Act I: DeWitt concert band turns 40
For 40 years, the DeWitt Community Concert Band has been making music and celebrating community.
It’ll recognize this musical milestone on May 14 with a commemorative concert, “Celebrating 40 Years of Musical Memories” at the DeWitt Middle School auditorium. Joining the band in the evening of music-making will be the Twilight Memories Big Band.
The concert begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
When the band started in 1985, there were 13 musicians and they were led by Pat Keilen Jackson, who will be returning (along with other alumni band members) to perform in this concert.
Jackson directed the band for 25 years, before passing the baton to Nicole Leppala in 2017. Leppala had spent two years as an associate director and 23 years as a French horn player.
Act II: Starlight celebrates Italian heritage
Starlight Dinner Theatre’s artistic director, Linda Granger, has been determined to put Joe DiPietro’s “Over the River and Through the Woods” on stage in Delta Township.
She’s scheduled it more than once, only to have such barriers as a pandemic, illness and building renovations stop it from being mounted.
Now, Starlight is bringing the comedy about an Italian-American family to the Waverly East stage on May 9, 10, 17 and 18.
In the show, a young man spends every Sunday with his Italian-American grandparents in Hoboken, New Jersey. When he receives a dream job offer on the West Coast, his grandparents are determined to keep him from leaving their close-knit clan.
“I have been waiting years to put this show on our stage as a tribute to my Italian heritage,” Granger said. “I had been looking forward to sharing it with my Italian mother, who unfortunately has since passed away. This is a tribute to her and all my Italian relatives who have made me who I am.”
Starring as the young man is Mark Polzin, who is joined by Sandra Thomasson, Chris Klaver, Ruth Neumann Howard and Mike Shalley playing the grandparents. Stephanie Vosburgh is also in the cast.
Dinner shows are on May 9, 10, and 17 with a dessert Sunday on May 18. Tickets for meals and desserts must be made three days in advance, but show only tickets may be purchased at the door. Dinner includes beef or vegetarian lasagna, green beans, Italian salad, garlic bread and cherry cheesecake squares.
Reservations can be made at (517) 599-2779 or by emailing starlight.rservations@gmail.com
Act III: Students shine at Wharton Center
MSU students may be leaving the campus with the spring semester completed, but high school students from around the state will be descending on Wharton Center over the next two weeks.
On May 10, the spotlight shines on the creativity of Michigan high school students in the 2025 Young Playwrights Festival. Six original one-act plays from finalists from across the state will be performed by MSU Department of Theatre students.
This year’s six finalists include four local students:
All submitted works were reviewed by a jury that selected which plays would be produced. Finalists were paired with professional theater mentors who helped them revise their plays over a two-month time period. Finalists receive a $200 cash award while six semifinalists receive a $100 cash award.
Performances of the six works are free and open to the public.
On May 18, the best and brightest stars of Michigan’s high school theater programs will perform in the Sutton Foster Award showcase. The 13th annual contest includes a weekend of competition among more than 150 students from 73 high schools across Michigan. Each student was nominated by judges who attended their school performances.
The winners of the competition will represent Michigan at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards.
Tickets are $23 and the show begins at 6:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Community band celebrates 40 years; high school students show off their talents
Reporting by Bridgette M. Redman / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
