BrightSide Youth to present 'Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.'

When the curtain goes up on most BrightSide Theatre productions, audiences are treated to performances by professional actors. But those who attend an upcoming show just may be seeing some of the earliest on-stage moments of the next generation of stars.

The production next month of "Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr." will be the fifth production of the BrightSide Theatre Youth Project.

BrightSide, a professional company based in downtown Naperville, introduced the youth project based on the belief that involvement in arts programs helps children develop academically and socially while building self-esteem. Through the program, students ages 8 to 18 develop their theatrical skills while working with theater professionals.

Directed by BrightSide Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass, "Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr." will be performed at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays and 6 p.m. Sundays, March 11 to 19, at the theater at North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville.

"Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr." is a high-spirited musical romp that has all of New York dancing the Charleston. Filled with fun flappers, dashing leading men and a villainess audiences will love to hate, "Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr." is an adaptation of the Academy Award-winning film.

The story is set in 1922 in New York City, and a young Millie Dillmount has just moved to the Big Apple in search of a new life. Her grand plan is to find a job as a secretary for a wealthy man and then marry him, but her plan goes awry. Millie's wealthy boss is slow in proposing marriage, and the man she actually falls in love with doesn't have a dime to his name - or so he tells her. What's a small-town girl to do?

The cast includes: Jordan Berger, Neris Gorener, Amanda Kornak, Kylie Martin, Mikaela Opaso, Claire Potter, Grace Potter, Annabel Punzel, Chloe Punzel and Lara Risdon, all of Naperville; Maggie Clark, Ruby Konopacki and Abby Rook of Downers Grove; Logan Baffico of LaGrange Park; Kali Cassarino-Sulit of Lisle; Morgan Brown of Oswego; Felix David, Finn David, Summer Jarka, Kayla Miller and Kara Rivera of Bolingbrook; Mehervaan Heneghan and Christina Pettinger of Lombard; Nicole Pelters of Plainfield; Toby Micheletti of Glen Ellyn; Christopher Charles of Woodridge; and Lila Thome of Burr Ridge.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students. They may be purchased at brightsidetheatre.com or (630) 447-8497.