Rust Belt youths offer revue

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Rust Belt Theater Company Studio for Young Actors will present “Normal ... Or Something Like That” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and again March 25 and 26.

The Broadway-revue-style show features popular music, as well as show tunes, scenes and monologues.

The material for the show was chosen by the young actors and centers around the heights and pitfalls of the teenage experience. “Think of it like ‘Glee,’ only with more of an edge to it,” said RBTC Studio member Jennifer Caventer.

The cast includes Caventer, Tyler Norris, Madison Jean Gulfo, Donnette Bishop, Mathew Rivera, Rachel Lynn Clifford and Joey Corradi.

“Many of these students are planning on entering college as performance majors, and I think it is important not only to get some stage time under their belts, but also to work on material that is a little more mature than the usual high school fare,” said Robert Dennick Joki, director of Rust Belt Theater Company.

“When I was a high school student interested in musical theater, there was nothing available for me to do in my hometown,” he said. “I had to make my own opportunities, and now I am encouraging other young people to do the same.”

The RBTC Studio for Young Actors offers performance opportunities for students age 12 to 24, without charging participation or studio fees.

The theater is at 755 Mahoning Ave.

For information or reservations, call 330-507-2358.