CBSA Brings MEAN GIRLS JR to SA for FIRST Time in FIRST MUSICAL Production + FIRST Black Box Theatre Performance
Children’s Ballet of San Antonio, CBSA Brings MEAN GIRLS JR to SA!
Go back to school with the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio and their first-ever musical production, the smart and ferociously funny Mean Girls JR. Premiering Friday, April 5 at the Dance Center of San Antonio’s brand-new Black Box Theatre, the production adapts Tina Fey’s iconic movie and subsequent Broadway smash hit for audiences of all ages, presented by a cast of the region’s finest young performers.
Mean Girls JR. tells the story of student Cady Heron who must learn to navigate the treacherous social hierarchy of high school when her family moves to suburban Illinois from Kenya. Cady may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her new school. How will this naive newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on “The Plastics,” a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a queen bee without getting stung.
Mean Girls JR. is a version of the hit musical Mean Girls that has been adapted for performance by students. The musical, featuring a book by Tina Fey (30 Rock), lyrics by Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and music by composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), was adapted from Fey’s 2004 film. Mean Girls opened on Broadway in 2018 and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards.
The Children’s Ballet of San Antonio and its sponsor school, the Dance Center of San Antonio, are the leading providers of youth dance instruction and performance opportunities in the region. In less than 10 years, CBSA performers and Dance Center students have won numerous international awards and world-renowned scholarships, and founder Vanessa Bessler is a nine-time consecutive winner of Youth America Grand Prix’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year. The Dance Center was recently recognized as among the top 2.5 percent of dance institutions in the nation. Local audiences delight in CBSA’s biannual professional-grade performances held in San Antonio’s top theatres. Now CBSA is pleased to bring another performing arts opportunity to San Antonio with this Broadway-style musical, the first show to be held in the Dance Center of San Antonio’s new venue, the Black Box Theatre.
Among the stunningly talented CBSA cast are Valeria Velasco as Regina and Madison Aikens as Cady, both committed students of the Dance Center of San Antonio’s Musical Theater day program. Aikens recently won Best Performer in a Musical at the 2023 Broadway World Austin awards. Velasco, is a member of the Texas Cultural Trust’s Young Masters Program, a prestigious scholarship program recognizing excellence in the performing arts. These stars and their CBSA cast members are supported by an experienced production team including specialists in vocal performance, choreography, and theater direction.
The interactive, multimedia production is the perfect show to debut in the new Black Box Theatre at the Dance Center of San Antonio, an intimate performance venue in North Central San Antonio. “The close proximity of the audience allows for intimate and interactive shows,” says Bessler. “Because the black box theatre allows for multiple configurations and settings, it gives young performers the opportunity to play with and explore the space to make creative artistic choices.”
Mean Girls JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres.
Mean Girls JR. is yet another example of the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio’s ambitious vision for youth performing arts. Don’t miss your chance to see San Antonio’s young stars in action as they dance and sing their hearts out in the city’s coziest new theatre!
WHAT:
Mean Girls JR.
WHEN:
Friday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 7 at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
WHERE:
The Black Box Theatre at Dance Center of San Antonio
126 West Rector Drive, Suite 120
San Antonio, Texas 78216
WHO:
The Children’s Ballet of San Antonio
TICKETS:
$20, available for purchase at https://www.childrensballetofsanantonio.org/productions-and-events
About the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio
The award-winning Children’s Ballet of San Antonio (CBSA) is an authentic, professional-level ballet company that produces professionally staged productions showcasing San Antonio’s most talented children. Dancers are selected by invitation or audition. The Children’s Ballet of San Antonio is a nonprofit organization 501(c)3. For more information, visit childrensballetofsanantonio.org or call 210-462-7660.
Mission: The Children’s Ballet of San Antonio (CBSA) seeks to inspire the pursuit of excellence and prepare children for productive and creative lives through dance by offering extensive training and performance opportunities for talented children from all backgrounds.
