19 Mar BCHA Spring Musical Set to Shine This March
By Shushannah Walshe
When the curtain rises on Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy’s latest spring musical, Disney’s Descendants The Musical, it won’t just showcase the talent and hard work of the cast and crew; it will spotlight a remarkable range of young performers from third through eleventh grade.
From young students taking their first steps on the stage to seasoned high schoolers leading the way, the production is a testament to what happens when different ages–from 8 to 18–come together with a shared love of performance.
Many of this year’s youngest and newest cast members have been attending BCHA productions eagerly since pre-K or even earlier. “The kids are seeing these shows year after year, and they are desperate to be in it,” the show and program’s director, Janice Chaikelson, said. “And so the first opportunity they get, they jump on it.”
With the popularity of the Descendants’ franchise well known, Chaikelson expected a large cast, but she didn’t know exactly how many third graders would take the plunge until audition day, even though she said she is “always hopeful that I get as many kids as possible.” This year’s production–the 19th under Chaikelson–features 12 third graders in the cast (with one more working on set design), part of a total ensemble of 45.
Chaikelson says one of the most special parts of what she calls the “play family” are these inter-grade relationships: after last year’s sold-out production of Matilda, Jr. many of the younger cast came to the BCHA graduation to send off three of the show’s stars; and one student’s karaoke-themed bat mitzvah even turned into a musical reunion, with cast mates from different grades all getting up to sing “Revolting Children” together, one of Matilda’s powerhouse numbers.
“You see these friendships grow,” Chaikelson added. “And it creates a strong bond across grades that they aren’t able to build in any other activity.”
That spirit of connection was already visible from the first rehearsal this year. During a “get to know you” exercise, Chaikelson told the students to pair up with someone they didn’t know, chat for five minutes, and then introduce their partner to the group. Coincidentally, one of the oldest cast members, Achiezer Blickstein, was paired with one of the youngest, third grader Ilana Cik.
“He crouched down to be her height and so sweetly and encouragingly spoke to her and introduced her,” Chaikelson shared. “It just really warmed my heart.”
Cik’s mother, Kate, shared that her daughter has been a loyal theatergoer of the school’s productions since before she even started at BCHA and couldn’t wait for her chance to shine.
“She’s been dreaming about being part of this,” Cik shared. Ilana and her classmates even refer to some of the older actors by their stage names, calling them “Prince Ben” or “Mal.”
“I love driving carpool with the third-grade girls, who request the Descendants songs on repeat, and spend the car ride practicing their dances in the backseat,” Cik added. “It’s wonderful to be a part of something so special.”
Chaikelson said she could sense that enthusiasm early on: at one of the early rehearsals with just the third graders plus a few of the leads, the young actors kept asking her, “Where are all the other kids?” She told them it was a “special rehearsal,” just for them.
“They were disappointed when I told them it was a special scene for them,” Chaikelson said with a laugh. “I thought that would make them feel good, but they just really wanted the other kids to be there.”
Disney’s Descendants The Musical. will be performed at Stamford, CT’s Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy on March 19, 20, and 22. Tickets are $10 each and are available until they sell out at buytickets.at/bcha.