Inspire, entertain, give…
COME on down, stop on by, hop a carpet and ride with the Jamaica Junior Theatre’s (JJT’s) 31st musical theatre production, Aladdin.
The young JJT team are at it again, embarking on bringing another fantastic fairy tale to life, which adds to a long list off their theatrical productions in aid of charity.
With September auditions for Aladdin well behind them, the JJT Aladdin cast and production team have already kicked rehearsals and production planning into high gear.
Based on the classic fairy tale, JJT’s Aladdin will have a modern twist, and promises to keep Jamaican audiences on the edge of their seats.
What starts out as a street urchin’s quest for wealth turns into an exciting tale of adventure, with Aladdin discovering a whole new world. In the 2014 JJT production, the role of Aladdin will be played by Andrew Bailey, who audiences may remember as playing the Mad Hatter in JJT’s 2013 Alice — The Musical. He joins a cast of 44 young people who will bring the story to life through music, dance and drama.
Each year, JJT, the youth arm of the Jamaica Musical Theatre Company (JMTC), stages a musical theatre production with a cast of young people, ranging from age nine to 21 years, in aid of a children’s charity. This year’s charity, the Christina Bennett Scholarship Fund is close to the heart of JJT.
“Our JJT cast members over the years have given their talents and energy to give back to deserving children’s charities even when many of them themselves are facing financial struggles of their own which prevent them from pursuing their own academic or artistic goals,” says Danielle Stiebel, Aladdin’s producer. “This year the proceeds from Aladdin will go to the Christina Bennett Scholarship Fund, an award which will be made to one or more deserving JJT participants annually.”
Stiebel joins JJT for the second year as the producer of their annual production.
Aladdin will open on January 10, 2014 at the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts (PSCCA) at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and will run until February 23, 2014. The production is being directed by Peter Haley, who has been committed to working with JJT for over 20 years.
Aladdin’s musical direction comes courtesy of celebrated vocalist Ana Strachan, and choreography will be co-ordinated by the renowned Tony Wilson.
The Jamaica Junior Theatre (JJT), founded in 1983 by Douglas Bennett, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to charity and the development of youth in the Performing Arts in Jamaica.
