Education News
Long Island Musical Theatre Festival Presents Sweeney Todd Beginning July 26
The educational program, which offers pre-professional training for high school students, welcomed Alice Ripley as this year's guest artist.
The Long Island Musical Theatre Festival returns July 26 with its annual summer musical, presenting Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Tony-winning Sweeney Todd for two performances at Adelphi University Performing Arts Center in Garden City, New York. Performances take place July 26 at 8 PM and July 27 at 3 PM.
The all-student cast features local high school and middle school students participating in Long Island Musical Theatre Festival’s two week program, which bridges the gap between educational and professional theatre.
Steven Altinel, LIMTF’s artistic director, rehearses with students for two weeks in preparation for a production that features a full professional orchestra. Altinel serves as music director, with Nathan Brewer as the show's director.
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“The program was created for students who want to enter the professional performing arts world,” says Altinel. “The kids in our program are very focused, and we conduct the production process like any professional theatre company would. They have to have the material memorized for callbacks, so we are able to move quickly once rehearsals begin. They learn the score over the course of one to two days, and then we have one day of tech.”
The cast features Daniel Conradie as Sweeney and Luiza Fancabandiera as Mrs. Lovett. Also featured are Brendan Kispertas Anthony Hope, Lindsey Pritchard as Johanna Barker, Josh Mueller as Judge Turpin, Thomas Kelly as Beadle Bamford, Olivia Bross as the Beggar Woman, Moore Theobald as Tobias Ragg, and Tyler Palma as Pirelli.
Completing the cast are Gabrielle Arroyo, Jessica Chochorek, Kathryn Paidoussis, Alexa Grimley, Anna Francesca Schiavoni, Skya Theobald, Jake Siffert, Dominic Trivingo, Marco Chiriboga, Ryan Lewis, Juliana Chiriboga, Lorraine Jean Pierre, Alexa Beaubram, Meredith Muirhead, Marlee Futter, Mila Hirsch, Munter Millman, and Thomas Schiavoni.
Additionally, each year students also benefit from the opportunity to participate in a master class and concert performance with a Broadway actor. Tony Award-winning Next to Normal star Alice Ripley was this year’s guest artist.
Among LIMTF’s alumni is 2019 Jimmy Award Winner Ekele Ukegbu. Past productions produced at LIMTF include Spring Awakening, Violet, Cabaret, and Merrily We Roll Along.
