was dedicated to the memory of Joseph M. Abramo ’96, who as a student at Blue Ridge School was drawn to drama and is best remembered for his performance as “The Ringmaster” in a production of “Barnum.”
Cast members in cameo roles were Kate Daniels, Karen Fink, Marla Bruton, Terry Bennett, Trip Darrin, Vinton Bruton, Dave Welty and several faculty children. Logan Marshall ’19, Oscar Palin ’17 and Freeman Paulson ’19 served popcorn and hotdogs during scene changes.
The other cast members, who dazzled the audiences with their singing and acting, were as follows:
Joe Boyd …………………………………… Keane Emmans-McGill
Joe Hardy ……………………………………………… Tristan Adams
Applegate ……………………………………………… Katiso Tlelima
Lola ………………………………………………..EmilaLee Linaberry
Meg Boyd ……………………………………………. Shalita Kenney
Gloria Thorpe ………………………………… Samantha Marcotte
Doris ……………………………………………………. Caleb Werner
Sister ………………………………………………………. Bryce Aylor
Postmaster …………………………………………….. Jahlil Puryear
Lynch (reporter) ………………………………….. Franck Germain
Guard …………………………………………………… Special Guest
The Washington Senators Baseball Franchise
Baseball Commissioner ………………………….Franck Germain
Welch (Ball club owner) ………………………………. Alex Tembo
Van Buren (Manager) ……………………………. David Ayriyants
Henry …………………………………………….. Elias Weldegeorgis
Sohovik ……………………………………………………. Allen Xiang
Smokey ………………………………………………….. Kellam Lloyd
Linville………………………………………………………..Bryce Aylor
Rocky …………………………………………………….. Juan Mareco
Lowe ………………………………………………………Caleb Werner
For photos of Act I, click here. For photos of Act II, click here.
Words and Music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
Book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop
Based on the novel by Douglass Wallop, “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant.”
Presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. MTIShows.com.
