Manassas Park Students Hope to Sparkle on Stage Tonight

Manassas Park students will show off their theatrical skills when they take to the stage to perform three plays tonight at the at Manassas Park Middle School.

Middle school students will warm up the stage with a 30-minute play ironically titled "15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play."

Manassas Park High School students will perform "At the Bottom of Lake Missoula" and "Alice and Wonderland:The Urban Edition," a modern take on the classic story.

The theatrical trilogy begins at 6:30 p.m.

After a nearly-flawless dress rehearsal Wednesday afternoon, the middle school cast talked about the reasons why people should come out and see them perform.

"We put a lot of work into this. They are funny plays — we feel like people would enjoy them, plus it's also [International Thespian Society] induction and I feel like families would want to see that," Manassas Park Middle School student Carlos Vargas said.

"I've been in a lot of plays, but this group right here is a really good group of talented children," middle school student Ja'Neese Jefferson said.

Fellow student David Portillo said a lot of the cast started off nervous, but with the help of the high school students and the more season middle school actors and actresses ,they were able to overcome their fears.

For some cast members the audience, stage and lights is a family affair.

"I thought it was kind of exciting. My brother — who is a high schooler — he is in most of the plays and he's taught me, " Josiah Marshall said. "He taught me how to act and freak out when I'm not actually freaking out."

"All of my sisters [are] known for performing, but they are known for the choir and the band and I thought it was cool how I did something new. I did the acting," Jacquelyn Corean said.

This is the second middle school play performed this year. Manassas Park Middle School language arts teacher Kelsey West, the director of tonight's play, also directed sixth grade play, "Freak the Mighty."