Matt Gabbard as Warner, Mary Waltman as Elle and Olaf Eide as Emmett, take a break from rehearsals for LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL.
Jerry & Mary Kay Wiesenhahn have been a part of the theatre scene in Cincinnati for many years, so it’s no surprise that their kids caught the “theatre bug”, too. The Wiesenhahn offspring have benefitted from participating in summer programs in Loveland and at Sycamore High School, but there was no existing program in their area of town. There was a very talented, vibrant student theatre community in and around the Anderson area, and with the opening of the Anderson Center Theatre, it seemed that a lot of things were coming together at the right time. So four years ago, the Theatre in the Loop Summer Youth Theatre came into being.
The cast of this year’s production, “Legally Blonde, the Musical” has students from 13 area high schools: Anderson, Madeira, Indian Hill, Amelia, Wyoming, Sycamore, Turpin, McNicholas, SCPA, Ursuline, Glen Este, St. Ursula and Miami Valley Christian Academy.
“One of the things we’re most excited about with this program is that we’ve been fortunate to have students from many different schools participate in our shows, bringing young people together not just from the Anderson area, but all over Cincinnati” said Mr. Wiesenhahn. “It’s terrific to see these young performers work together and develop great friendships with their fellow cast members that they would never have met if they hadn’t been involved in our show”.
When asked why he chose “Legally Blonde” for this year’s production, Mr. Wiesenhahn replied, “Legally Blonde was attractive because it’s such a high energy show from start to finish. It’s very fresh and newly available, and we knew it was very popular with many of the theatre students we knew. And in addition to all the fun, it also features themes about believing in yourself, not judging others by their outward appearance, not giving up and working hard to overcome challenges, which are great messages for high school students to have reinforced for them.”
Performances are Wednesday, July 11, through Saturday, July 14, at 7:30 each evening, at the Anderson Center Theater on Five Mile Road. All tickets are $12 and can be ordered by calling 513/404-4330, or by visiting the website: www.theatreintheloop.org.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 