Lake Michigan College Visual & Performing Arts Department to make an on-stage splash with the spring musical Big Fish

Event: Big Fish
When: Thursday-Saturday, March 26-28, 7 p.m.
             Sunday, March 29, 2 p.m.
Where: Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre
               2755 E. Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
Tickets: $15, $5 students under 18, www.TheMendelCenter.com

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – A musical of epic proportions swims onto the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre stage when the LMC Visual & Performing Arts Department presents Big Fish. Performances are at 7 p.m. March 26-28 and 2 p.m. March 29. Tickets are available online at www.TheMendelCenter.com/events. 

Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, Big Fish follows a son, Will Bloom, who longs to connect with his father, Edward Bloom. As a child, Will felt he never truly knew his father, a traveling salesman who was often away. To make up for his absences, Edward would return home with fantastical tales filled with larger-than-life characters: giants, witches, magical caves, fields of daffodils, circuses, and more.

“Big Fish is a story full of magic and dazzling spectacle, which correlates with our season of magic and fantasy. We hope the audience enjoys taking this imaginative and emotional journey with us,” stated director and LMC Theatre Instructor Shalico Sain. 

Regarding the story’s timeless themes of love, loss, and family, Sain added, “This story resonates personally with me since I lost my father to cancer a few years ago. Every family has its own familial myths it passes down from generation to generation to carry on tradition and story. Sharing this musical and celebrating those types of stories and bonds is kind of my way to pay homage to him and my memories of him.”

To bring the larger-than-life story alive on the Jenkins Theatre stage, large-scale LED video wall panels and digital scenery will provide the backdrop for a professional-level theater experience. The College is working with the local film production company Little Red Fern, led by Ryan Cheevers, to create the imagery that will be shown during the production. 

Students will gain real-world production experience by assisting with the equipment load-in, panel installation, programming, and panel teardown. The hands-on learning opportunity is a resume builder for students looking to get into the technical aspects of the performing arts.

Funding for the rental of advanced theater technology and graphics production was provided by the Berrien Community Foundation with support from Ann Marie Marlow.

Sain said she has used a casting concept similar to the film, in which two actors each play both Edward and Sandra. The Big Fish cast was selected during auditions in December and features LMC students and alumni, as well as community members of all ages. Those starring in the show are:

       Jason Adams as Current Edward
       Landon Mitchell as Past Edward Bloom
       Laura Neuroth as Current Sandra
       Ella Harris as Past Sandra Bloom
       Wes Shenker as Will Bloom
       Jack Selvidge as Young Will
       Summer Leadingham as Josephine Bloom
       Jacob Prillwitz as Karl the Giant
       Kip Bartloff as Amos Calloway
       Klare Johnson as The Witch
       Nora Bomar as Jenny Hill
       AJ Dyer as Don Price
       Z Childs as Zackary Price
       Niko Brown-Parrot as Doctor Bennet, Judge
       Lauren Lovell as Alabama Lambs/Cheerleaders/Sorority Sisters
       Faith Simmons as Alabama Lambs/Cheerleaders/Sorority Sisters, Mermaid
       Deonna McGrew as Alabama Lambs/Cheerleaders/Sorority Sisters
       Ani Doyle as Red Fang, Witch Ensemble
       Erika Vondale as Dream Sandra, Witch Ensemble
       Wyatt Arms as Fisherman, Sharecropper
       Sienna Harris as New York Doctor
       Triss Wright as Witch Ensemble
       Laura Gomez as Witch Ensemble
       Jessica Lewis as Witch Ensemble
       Allison MacMillan as Mayor, Schoolteacher
       Juno Agens as Little Girl with Orange Cat
       Charles Larson as Hot-Blooded Shotgun Toter, Cowboy
       Noah Kasuba as Barber
       Deejay Dortch as Shepherd
       Quintin Sharpe as Juggler
       Eva Olson as Over-excited Scout
       Sadie Olson as Scout
       Cassidy Wang as Scout
       Reis Leaverton as Farm Girl, Scout
       Asher Bansen as Will's Son, Scout

The production features a live orchestra assembled by Rebecca Selvidge, the show’s music director. The orchestra is composed of LMC faculty, students, alumni, and community members and arts educators in the region. Orchestra members include:

       Lane Alsup, Keyboard
       Rachel Cabanilla-Sinnett, Violin
       Jared Coller, Percussion
       Brenna Giazzon, French Horn
       Jason Gresl, Reeds
       Alexandra Lee, Keyboard, Rehearsal Accompanist
       Deyton Lee, Percussion
       Danny Lopez, Trumpet
       Glenn McFarland, Drum Set
       Susan Dietrich Reed, Cello
       Luis Sanchez, Trumpet
       Sean Sinnett, Viola
       Benjamin VanRoekel, Reeds
       Brandon Yenchus, Upright and Electric Bass

The Big Fish production team includes LMC faculty, staff, and students as well as community members. They are:

       Rob Lunn, LMC Visual & Performing Arts Department Chair
       Shalico Sain, LMC Theater Faculty, Producer & Director
       Rebecca Selvidge, LMC Music Lecturer, Music Director
       Mindy McCaffrey, LMC Visual & Performing Arts Department Administrative Assistant
       Paige Mulick (LMC Alum), Choreographer
       Garreth Smiley, Stage Manager
       Gavin Blake, ASM/Props
       Kyra Utroske, Production Manager/Set Designer & Scenic Artist
       Dolphy Clark, Light Designer/Technical Director
       John Taylor, Set Designer/Master Carpenter
       Cindy Jakeway, Scenic Artist
       Force Tech, Sound Design
       Tabitha Hoskins, Costume Designer
       Ryan Cheevers - Little Red Fern, Digital Scenic Design

Tickets are $15 general admission and $5 for students under 18. Tickets are available at www.TheMendelCenter.com/events. 

Big Fish is based on the book by John August, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the novel Big Fish by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia Pictures film screenplay written by John August. Originally produced on Broadway by Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen and Stage Entertainment with Roy Furman, Broadway Across America/Rich Entertainment Group, John Domo, The Nederlander Organization and Edward Walson in association with CJ E&M, Dancing Elephant Productions, Parrothead Productions, Carole L. Haber, Peter May/Jim Fantaci, Ted Liebowitz/Joe Piacentile and Columbia Pictures.

BIG FISH is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.theatricalrights.com. 

About the Lake Michigan College Visual & Performing Arts Department  
The Visual & Performing Arts Department enables students to reach new levels of excellence through classroom instruction and public performance. Many programs, including instrumental and vocal music, theatre, and dance, are based in the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, the only performing arts center of its kind in Southwest Michigan. Here, LMC students have opportunities to study the performing arts in a venue that attracts thousands of patrons annually. Programs including drawing, painting, and graphic design allow students to explore the possibilities in the visual arts.

Auditions are held for select ensembles that perform on the same stages as world-renowned touring acts. Students in any major also have opportunities to audition for Broadway musicals and plays and join two different vocal ensembles, string and wind ensembles, a pop-rock ensemble, and a jazz band. One of only two colleges in Michigan to carry the prestigious All-Steinway designation, LMC has a team of highly qualified faculty who bring real-world expertise to the classroom. 

For more information about the Visual and Performing Arts department and performances, visit lakemichigancollege.edu/arts, email mmccaffrey@lakemichigancollege.edu, or call 269-927-8876.

About the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center
The Lake Michigan College Mendel Center is 30 minutes from Niles and 40 minutes from Kalamazoo and South Bend. It is located on the Lake Michigan College campus at 2755 E. Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor, Michigan, one mile east of I-94 (Exit 30) and one mile west of the US 31 Bypass (Exit 24). Its GPS mapping address is 1100 Yore Avenue, Benton Harbor, MI.