Tulare County students to perform “Big River”
The Tulare County Office of Education’s Theatre Company will continue with its presentations of the Tony Award-winning musical “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” at the L.J. Williams Theater in Visalia Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The musical, the Theatre Company’s 15th annual summer production, is an adaptation of Mark Twain’s 1884 novel, featuring music and lyrics by American songwriter and Grammy Award winner Roger Miller. The year that the production debuted on Broadway, it won seven Tony Awards, including best musical and best score for composer Miller.
“We are looking forward to another first-class production from our Theatre Company,” said Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak. “Year after year, students give spectacular performances, rivaling any adult productions in the region! It’s a joy to watch their work and appreciate the teaching of director Brian Roberts, choreographer Nicole Zweifel and vocal coach Charlotte Garcia.”
In the musical, as in the book, Huck Finn runs away from his abusive father to live in the wilderness along the Mississippi River. There, he encounters a slave named Jim, who has also run away. Jim is trying to make his way to Ohio, a free state, so he can buy his family’s freedom.
Principal characters are played by students from numerous high schools throughout Tulare County.
Playing principle characters are students Alex Galvan, Tulare Union, as Mark Twain; Tristan Peck, El Diamante, Visalia, as Huckleberry Finn; Samuel Quinzon, Mt. Whitney, Visalia, as Tom Sawyer; Savannah Walters, El Diamante, as Mary Jane Wilkes; and Jack O’Leary, Redwood High, Visalia, as The King. Steven Braswell, 2012 Redwood graduate, will play The Duke, and Harrison Mills will play the role of Jim.
Evening shows are slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There is also a matinee show at 2 p.m. Saturday.
General admission tickets are $12 per person and VIP seating is $20 per person.
Tickets can be purchased from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday at the Tulare County Office of Education’s Visalia facilities: 2637 W. Burrel Ave. or 7000 Doe Avenue, Suite A.
Tickets will also be available at the L.J. Williams Theater box office one-half hour before each performance. All ticket sales are final. No refunds or exchanges will be offered.
For information about the Theatre Company and the summer musical production, Big River, call 651-1482.
