VIDEOSTORY: West Side Story Sells Out at SHS

Saturday's showing of West Side Story sold out the Ellen A. Ewing Performing Arts Center at

When the curtain closed on the play, the big crowd gave the cast a thunderous standing ovation.

The cast and crew didn't have long to celebrate, as they needed to prepare for Sunday's 2 p.m. matinee.

This 39-member cast included Isabella Procassini as “Maria,” Colton Boyd as “Tony,” Gloria Tonks as ‘Anita,” Alan Good as “Riff” and Chris Zacaria as “Bernardo.” 

Other cast members included, in the Jets gang, Tate Burns as “Gee-Tar,” Michael Doa as “Action,” Stephen Junga as “Baby John,” Ryan McCall as “Snow Boy,” Higgins Steffan as “Big Deal” Joel Stralnic as “Diesel” and Austin Terris as “A-Rab.” 

Rounding out the cast were Nathan Tanner as “Lt. Schrank,” C.J. Slotten as “Officer Krupke,” Gilbert Warlla as “Doc,” Kevin Anderson as “Glad Hand,” Payton Cooper as “Anybody’s,” Olivia Mendoza as “Rosalia,” Audra Davidson as “Consuela,” Heather Harmon as “Francisca,” Sophie Skochelak as “Velma” and Kaitlyn Mulder as “Graziella.” 

Shark gang members included Matthew Geiger, Dan Lahnala, William Miller, Aaron Mukerjee, Taylor Paxman, Michael Wright and Jim Crowley as “Chino.”

Shark girls were Samantha Grigg, Morgan Mervis, Elianna Shwayder, and Natalie Wysocki. Jet Girls include Liz Herrick, Aubrey LaVasseur, Megan Marquardt, Maddie Montambault, Sarah Snay and Rebecca Speiran.

Rebecca Groeb-Driskill served as artistic director. Norma Freeman was musical director. Gregory George is Choreographer. Ann O’Harris was producer.  Assistant director was Cassie Thoms and Emily Burke and Aimee Frey were student directors.

This modernized, musical version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the bittersweet story of two young people from differing backgrounds who fall in love but are kept apart by their friends and families, resulting in tragic consequences. The score, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, includes such well-known favorites as Maria, One Hand One Heart, Tonight,America and I Feel Pretty.