This summer we will feature some 2014 – 2015 school year highlights as well as some of the exciting things that Jenison Public Schools are doing throughout the summer!  Please join us each week to discover something new and celebrate a fantastic and exciting school year!

This July you can add to summer fun by taking in some theatre and a presentation of Man of La Mancha at the Jenison Center for the Arts!

The original production ran on Broadway in 1965 for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It has been revived four times on Broadway proving that it is one of most enduring works of musical theatre.  If you are unfamiliar with the story, it tells the story of the “mad” knight, Don Quixote, as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition.

Auditions for the JCA production were held in mid April and rehearsals began after Memorial Day.  According to the Brian Bennink, Director of the JCA, “The production is made up of people from the community. We have some students on tech and in the pit orchestra and college students in production, cast, orchestra and crew. Over half the cast, production staff and crew are from the Jenison/Hudsonville/Grandville areas…others are from the greater Grand Rapids communities and some from Grand Haven and Spring Lake.”

This is the very first show for the Shadblow Theatre group and Mr Bennink says, “This show is a favorite of mine and come to find out a favorite for many who have seen it. It is so powerful and it delivers the messages in such a great way. The music is different as well. It is more substantial than other musicals of this era. I am looking forward to help create the community that is becoming the Shadblow Theatre group.”

“The arts are alive here in Jenison and the surrounding communities. This show is powerful with a great message from a loveable set of characters. As with many stories, you often see the bad with the good so I would say it is PG in its rating for a short scene of violence to a woman and some of the wording. This is the show that brought us “The Impossible Dream”. Support the for arts is so important. More and more studies show that having the arts in your life is enriching and the ticket prices are low so that people are able to come and support the community and the arts. Finally, this group and this facility are something to be proud of.”

If you are interested in volunteering at the JCA, please email Mr Bennink at bbennink@jpsonline.org.

Thank you to the cast and crew for presenting this classic musical to our community!