The Pioneer Theatre Guild presents ‘The Adams Family – School Edition’ on Nov. 9-12.
The 2010 musical reimagination of The Addams Family brings familiar characters to life in a new light. When Wednesday Addams falls in love with Lucas Beineke, a normal boy from Ohio, and invites him and his parents over for dinner, the two families immediately clash. When Wednesday reveals to Gomez, her father, her plans to marry Lucas, he is put in the impossible situation of whether or not to keep Wednesday’s secret from his wife, Morticia, who he has never kept a secret from. Full of quirky characters, catchy songs, and the classic Addams Family dark humor, this hilarious show is at its core a heart-warming story about love, honesty, and commitment to family.
The show features a 40-person cast of dedicated AAPS students. The patriarch of the family, Gomez Addams, is played by senior Samuel Aviles. Aviles describes Gomez’s conflict in the show as, “He’s just trying to please both of the women that he loves in his life, his daughter and his wife… the struggle for him to try to figure out whether to go side with his daughter or side with his wife, keep a secret or tell the truth – either way he’s disappointing someone”. Aviles has been doing theater since he was in 3rd grade, but this is his first show with PTG. He is excited to be in the Addams Family and is enjoying connecting with students at his school with similar interests.
Morticia Addams, the matriarch of the family, is played by senior Marisa Andoni-Savas. She describes Morticia as “the hand that is puppeteering the family.” She says that Morticia has a lot of confidence and power, and her family, especially her husband, often defer to her. Andoni-Savas also points out that, “you can see a mother’s concern in Morticia… she’s like, ‘This is my kid! And she’s getting married at 18!’ and it’s a little concerning but it’s also she’s happy for her and she wants it to work.” Andoni-Savas plans on pursuing musical theater in college and is grateful for the experience and mentorship she has received through PTG.
In addition to the cast, there are 73 students in the crew helping the show behind the scenes. PTG has 7 student crews; sets crew, props crew, lighting crew, sound crew, paint crew, makeup crew, and costumes crew. There are also 10 students involved in the pit orchestra. Senior Olivia Callanan is the sets crewhead for the Addams Family, and has been involved in sets crew since school started back up from Covid her sophomore year.
She is excited to be working on the set for this show because “this set is gigantic and huge and amazing, and there’s a lot of things that open and little doorways that go more inside their world,” which she says are fun to build. She also points out that it is exciting that the set is “spanning the entire stage… because it’s so big and we have so many people on sets crew to work on it.” Callanan is excited for people to see the show because, “it’s perfect for fall and it’s just a classic, I think kids will like it, but adults will like it too.”
Junior Kiran Parekh is one of the costumes crewheads for The Addams Family and has been involved in PTG since his freshman year. He is excited to work on the costumes for this show and recreate all the classic looks for the members of the Addams Family, alongside new designs for the Beinekes and the Ancestors: “All the ancestors are really neat, they’re all from different time periods, so that’s sort of fun to get to move around in time as opposed to having them all in one time period.”
Gabriel Sanchez and Lleyton Allen, both sophomore Musical Theater majors at the University of Michigan, are both making their directorial debut with The Addams Family, and are thrilled to be working with this cast and crew. They love this show’s “unique blend of dark humor, catchy songs, and quirky characters,” as well as its “themes of acceptance and celebrating individuality.” Sanchez and Allen are especially aiming to convey through the show that “it’s essential to embrace our eccentricity and not conform to societal norms. In a world that often encourages conformity, this story’s relevance lies in its celebration of the unorthodox.” They are both really looking forward to audiences seeing this show and the hard work everyone involved has put into it. In the words of the directors, “It has been a joy to see their dedication, creativity, and teamwork shine through rehearsals. The energy and enthusiasm they bring to every practice is infectious. We are excited to see them bring this iconic musical to life on stage and share their passion for the arts with the Ann Arbor community.”
TICKETS:
$15 Students/65+ Seniors/Pioneer Staff
$20 Adults
$50 Opening Night Gala Ticket (more info below!)
Reserved Seating Tickets are available and will be on sale beginning Wednesday, October 11th
Box office opens one hour prior to shows for cash and check ticket sales.
*For more information, visit: https://a2ptguild.org
Co-Directors: Lleyton Allen & Gabriel Sanchez
Choreographer: Logan Krushinski
Music Director: Ethan Swanson
Pit Conductor: Tyler Driskill
Producers: Jayme Kelmigian & Alex Leydenfrost
Technical Director/Set Designer: Mysti Plummer
Sound Designer: Patrick Schrock
Lighting Designer: Ian Hyatt
Costume Designer: Hayden Keene
Props Designer: Kris Park
Paint Supervisor: Kate VanHorn
Makeup Supervisor: Chloe Park
PTG Program Directors: Jayme Kelmigian, Alex Leydenfrost, and Mysti Plummer
The Addams Family is presented by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide www.theatricalrights.com
This activity is supported by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, administered by Creative Washtenaw.
