Lights up on “Little Women, the musical” at Crystal Theatre

This is a paid post contributed by a Patch Community Partner. The views expressed in this post are the author's own, and the information presented has not been verified by Patch.

Lights up on Crystal Theatre’s first fully maskless production since January 2020 pre-pandemic. Crystal Theatre who prides itself on producing original musicals, specifically tailored to the needs of the developing musical theatre student is currently in the process of expanding programs and “leveling up” to a full performing arts academy. While most businesses shrank or pulled back programs this past year, Crystal Theatre grew.

Crystal Theatre’s Program Director, Joe Santaniello Jr., has developed a four year conservatory based training degree for high schoolers looking to receive a well rounded education in musical theatre. In its pilot year, it enrolled 8 students in a highly personalized training program with built in career counseling. The Rising Stars Pre-Professional Program, started and formed by Santaniello 9 years ago, now has expanded into offering this “Company Program” and College Bound counseling/ professionally filmed audition reel services for junior and senior students.

In addition to producing 20+ fully staged musicals a year, Crystal Theatre now has in-house voice lessons available with associate voice teachers including Felicia Varvaras, Patrick McGill, and Catherine Robinson. There is also its quickly growing internalized dance program called Dance Connection ran by Thomas Purvis and Shay Lynn LaRusso that just finished their first dance intensive week this summer.

As an alumni himself, Santaniello has been with the company led by President and Artistic Director, Cheryl E. Kemeny, and sister, Alexandra Kemeny, for the past 20 years. “I have witnessed the incredible influence Crystal Theatre has had on students for years. It is through constant support and around the clock, impeccable training that so many students become lifelong theatre goers, supporters, and professionals. Crystal Theatre got me into my dream school, Boston Conservatory, where I studied voice and opera. If I was never part of Crystal Opera’s productions of “Die Fledermaus” & “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, led by the late Arden Anderson-Broeking in high school, I may have taken a completely different path”.

Little Women, the musical was originally planned last summer but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. The production is, in ways, a culmination and celebration of all of the hard work and growth the Rising Stars Program has had this year. of …with fantastic casts where we present two performances:

Saturday August 7th at 7:30pm and August 8th at 3pm at the Ben Franklin Performing Arts Center - 66 Bayview Ave, Norwalk, CT 06854.

FOR TICKETS PLEASE VISIT: www.crystaltheatre.org/littlewomen

This post is an advertorial piece contributed by a Patch Community Partner, a local brand partner. To learn more, click here.