Music by JOHN KANDER
Lyrics by FRED EBB
Conceived by SCOTT ELLIS, SUSAN STROMAN, DAVID THOMPSON
Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited
Hillary Talken Director & Music Director
Courtney Talken Assistant Music Director
Elizabeth Phillips Assistant Director/Stage Manager, Choreographer, & Production Coordinator
Andrew Milbourn
Lighting Designer
Ace Stone Sound Designer
“One day it’s kicks, then it’s kicks in the shins, but the planet spins, and the world goes round and round…”
In 1962, John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote their first song together and musical theatre would never be the same. Over the next few decades, Kander and Ebb created iconic musicals with songs that immediately entered the Great American Songbook. Brought to life by their circle of friends, And the World Goes Round is a testament to Kander and Ebb’s illustrious careers and their deeply held friendship.
It has been an immense joy to bring and the World Goes Round to life at First Act. Song Cycles are such an important part of the musical theatre landscape, and I am so grateful to present First Act’s FIRST EVER song cycle. Throughout the show, you’ll see these thirteen amazing students embody characters from all walks of life. Whether it’s Boston singing about his love of all things “Sara Lee,” Mary and Meghan comparing their lives in “Grass is Always Greener,” or Cameron warning us about the “Kiss of the Spiderwoman,” these students bring a genuine light to these stories that I am so proud of.
While there isn’t always a connecting plot line from song to song, you’ll notice the themes of resilience, optimism, and perseverance throughout each story. You also might hear some of these classic songs in a new light!
To the World Goes Round cast: Jacob, Savannah, Logan, Meghan, Halle, Cameron, Kylie, Mary, Riley, Bella, Kaitlyn, Jadyn, and Boston, you all were perfectly assembled for this show. I am so thankful for your dedication, time, and the high expectations you set for yourselves. You stepped up to the plate and are simply knocking it out of the park!
To the World Goes Round team: thank you for dedicating your time and expertise to this experience, and for being along for the ride while we figured this song cycle thing out for the first time! Elizabeth, your vision and execution of choreography brought this show to the next level, and we are so lucky to work with you. Courtney, I am forever proud of you, and I think Steven is proud of us too. :)
And thank YOU! Thank you for showing up to the theater today to support this cast and crew! Because of people like you, First Act can continue producing incredible educational theatre programming.
I hope you can leave the theater today knowing that brighter days are coming because the world, well, it keeps going ‘round!
Hillary
“And the World Goes Round".............................................................................Meghan
“Yes”...........................................................................................................................Full Cast
“Coffee in a Cardboard Cup”..............................................................................Full Cast
“The Happy Time” Jacob
“Colored Lights”.........................................................................................................Kaitlyn
“Sara Lee”............................................................................Boston, Kylie, Jadyn, & Bella
“World Goes Round Reprise 1”……..........................................................................Kylie
“My Coloring Book”……...............................................................................................Jadyn
“I Don’t Remember You/Sometimes a Day Goes By”...............Cameron & Logan “All That Jazz"...........................................................................................Riley & Full Cast
“Mr. Cellophane”......................................................................Jacob, Meghan, & Kaitlyn “There Goes the Ballgame”...........................................................Riley, Jadyn, & Halle
“How Lucky Can You Get” ……......Savannah, Boston, Cameron, Logan, & Jacob
“The Rink”.........................................................................Boston, Cameron, & Full Cast
“Ring Them Bells”...................................................................................Mary & Full Cast
“Kiss of the Spiderwoman”................................................................................Cameron “Only Love/Marry Me/A Quiet Thing” .............................Bella, Logan, & Savannah “The Grass is Always Greener” Mary & Meghan “World Goes Round Reprise 2” ...........................................................................Boston “We Can Make It”..................................................................................................Cameron
“Maybe This Time”....................................................................................................Kaitlyn
“Isn’t This Better”……....................................................................................................Halle
“Trio”..........................................................................................Cameron, Kaitlyn, & Halle
“World Goes Round Reprise 3”................................................................................Kylie
“Money, Money, Money” .....................................................................................Full
“Cabaret”...................................................................................................................Full
“New York, New York” .........................................................................................Full
“Finale”......................................................................................................................Full
Jacob is 18 years old and a junior at Blue Valley High School. This is his 23rd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Jacob’s favorite show he’s performed in is 13 as Archie Off stage, Jacob enjoys reading, napping, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. Jacob would like to thank his family, friends, and Jesus.
Savannah is 18 years old and a senior at Blue Valley Northwest. This is her 31st show with First Act Theatre Arts. Savannah’s favorite show she’s performed in is Curtains. Off stage, Savannah enjoys taking on new hobbies and thrifting with her friends Savannah would like to thank her parents for their endless support and Hillary, Courtney, and Elizabeth for their patience.
Logan is 16 years old and a sophomore at Blue Valley Northwest. This is his 3rd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Logan’s favorite show he’s performed in is Mamma Mia. Off stage, Logan enjoys playing basketball and hanging out with friends. Logan would like to thank his family and friends.
Meghan is 18 years old and a senior at Blue Valley Northwest. This is her 5th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Meghan’s favorite show she’s performed in is Matilda as Miss Honey. Off stage, Meghan enjoys going to Mclains with friends. Meghan would like to thank her friends, her family, and the amazing directors and cast
Halle is 17 years old and a junior at Shawnee Mission Northwest. This is her 11th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Halle’s favorite show she’s performed in is White Christmas. Off stage, Halle enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music, and getting coffee with her mom. Halle would like to thank her friends and family for their support, her parents for letting her be a part of this experience, and God for giving her the ability to perform for his glory.
Cameron is 18 years old and a senior at Blue Valley Southwest This is his 5th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Cameron’s favorite show he’s performed in is Mean Girls. Off stage, Cameron enjoys hanging out with friends. Cameron would like to thank his family and friends.
Kylie is 17 years old and a junior at Shawnee Mission North. This is her 14th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Kylie’s favorite show she’s performed in is The SpongeBob Musical. Off stage, Kylie enjoys camping and being in nature Kylie would like to thank her family for always supporting her.
Mary is 17 years old and a junior at St James Academy. This is her 8th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Mary’s favorite show she’s performed in is Godspell. Off stage, Mary enjoys hanging out with her sisters and binge watching movies. Mary would like to thank her parents and sisters for being her biggest fans and God for blessing her with her talents.
Riley is 18 years old and a senior at Blue Valley Northwest High School. This is her 18th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Riley’s favorite shows she’s performed in are Beauty and the Beast and The SpongeBob Musical. Off stage, Riley enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and stressing out over an upcoming test. Riley would like to thank her parents for always being there and her absolutely rad voice teacher for teaching her everything she knows.
Kaitlyn is 17 years old and a homeschooled junior. This is her 29th show with First Act Theatre Arts Kaitlyn’s favorite show she’s performed in is Hello, Dolly!. Off stage, Kaitlyn enjoys going on sister adventures, antiquing, and rollerskating. Kaitlyn would like to thank her sisters and her parents.
Bella is 15 years old and a homeschooled freshman. This is her 22nd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Bella’s favorite show she’s performed in is Tarzan. Off stage, Bella enjoys working at Chick-fil-a and spending time with her friends. Bella would like to thank the directors for their hard work to make this production amazing and her parents for allowing her to be in yet another show.
Jadyn is 17 years old and a junior at Kansas City Christian School. This is her 21st show with First Act Theatre Arts. Jadyn’s favorite show she’s performed in is Hello, Dolly! Off stage, Jadyn enjoys reading, going on nature walks, watching various tv shows and movies on Netflix and then rating them on Letterboxd, making coffee and matcha, and hanging out with friends. Jadyn would like to thank her mom, dad, and sister.
Boston is 15 years old and a freshman at Lee’s Summit West High School. This is his 18th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Boston’s favorite show he’s performed in is Beauty and the Beast. Off stage, Boston enjoys eating, sleeping, hanging out with friends, spending money, and living. Boston would like to thank his family for driving him everywhere and supporting him in his acting, his acting and vocal coaches for helping him improve his gift, and this cast for making this show such a memorable experience.
Banman Beaman Gray Marsh Talken*
Valentine Woodward
Churchill Hargrove
Rosa Simmons
Taussig*
*Committee
First Act Theatre Arts would like to extend special thanks to the following organizations and individuals for their generous contributions to this show.
TCH Stage and Studio for hosting this production
Evangel Church & Kaw Prairie Community Church for hosting our classes
Village Church on Antioch for hosting our auditions and parent meetings
Erin Hillier & Darci Foster for being our tireless class coordinators
Josie Strickler for her dedicated service to our HEART program
Maddie Campbell & Steve Kleinschmidt for their excellent show photos
Dennis Ryan for the terrific show recordings
Rick Aldrich & Totally His Graphics for our awesome show shirts
Mikey Fletcher for his help with all things warehouse
Ginger Burns for her assistance with makeup
Jackie Ehler for her help with props
Pam Bray, Gina Milbourn, & Sharon Kleinschmidt for their assistance with the organization of our costumes
The First Act Board and Staff for all of their support
Our amazing parent committees and wonderful volunteers: without you, our show would never be possible!
Elizabeth Phillips for making our production run smoothly
Our wonderful Artistic Team for putting this show together
And most importantly, our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ through whom all things are possible!
