Tarzan presented by First Act Theatre Arts

PRESENTS

FEBRUARY 15-18, 2024 The Bell Center at MidAmerica Nazarene University (913) 681-3318 firstactkc.org

TARZAN THE STAGE MUSICAL Music & Lyrics by PHIL COLLINS | Book by DAVID HENRY HWANG Adapted from the story "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs | Originally Produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions | TARZAN (R) owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. TARZAN is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre international (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

PRESENTS

Music & Lyrics by PHIL COLLINS Book by DAVID HENRY HWANG Adapted from the story "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs Originally Produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions TARZAN (R) owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

Hillary Talken Director

Molly Stasieluk Associate Director/Stage Manager

Courtney Talken Music Director Brenda LaCour Production Coordinator Joel Gray Sound Designer Gennie Poling Assistant Lighting Designer

Amy Carson Choreographer Becky Ochoa Lighting Designer Andrew Milbourn Fight Choreographer Lainey Panek Lighting Design Apprentice

from the director Welcome to First Act KC’s production of Tarzan!

From the first rehearsal, this cast has been focused on creating community, rooted in “welcoming the stranger.” While none of us has the experience of being the only human in a family of apes, we all know what it feels like to not fit in. To be excluded because of factors outside of our control. Our world is constantly divided by this feeling, violence and tragedy only amplify it. But this cast has stepped outside of division, and I have watched them get to know one another, support one another, and build strong bonds through one of the most fun rehearsal processes I’ve had here at First Act! (I say that even WITH breaking my ankle two weeks ago!) I am immensely proud of this group of 42 students, and I am honored to be their director.

Tarzan is a story of belonging. A story about a mother who chooses to open her heart after suffering the great tragedy of losing her child.

Without Kala, there is no story here worth telling. Making the choice to love again through her grief, Kala shows us the power of renewed hope.

Over and over again, she chooses Tarzan. She chooses to protect and love him, despite their differences, because she knows he deserves that love. I’ve held the power of that choice close to my heart throughout rehearsals, remembering that no matter what happens, we can always step forward and choose to love and hope again. Ten years ago, we lost my friend Houston during a production of Tarzan, and I think the way this cast shines is the best example of what happens when we allow hope to move through grief, even all these years later.

Thank you to the incredible Tarzan team, you all are stars, and this show reflects your brilliance! Thank you to everyone who is here to support this incredible cast of kids! Thank you to First Act, for continuing to be a place where kids can learn and grow in what they love.

Enjoy the show!

Hillary

artistic team

Amy, Molly, Courtney, Hillary & Brenda

Musical numbers ACT ONE

"Two Worlds"………........................................................Mother, Father, Kala, Kerchak, Leopard & Ape Ensemble "You’ll Be In My Heart"................................................................Kala & Ape Ensemble "Ten Years Pass"........................................................................................................Soloist "Who Better than Me?"……............................................Young Tarzan & Young Terk "No Other Way"…......................................................................................Kerchak & Kala "I Need to Know".........................................................................................Young Tarzan "Son of Man"…….............................................Kala, Young Terk, Young Tarzan, Terk, Tarzan & Ape Ensemble "Sure As Sun Turns to Moon"……….......................................................Kala & Kerchak "Waiting for this Moment"……….................…..............................…........Jane & Flowers "Different"……….................….........................................................................Tarzan & Jane

Musical numbers ACT TWO "Trashin the Camp"…...................................................................Terk & Ape Ensemble "Like No Man I’ve Ever Seen"………...........................................................Jane & Porter "Strangers Like Me"..........................................................Tarzan, Jane, Soloist & Kala "For the First Time".....................................................................................Jane & Tarzan "Who Better than Me?" (Reprise)………..................................................Terk & Tarzan "Everything That I Am"….........................................................Tarzan, Mother, Father, Kala, & Young Tarzan "You’ll Be In My Heart" (Reprise)............................................................Tarzan & Kala "Sure As Sun Turns to Moon" (Reprise)..................................................................Kala "Two Worlds Finale".......................................................Tarzan, Jane, Ape Ensemble

cast of characters Tarzan...................................................................................................................Logan Turk Jane Porter....................................................................................................Riley Simmons Kala……….................................................................................................................Taylor Bell Kerchak……….......................................................................................................Jonas Beyer Terk………....................................................................................Tatum McGinness-Wood Porter……….........................................................................................................Nick Heffner Clayton………........................................................................................................Evan LeRoy Snipes………......................................................................................................Marin LaCour Young Tarzan……….............................................................................................Evan Kane Young Terk………............................................................................................Ellie Krumsick Leopard………....................................................................................................Harper Hoge Mother………...........................................................................................................Halle Gray Father………............................................................................................Boston Woodward Baby Ape………................................................................................................Abby Taussig Soloists………....................................................Halle Gray, Lucy Shively & Jolee Tindle Clayton’s Crew.............Abraham Girard, John Michael Starling, & Levi Syverson Dance Captain...................................................................................................Jolee Tindle Fight Captain.....................................................................................................Jonas Beyer

cast of characters Featured Dancers Isabel Buckingham, Nick Heffner, Harper Hoge, Addison Larson, Jolee Tindle Flowers Isabel Buckingham, Halle Gray, Harper Hoge, Addison Larson, Lucy Shively, Bella Taussig, Jolee Tindle Ape Ensemble Elizabeth Bird, Maeve Brennan, Emma Brewer, Isabel Buckingham, Abigail Enyart, Audrey Fletcher, Levi Foster, Abraham Girard, Halle Gray, Nick Heffner, Beatrice Hillier, Harper Hoge, Lucy Hutchison, Lilly Johnson, Evan Kane, Ellie Krumsick, Marin LaCour, Addison Larson, Evan LeRoy, Jane Longstreet, Levi Martin, Tatum McGinness-Wood, Farrah Meyer, Anabelle Mosby, Lucy Shively, John Michael Starling, Levi Syverson, Lily Syverson, Henry Tanner, Bella Taussig, Abby Taussig, Lauren Thompson, Jolee Tindle, Henry Trimble, Tes Walker, Iris Wieman, Claire Wolff, Boston Woodward

Meet the Cast Logan Turk as Tarzan

Logan is 17 years old and a junior at Blue Valley Northwest High School. This is his 2nd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Logan’s favorite role is Richard in Cat Hole Road. Off stage, Logan enjoys spending time with friends. Logan would like to thank his mom, dad, and brothers, Wyatt and Owen.

Riley Simmons as Jane Porter

Riley is 17 years old and a junior at Blue Valley Northwest High School. This is her 9th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Riley’s favorite role is Little Red in Into the Woods. Off stage, Riley enjoys playing guitar, reading, and listening to music. Riley would like to thank her awesome parents for everything and for the awesome cast for constantly keeping her entertained.

Taylor Bell as Kala

Taylor is 15 years old and a sophomore at Lee’s Summit North High School. This is her 11th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Taylor’s favorite roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Miss Honey in Matilda, and Alyssa in The Prom. She is so excited to be playing Kala in this production of Tarzan. Off stage, Taylor enjoys playing violin, singing in choir, and being with her best friends.

Taylor would like to thank her family and friends for loving and supporting her, her voice teacher, and the directing team for giving her this opportunity.

Jonas Beyer as Kerchak

Jonas is 17 years old and a senior at Blue Valley North High School. This is his 16th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Jonas’s favorite role is Olin Britt in The Music Man. Off stage, Jonas enjoys working out, playing basketball, and playing cello. Jonas would like to thank his parents.

Meet the Cast Tatum McGinness-Wood as Terk

Tatum is 14 years old and a freshman at North Kansas City High School. This is her 15th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Tatum’s favorite roles include Ariel in Footloose and a Dancer in Hello, Dolly! Off stage, Tatum enjoys dancing and hanging out with friends and family. Tatum would like to thank her parents for always being so supportive, her brother for being the best (don’t tell him), and all of her coaches for being so supportive and amazing.

Nick Heffner as Porter

Nick is 14 years old and an eighth grader at Westridge Middle School. This is his 11th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Nick’s favorite role is Tommy Djilas in The Music Man. Off stage, Nick enjoys playing music, getting Dunkin with his sister, and hanging out with friends. Nick would like to thank his sister for getting him into First Act, his parents for driving him around, and God for helping him get where he is today.

Evan LeRoy as Clayton

Evan is 15 years old and a sophomore at Mill Valley High School. This is his 20th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Evan’s favorite role is The Man in the Yellow Suit in Tuck Everlasting. Off stage, Evan enjoys writing for his school newspaper and also enjoys reporting for his video news department.

Evan would like to thank his family for always supporting him.

Marin LaCour as Snipes

Marin is 17 years old and a junior at Lee’s Summit North High School. This is her 22nd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Marin’s favorite role is Grimsby in The Little Mermaid. Off stage, Marin enjoys reading, doing puzzles, watching Marvel movies, and playing video games. Marin would like to thank her parents, directors, teachers, and friends for helping and supporting her during her theater journey.

Meet the Cast Evan Kane as Young Tarzan

Evan is 13 years old and an eighth grader at Ottawa Middle School. This is his 2nd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Evan’s favorite role is Schwartz in A Christmas Story. Off stage, Evan enjoys playing games, building Legos, playing with friends, traveling, and spending time with family.

Evan would like to thank his family for always supporting him, the directors for giving him a chance to be in the show, and God.

Ellie Krumsick as Young Terk

Ellie is 12 years old and a sixth grader at Monticello Trails Middle School. This is her 4th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Ellie’s favorite role is an orphan in Annie. Off stage, Ellie enjoys hanging out with friends and playing with her dogs. Ellie would like to thank her family and friends for being so supportive and her dogs Maddie and Emmett for always being there to cuddle her.

Harper Hoge as the Leopard

Harper is 14 years old and an eighth grader at Trailridge Middle School. This is her 16th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Harper’s favorite role is the Dove in Cinderella. Off stage, Harper enjoys shopping with her mom, hanging out with her friends, and watching Netflix. Harper would like to thank her parents for letting her do this show, her best friend Halle for going through this process by her side, and the directors and cast for making this show possible.

Meet the Cast Halle Gray as Mother, Flower, & Soloist

Halle is 16 years old and a sophomore at Shawnee Mission Northwest. This is her 7th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Halle’s favorite roles include a Horse in Cinderella and Mother in Tarzan. Off stage, Halle enjoys hanging out with friends and family, drinking coffee, and listening to music. Halle would like to thank God for giving her the ability to perform and be involved in the amazing community at First Act.

Boston Woodward as Father

Boston is 14 years old and an eighth grader at Summit Lakes Middle School. This is his 12th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Boston’s favorite role is Betty Bumbrake/Teacher in Peter and the Starcatcher. Off stage, Boston enjoys spending time with friends, going to the mall, volleyball, and keeping up his snap streaks. Boston would like to thank his mom and dad for supporting him in First Act, Hillary Talken and Andrew Milbourn for helping him improve his gift, and everyone in Tarzan for making this an unforgettable experience.

Ape Ensemble

Elizabeth Bird

Abigail Enyart

Maeve Brennan

Emma Brewer

Isabel Buckingham

Audrey Fletcher

Levi Foster

Abraham Girard

Featured Dancer & Flower

Clayton’s Crew

Beatrice Hillier

Lucy Hutchison

Lilly Johnson

Addison Larson Featured Dancer & Flower

Ape Ensemble

Jane Longstreet

Levi Martin

Farrah Meyer

Annabelle Mosby

Lucy Shively

John Michael Starling

Levi Syverson

Lily Syverson

Soloist & Flower

Clayton’s Crew

Clayton’s Crew

Ape Ensemble

Henry Tanner

Abby Taussig

Bella Taussig

Lauren Thompson

Henry Trimble

Tes Walker

Iris Wieman

Baby Ape

Jolee Tindle

Dance Captain, Soloist, Featured Dancer & Flower

Flower

Claire Wolff

Leave us a review!

Congratulations!

Taylor Bell Taylor, we are so excited to see you as Kala! You are going to shine!

Love, Mom, Dad, Carson, Kennedy

Lucy Hutchison Lucy, we love you and are so proud of you! Keep reaching for the stars! Love, Dad, Mom, Maggie and John Henry

Maeve Brennan Maeve, we are proud to watch your growth with theater. Break a leg!

Love, Mama, Daddy and Bubba

Evan Kane Evan Kane -- We're so proud of your GREAT work as Young Tarzan! It is a joy to watch you use your gifts on stage for God's glory! We love you! ~Mom and Dad

Audrey Fletcher Bravo, Audrey! It has been such a joy to see your smile on stage.

Nick Heffner Nick, We love watching you shine on stage! Love, Mom, Dad, and Lily Beatrice Hillier Congratulations on your debut, Beatrice! We are so proud of you!

Love, Dad, Mom, and Vanessa Harper Hoge Have a great show 16! We can't wait to see you perform as your first villain! Love, Your Family

Ellie Krumsick Ellie Krumsick, We are so very proud of you! Keep smiling and chasing your dreams! Love, Mom, Dad, Annie, Abby Marin LaCour While we always want to wish you the best and to "Break a Leg", we no longer mean it!! From now on, it's only "Good Luck" from us!! We love you bunches, Mom and Dad

Congratulations!

Evan LeRoy Congrats to the sensational 'Bad Guy' in Tarzan! Your villainous performance has swung straight into our hearts. Wishing you a wildly successful performance. Go conquer the jungle and break a leg, or maybe just a vine, and shine on stage!

Levi Martin Levi, Congrats on your first FA production! We love you and are proud of you. -Mom, Dad, Reagan and Caleb Farrah Meyer Farrah, Congratulations on your first show! We are so proud of you!

Love, Mom, Dad, and your entire fan club!

Annabelle Mosby Way to go AB!!! Another show in the books! Mom, Dad, Morgan, Ally, Bryce, Brandon, and everyone else. And Stella. God's awesome!

Tatum McGinness-Wood Tatum - We are so incredibly proud of all the work you put into everything you do! Keep reaching for the stars and you will soar high! We love you!

Trish, Michelle and Nash Lucy Shively Break-a-Leg Lucy! We love to watch you shine Goose! Love, Mom, Samantha, Olivia, & Tyler

Congratulations!

Henry Tanner Henry - Trash that camp, son! Break a leg, we love you! Mom, Dad, Eli & Cole Lauren Thompson Congratulations to a girl who never stops amazing us. Keep doing all the things you love and we will keep being there to support you.

We love you Lauren Thompson!

Love Mom, Dad, Scotty, Danny, Maggie & Ryan Henry Trimble Congrats on another fabulous show, Henry! We love watching you perform! Love, your family Iris Wieman Congratulations Iris! We are so proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad and Evelyn

Claire Wolff Claire, you are forever our shining star and we are so proud of you. Always follow your dreams and stay true to yourself. Break a leg sweetheart, and fly high! All our love, Nannie and Papa Bravo on your performance in your second play. Your passion shines on stage, and we couldn't be prouder.

Keep reaching for the stars!" Love Mom, Dad, Violet, Paige, and Sadie Boston Woodward Way to go Bos man!! Keep shining!

We are your biggest fans! Love, Mom and Dad

Intermission Opportunities

parent committees Backstage Martin Starling Trimble Woodward*

Makeup Brennan* Girard Hutchison LeRoy

Costumes Bird* Larson Taussig Walker

Opportunity Baskets Brewer* Meyer Shively

Green Room Heffner Hoge Syverson* Thompson House Bell Kane Simmons* Wolff

Production Support McGinness-Wood Tindle, Angie* Props Buckingham* Hillier Johnson Wieman

Refreshments Foster Krumsick* Turk Sets Enyart Fletcher* LaCour, Damon Longstreet Tanner Tindle, Jason Tech Beyer Gray* Mosby *Committee Head

Special Thanks First Act Theatre Arts would like to extend special thanks to the following organizations and individuals for their generous contributions to this show.

Casey McDorman and the Bell Center Staff for hosting this production Village Presbyterian Church for hosting our auditions Evangel Church & Kaw Prairie Community Church for hosting our classes Erin Hillier & Darci Foster for being our tireless class coordinators Maggie Miller for her dedicated service to our HEART program Erin Barton & Steve Kleinschmidt for their excellent show photos Andrew Milbourn for lending his expertise in Stage Combat Dennis Ryan for the terrific show recordings Rick Aldrich & Totally His Graphics for our awesome show shirts Dennis Hoge for his help with all things warehouse Ginger Burns for her assistance with makeup Cynthia Liggett for her help with props Pam Bray & Gina Milbourn for their assistance with the organization of our costumes Nick, Tatum & Halle for being our student worship team Lucy, Riley & Harper for being our student social media team 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!

Brenda LaCour 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!

2023-2024 SEASON DREAM BIG!

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1

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