At Monticello Middle School in Cleveland Heights
Cleveland Heights, Ohio — Heights Youth Theatre (HYT) presents “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” at Monticello Middle School in Cleveland Heights for a six show run. It starts on Friday October 16, 2015 and ends on Sunday, October 25, 2015.
Directed by Eugene Sumlin, with music direction by Stacy Bolton, “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” is derived from the 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts.
In this revival production, the kids dance, sing, and bring this classic American cartoon strip to life. The stage design is like a big cartoon strip. There’s fast action from scene to scene. And the revival score features beloved songs such as: “Happiness”, “My Blanket and Me”, and “The Baseball Game”. It also features Snoopy’s famous “Suppertime” dream sequence, backed up by the show’s ensemble doubling as a gospel children’s choir on stage.
“We’ve taken the original and added a Heights Youth Theatre twist,” said Sumlin. “This is the perfect show to kick-off the Holiday Season. We hope our audience feels the joy that Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang have given us throughout the years,” he added. “It’s an old show made new again. Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang live on through our great cast of talented performers.”
HYT’s production of “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” features 43 players in 1st through 11th grades, from Shaker Hts., South Euclid, Cleveland Hts., University Hts., South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Willoughby, Garfield Hts., and Cleveland.
The lead cast includes: John Cugel (Charlie Brown), Charlie Proctor (Linus Van Pelt), Sydney Fieseler (Lucy Van Pelt), Grace Wilkinson (Sally Brown), Avery Pope (Schroeder), and Emma Blemaster (Snoopy). The Peanuts Gang includes: Lilly Pinkerton (Peppermint Patty), Emma Sedlack (Frieda), Julia Beard (Violet), Ruby Blackman (Marcie), Jade Gladue (Patty), Patrick McAllister (Shermy), and Mylo Jones (Woodstock).
Performances will be presented at Monticello Middle School Auditorium, 3665 Monticello Blvd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44121. Friday, October 16 & 23, 7 PM, Saturday, October 17 & 24, 2 PM, and Sunday, October 18 & 25, 2 PM. Tickets are $10 general admission and $9 for seniors and children under 6. The box office opens 45 minutes prior to each show. For more information, visit www.heightsyouththeatre.org. For group seating information, contact Ellen at 216-780-2235.
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About Heights Youth Theatre
Participants in Heights Youth Theatre range in age from 6-18 from all over Greater Cleveland. The Theatre generally produces three to four full-length musicals each year, servicing over 200 children and entertaining thousands. HYT has been in existence for over 60 years and serves close to 4,000 youth and families each season. For countless numbers of children, Heights Youth Theatre is their first exposure to live theater. It has been a place where young people from kindergarten through the 12th grade, from the inner ring suburbs of Greater Cleveland and beyond, enjoy a safe, nurturing environment and a cooperative learning experience as they work together to create a production. The extraordinary artistic quality of Heights Youth Theatre’s productions and the sense of connection to a larger community, are but a few of the compelling reasons children and adults choose to become involved with the Theatre.
Heights Youth Theatre is considered one of the gems of Cleveland Heights, having been named in Cleveland Magazine’s “Best of Cleveland” issue (2006) for tops in children’s theater. Several HYT youth have gone on to study Musical Theater at major colleges and universities such as Baldwin Wallace, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, NYU Tisch School, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Ithaca College. Some have attended summer programs at Interlochen Arts Academy, Fairmount Performing Arts Camp, Stage Door Manor, Carnegie Mellon and Northwestern, and others have gone on to perform on Broadway in shows such as Hair, Newsies, Rent, Mama Mia, Wicked, Spring Awakening, and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
About The Director
Eugene L. Sumlin makes his directing debut at HYT with You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.
After studying theatre at Ashland University, Eugene performed as a Resident Acting Company member at the historic Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. He also served as the Education Associate at Cleveland Public Theatre, where he taught and helped direct their education programs–STEP (Student Theatre Enrichment Program), Y-Haven Theatre Project and Brick City Theatre after school program.
For the past 8 years, Eugene has been the choreographer for Beachwood Community Theatre and Summer Theatre Camp. He also served as the Director and advisor of the Drama Club at Charles F. Brush High School for the past 6 years in which he directed such shows as Cinderella , Beauty And The Beast, Hairspray, The Music Man, Once On This Island, 12 Angry Jurors, You Can’t Take It With You and recently Into The Woods. Eugene is the Co-founder and the Artistic Director of Orchard Arts Project, a non-profit performing arts organization. He also serves as a teaching artist with Kulture Kids and has worked with children throughout the Greater Cleveland area. Currently, he is the Co-director of the Performing Arts Ministry at Calvary Church Of God In Christ in Cleveland. As an actor, Eugene has performed in such theaters as Cain Park, Lakeland Civic Theatre, The Fine Arts Association, Mercury Summerstock and Beachwood Community Theatre.
Eugene is married to his beautiful wife, Nicole, and is the proud father of two children, Easton and August.
