Kids from several schools perform Aladdin in Lake Plains Players summer theater program

Photos by Tom Rivers

MIDDLEPORT – Amir Huzair is Aladdin and Ella Trupo is Jasmine in the Lake Plains Players’ production of Aladdin Jr. Huzair has started in Lyndonville school musicals while Trupo has been a key performer in the Albion shows.

Opening night for Aladdin was Friday and there are two more shows today at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 with the performances at the Royalton-Hartland Sr. High Auditorium. Tickets are available at the door or by clicking here.

The cast performs the opening number of the show. There are 60 students in the cast, ranging from elementary school to students who just graduated.

Lakes Plains has run the summer theater program since 2014 with Jennifer Trupo a co-director of all the shows. This is Trupo’s last show as co-director of the summer program. She and Heather Rutherford are leading this summer’s production.

Rutherford will continue with the program next year, and two Albion graduates, Evan Steier and his sister Annalise, will be directors next summer. Evan is a teacher at Albion and Annalise is a new teacher at Lyndonville.

Cast members come from Albion, Medina, Lyndonville, Roy-Hart, Elba, Spencerport, Barker, Newfane and Wilson schools.

Trupo said the five-week program builds the confidence of students to be on stage.

“This is a great way to bring kids from all schools together,” Trupo said.

Hannah Houseman of Roy-Hart plays the Genie. She and the cast are shown in the opening number of Arabian Nights.

The Genie is willing to grant Aladdin three wishes. Aladdin wants to rise from being a “street rat” to be a prince to have a better chance of being with Jasmine, the princess.

Mallory Kozody is Jafar and Annabella Dusharm is Iago. Both are from Albion. Jafar plots to become Sultan and has Aladdin fetch the lamp with the Genie inside.

Aladdin and his sidekick pals are often penniless scheming for ways to get food. From left include Sophie Kozody (Albion) as Kassim, Amir Huzair (Lyndonville) as Aladdin, Aurora Avery (Lyndonville) as Babkak, and Zackary Baron (Albion) as Omar.

Ellen Trupo (Albion) plays the role of Jasmine, a princess who doesn’t want to be pressured into a marriage. She also doesn’t like being confined to the palace. She sneaks out into the marketplace and meets Aladdin.

After Aladdin is arrested by Jafar for trespassing at the palace, his friends plegde to help him and they prepare to storm the palace. This is the scene from “High Adventure.”

Aladdin’s friends mount a charge on the palace but they are detained. Aladdin would use his second wish from the Genie to free them.

Ryder Jones (Medina) plays the role of Razoul, the captain of the Royal Guards of Agrabah. He is Aladdin’s rival.