Aladdin Jr. opens this weekend

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. ( WIVT/WBGH ) — Aladdin Jr. opens this weekend at Seton Catholic Central.

The show is a part of an annual summer theater camp put on by the school, allowing kids ages five to seventeen to put an entire show together in three weeks.

Aladdin was selected because of its bright and uplifting themes.

With only twenty-one days to put on a show, kids have to learn to prioritize their time and memorize their lines quickly.

The junior version only runs an hour, making it suited for younger children.

In addition, kids train like it’s professional theater, doing character analyses and required to be off script by the second time they do a scene.

Director Shannon DeAngelo and her husband have been running theater camps for decades and have had kids go on to regional theater and even Broadway.

“We love the kids,” says DeAngelo, director, choreographer, and costumer for the production. “You know, the kids are our entire future. So, I feel like if we train them well, that they have the opportunity to grow up and have a shot at this career.”

Whether or not the campers pursue theatre, DeAngelo says that learning how to present yourself is an incredibly important life skill.

Aladdin Jr. is the first of two shows at Seton this Summer.

The older group will be debuting Sweeney Todd in August.

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Tickets can be bought at the door for all four showings.

Aladdin Jr. takes the stage tomorrow and Sunday in the Seton gym, with shows both days at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

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