September 08, 2024
A&E | Daily Chronicle
A&E

‘My Son Pinocchio Jr.’ opens Friday at Huntley Middle School

Tate Mangum, an eighth-grader at Clinton Rosette Middle School, plays Geppetto and Ally Belick, a seventh-grader at CRMS, plays the Blue Fairy in the DeKalb middle schools' production of "My Son Pinocchio Jr." The musical opens Friday at Huntley Middle School. (Photo provided)

“A dream is a wish your heart makes.” That’s the message Gregor King wants the audience to take with them after watching the DeKalb middle schools’ combined performance of “My Son Pinocchio Jr.”

King is the director of the production and the choir director for Huntley and Clinton Rosette middle schools.

“This show is so much more than a puppet without strings,” King said in a news release. “It’s a musical that conveys the true meaning of family and always following your dreams.”

The production opens this weekend with showtimes at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Huntley Middle School, 1515 S. Fourth St. in DeKalb.

Based on the tale of the toymaker, Geppetto, and his beloved wooden puppet, the cast of more than 60 students will take the audience on a journey as Geppetto attempts to track down and return his less-than-perfect son to the fairy from which he came, only to learn that the true meaning of family really is love with no strings attached.

Tickets cost $4 for students and $8 for adults and can be purchased at either DeKalb middle school or at the door. The proceeds will benefit the De La Cruz family of DeKalb. Ricky De La Cruz recently received a heart transplant.

​Featured in the production are Andrea Espinoza as Pinocchio, Ally Belick as the Blue Fairy and Tate Mangum as Geppetto.

Other cast members include Mileyka Aguirre, Aaliyah Bomar-Price, Ella Boyer, Abigail Brooks, Scarlet Bryant, Jordan Burke, Emma Carmichael, Reyna Castaneda, Sierra Cleveland, Eryka Cordova, Bella De La Cruz, Nina De La Cruz, Lauren Duffin, Gabrielle Elmer, Brooke Fitzpatrick, Kyrie Forrest, Elizabeth Garlisch, Caitlyn Grehn, Kaitlin Haley, Ronni Hansen, Kennedy Henrikson, Lia Heredia, Calissa Hudson, Emily Kittle, Makayla Knutson, Kayla Kwasniewski, David Lawes, Jane Leopardo, Brogan Long, Claira Mangum, Madelyn Marshall, Jacob McGaw, Jaclyn McGraw, Morgan McGraw, Elaina Moore, Cindy Oh, Sophia Olson, Giovanni Ramirez, Nevali Roman, Ashley Sheriff, Lydia Shotton, Abigail Slater, Lillian Slater, Carolyn Szostak, Angelina Terry, Lilia Thomas, Kyle Tillotson, Seth Wickens-Walther and Olivia Yarbrough.

Stage crew members are Anne Ager, Lillian Baca, Cat Crones, Rachel Gray, Emma Haug, Jocelyn Heredia, Jordan Holthaus, Bethany Lexa, Michael Lundgren, Faith Martin, Andrew Montavon, Tess Moreno, Hannah Wellendorf, Megan Wimberly and Sydney Ziola.

“We’d really like to pack the theater,” King said in the release. “This show is family-friendly and accessible to all ages. Plus, the cast and crew have worked unbelievably hard. Our stage crew has designed and built the entire set – something relatively unheard of for middle school kids.”