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The West Genesee Central Schools Fine Arts Department and Camillus Middle School proudly present Once On This Island, a coming-of-age musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It is based on the 1985 novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean-set retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid.
Our story begins after a large storm subsides on the island and our Story Tellers are calming the fears of a Young Girl (Zoey Hess). She is told the story of Ti Moune (Emily Corrente), a peasant girl in the French Antilles who falls in love with a rich boy and makes a deal with the gods to save his life. The peasants appear and function as a modern-day Greek Chorus to describe their world, ruled by powerful gods and dictated by wealthy "grands hommes"(Parker Thomas and Mason Tuttle). According to the story, Ti Moune was magically saved from a flood by the gods when she was a child. This is to be her fateful destiny.
The powerful, temperamental gods of Earth, Asaka (Claire Heaphy), Water, Agwe (Nikola Jakimoski), Love, Erzulie (Adelyn Borsz) and Death, Papa Ge (Anna Borsz) meet together and decide to allow Ti Moune to have her wish, and meet the grand homme.The gods have each agreed to play a part in her journey and wager to see which will win: love or death.
They create a terrible monsoon on the island, which causes a young grand homme named Daniel (Kenneth Kirby Jr.) to crash his car on a slick road. Fortunately, Ti Moune is there to discover and rescue him. Although her parents, Mama Euralie (Layla Meany) and Tonton (Kyle Hagadorn) object, Ti Moune decides to care for him. As the story unfolds Ti Moune finds adventure, love, sorrow, loss and ultimately proves that love is stronger than death.
Our featured ensemble Clada Balcum, Josephine Carkey, Evelyn Dimmel, Molly Fisselbrand, Sarah Friers, Charlotte Hall, Lincoln Millar, Madison Potaczala, Brianna Popp, Alaina Schuessler and Caroline Sperduti act as the Storytellers, Peasants, Gossipers, & Aristocrats/Ball Guests. The ensemble is rounded out by Madison Coonrad, Frankie DeLair, Maeve Derbyshire, Liam Etienne, Ella Greene, Victoria Jacuk, Gabrielle Mac, Caliope O’Rourke, Lucinda Skinner (featured dancer), David Sterling and Autumn Stewart.
The CMS Musical Production Team includes; Don Schuessler (Director/Musical Director/Producer/Lighting Designer), Heather Molina (Choreographer/Assistant Director), Cindy Kissane (Costumer/Properties/Assistant Director), Jeffery Bowe (Set Builder/Painter), Jenny Gettino (Production Assistant) & Selma Salmons (Seamstress).
Performances will be located at Camillus Middle School, 5525 Ike Dixon Rd. in Camillus on Thursday, November 2 and Friday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 4 at 2:00 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the show. Tickets are $10 general admission.
Pictured above from the CMS cast of Once on this Island is in the front row, from left to right, are Sarah Friers, Charlotte Hall, Molly Fisselbrand, Josephine Carkey, Madison Potaczala, Evelyn Dimmel, and Clada Balcum. Standing on the floor, from left to right, are Caroline Sperduti, Brianna Popp, Alaina Schuessler, Parker Thomas, Kenneth Kirby IV, Zoey Hess, Emily Corrente, Layla Meany, Kyle Hagadorn, Lucinda Skinner, Mason Tuttle, and Lincoln Millar. Standing on the platform, from left to right, are Nikola Jakimoski, Adelyn Borsz, Claire Heaphy, and Anna Borsz.
