Youth production of ‘All Shook Up’ at Pheasant Run
The kids and young adults of Fox Valley Repertory Youth Ensemble are getting “All Shook Up” as they’re busy rehearsing for upcoming performances.
This group of 8- to 18-year-olds will take the stage to perform an energetic Elvis-inspired musical featuring some of his greatest hits.
The musical “All Shook Up,” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Nov. 11 and 18; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Nov. 12 and 19; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, at Pheasant Run Resort in St Charles.
The story centers around a bad boy who comes to town and changes everything and everyone he meets in this musical fantasy. Across town there is a tomboy mechanic dreaming of love and adventure.
She soon has a crush on the hip-swinging bad boy and dresses up as a boy to become friends with her crush.
The production includes such classics as “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”
“I would say this is one of the better shows where the audience feels the energy and action of production,” said director Patrick Stinson.
This is Stinson’s third time directing a show for Fox Valley Repertory Youth Ensemble and first time directing a full-length production. He’s an executive director at the Clinton Area Showboat Theater in Iowa.
“I think the audience can relate to the show because of the love and romance,” said Maegan Daniels, 16, of West Chicago. “It will really get everyone laughing.”
Daniels attends West Chicago Community High School and is the leading role of Natalie the tomboy, who lives with her dad and helps with the mechanics. This is Daniels’ fifth show, but she has been involved in productions since 2009.
“I am a girly-girl, so my character and I are complete opposites,” Daniels said. “But sometimes I can go out of my way too impress boys, too.”
At the conclusion of each show, actors will be collecting donations for the Fox Valley Repertory Academy Scholarship campaign and a fellow nonprofit in the community, Lazarus House, an emergency shelter, transitional living center and outreach program serving the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in Kane County.
“Lazarus House is deeply grateful for the talented young people performing in the Fox Valley Rep Performing Arts Academy’s Youth Ensemble production of ‘All Shook Up,’” said Lazarus House Executive Director Liz Eakins. “We are humbled that they chose to collect donations after each performance to assist in supporting our neighbors in crisis who are currently calling Lazarus House home.”
The Fox Valley Repertory Youth Ensemble is an exclusive, audition-only program for young performers. Students are responsible for memorizing lines, music and choreography, and learning the craft of theater through the process of preparing for live performances.
For more information, visit foxvalleyrep.org or call (630) 364-0550. For tickets, call (630) 584-6342 or visit ticketmaster.com. Pheasant Run Resort is at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles.
If you go
What: Fox Valley Repertory Youth Ensemble production of All Shook Up
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Nov. 11 and 18; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Nov. 12 and 19; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13
Where: Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $15; $12 for seniors and children 12 and younger
Details: Visit foxvalleyrep.org. For tickets, call (630) 584-6342 or visit ticketmaster.com.