The Forman Ensemble Players presented the winter musical “Beetlejuice JR.” from February 16th to 18th in the Visual and Performing Arts Center Jake Cloobeck ’16 Theater. 

Arts Teacher Tammy Grella, who directed the musical, says, “I was drawn to “Beetlejuice JR.” because of the original movie. It’s just so quirky and unusual and has so many possibilities for fun and energetic characters for our kids to play.” 

Below is the list of the cast: 

• Lydia: Qeiva Grant ’25

• Beetlejuice: Julian Graziano ’25

• Adam Maitland: Evan Johnson ’25

• Barbara Maitland: Amanda Gerdes ’25

• Charles Deetz: Oscar Smith-Freitag ’25

• Delia Schlimmer: Cecily Cooper ’26

• Maxie Dean & Ensemble: Penny Kobak ’27

• Maxine Dean & Ensemble: Rachel Horenstein ’26

• Otho & Ensemble: Liam Bender ’27

• Sky & Ensemble: Gianna Lovallo ’25

• Miss Argentina & Ensemble: Lilyanna Ruis ’27

• Juno & Ensemble: Fenan Sloan Arondeau ’26

• Ensemble: Reid Peckham ’28

• Ensemble: Alina Yosua ’28

• Ensemble: Rebecca Birnbaum ’26

• Ensemble: Addison Holmes ’25

• Girl Scout: Amelia Bender

• Girl Scout: Peter Kertis

• Girl Scout: Trudy Kertis

• Girl Scout: Alaina Langill

Stage managers were Carrington Hawes ’25 and Nolan Briggs ’26. Stella Groski ’26 was the Soundboard Operator, and Ella Scott ’26 was on the Backstage Crew. 

“Over the course of the four months we were working on the show, there’s been so many standout moments,” Tammy says. “The most exciting moment for me is always opening night when they get that very first applause for the very first musical number, and they finally get to realize what all their hard work was for! It’s so humbling to be a part of watching them grow over the course of the process both as individuals and as a group.” 

Cognition and Learning Teacher Kelly Munn P’15, P’16 directed the choreography, which was character-driven and incorporated mixed styles. 

“Choreographing for “What I Know Now” with Ms. Argentina and all the quirky recently deceased characters stands out,” Kelly says. “It was both fun and challenging to teach them about the syncopated rhythms of Latin dance.”

“I love creating an atmosphere of creative possibility and witnessing students' growth throughout the process,” she adds. “It is rewarding to watch students transform into feeling more confident and successful in the months between auditions and show time.”

Thinking and Writing Department Chair Lily Chen designed the 75 costumes for the 20 cast members. 

“The fun challenge of costuming “Beetlejuice JR.” lies not so much in the complexity of costume design but in the execution of costume changes in real time,” says Lily. “Thanks to the focus and dedication from each performer, we were able to drill each execution in our muscle memory—while trouble-shooting for unexpected complications—and rise above the organized chaos to settle into a choreographed flow and sustain a visual illusion for the audience!”

She adds, “As a costumer and a writing teacher, I see costuming as a 3D form of written expression in essence: its true value stems from a sincere desire to engage in a heart-to-heart with another while allowing each other to make their own connections and reach their own conclusions!”

TJ Thompson, who teaches music at Taft School, directed the music for “Beetlejuice JR.”