Two Tri-City young "triple threats" will perform in Tony award-winning plays - set a century ago - at Stanley Park's Malkin Bowl this summer as part of Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS).
Pinetree graduate Jessica Marshall portrays first-class passenger Mrs. Marian Longstreth Thayer, the wife of Pennsylvanian Railroad VP John Borland Thayer, in Titanic: The New Musical, while Aspenwood elementary student Nathan Piasecki has a role in the kids' band ensemble in The Music Man.
Both shows open this week and run alternating nights until Aug. 18 for TUTS' 66th season.
Marshall, 23, will make her debut with TUTS; however, Piasecki, 10, is back on stage for a second time, having played the little brother in last year's Bye Bye Birdie.
The former Lindbjerg Academy student has other credits to be proud of including with the Royal City Musical Theatre (Hello, Dolly!; Will Rogers Follies) and with Footlight Theatre (Wizard of Oz, Whole Lotta Latkes, Of Course There Are Fairies, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat).
"I auditioned for TUTS again this year because Bye Bye Birdie was very enjoyable and I wanted to spend my summer there again," the Grade 5 student said. "You get to try a lot of new things.... Everything you do in the show, you feel like you have a part in it."
Piasecki has four numbers in Act 1 and three for the second act. To keep his energy levels up, he brings a cooler full of snacks, which he gulps down during intermission.
He also draws from the crowd. "They're smiling and clapping, and that's what gets you motivated for the rest of the show," Piasecki said.
Marshall said Titanic: The Musical is also upbeat - at least for the first half.
wThe Coquitlam resident said the production captures the dreams of a generation travelling overseas to make a better life. "The whole first act is really colourful and hopeful," she said. "It's not until after we crash that it gets a little depressing."
Marshall said she was pleased to win a TUTS role, which she anticipates will kick off her musical theatre career: she recently graduated from Capilano University's musical theatre diploma program, the only one of its kind on the west coast.
Previously, the former Broadway Bound student appeared in high school shows such as Footloose, Honk Jr. and Chicago, under teachers Shanda Walters and Nicole Roberge. And she has also performed with Cap U Theatre's Exit 22 (Hello, Dolly!, Cinderella) and Arbutus Studio (A Little Night Music).
Two years ago, she saw TUTS' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Singing in the Rain, as well as Bye Bye Birdie last year, "and I loved them. I knew this was the year I was going to audition. I just thought it was a great place to work with great directors that has a good family vibe," she said. "And it was something to do all summer that could really jump start my career after graduating."
For tickets, call 1-877-840-0457 or visit tuts.ca.
