The LMK Drama Club is proud to present a virtual production of Adventures of a Comic Book Artist. The show is available for viewing from Thursday, April 15th @ 7pm through Saturday, April 17th @ midnight. A link to the show will be posted on the District website starting April 15th at 7 pm.
This action-packed comedy tells the story of Stanley Leonardo Sappovitz, a janitor at Wonder Comics, who wants to be a comic book artist. Trying to save his company, the owner of the comic book company, Mr. Wunderman, buys pens with special powers that bring comic book characters to life. Stanley, wants to impress Mr. Wunderman with his talent as a comic book artist, and draws his own superheroes with the magical pens. Adventure and hilarity ensue when Stanley’s characters come alive and confront the villains created by Wunderman’s staff artists. The book and lyrics of Adventures of a Comic Book Artist are written by Pat Lydersen, with music by Wendy Woolf.
The Directors reflect on the process of preparing the virtual performance: “Everything about this show has been influenced and informed by the pandemic. Rehearsals were conducted over Zoom. Scenes were recorded in virtual meetings. Songs were much more complicated, as each student recorded his/her singing individually in his/her own home, in front of a green screen. The performances were then stitched together, allowing cast members to occupy the same virtual space, even as COVID prevented them from sharing a real-world stage. COVID has knocked all of us down this year, in one way or another. This musical is the LMK Drama Club’s way of getting back up and moving forward.” The complete text appears below.
Tickets are not needed to view Adventures of a Comic Book Artist. Viewers may click the link to the production, posted on the District Website. The link will be available THURSDAY, April 15th @ 7pm through SATURDAY, April 17th @ midnight. Viewers may watch the performance at any time during this period.
Adventures of a Comic Book Artist Program
Meet the cast and members of the LMK Drama Club
Members of the Cast
| Brian Bannon | Dylan Bouteneff |
| Luke Castellano | Theresa DeRosa |
| Evan Dill | Hana El Khoury |
| Alexa Forgione | Andrew Gaffin |
| Atharv Gandhi | Deniz Gunduz |
| Kai Hickey | Ayumi Ito |
| Neeve Kenny | Joey Lipple-Smetana |
| Gisel Lopez | Sienna Madera |
| Kotoha Nomura | Rosella Paniccia |
| Koen Reiff | Charlotte Reville |
| Ronan Rinaldi | Talia Russo |
| Josue Sanchez | Ran Shigehisa |
| Lilianna Tesoriero | Kendall Tuffarelli |
| Isabella Vasquez-Saines | Jessica Vukel |
| Anna Youngstrom | |
Members of the Crew
| Romina Alban | Madison DiFiore |
| Christopher Decina | Dominique Ventriglio |
| Elita Robertson | Jordan Dill |
| Leila Enaye |
Directors' Note
As children, we grew up on a steady diet of Adam West Batman reruns and Justice League cartoons, so maybe it’s just nostalgia talking, but we think superhero stories are important for young people. You know the stories we're talking about- tales of a "nobody" donning a cape and fighting for justice. We find that transformation inspiring. It teaches all of us that we don’t have to be defined by the bad things that happen to us; we can rise up, overcome, and use personal tragedies to fuel a crusade to make the world a better place. It teaches us that being a hero starts with a choice - the choice to get up and keep moving forward when the world knocks you down.
The performing arts have certainly been knocked down this year, and it may be some time before they find a way to fully get back up. Last year’s LMK musical - The Little Mermaid - had its only performance on the day that Broadway went dark; and while Broadway has not yet returned, we are lucky enough to be able to "perform" a musical for you this year, albeit in a very unconventional format.
Everything about this show has been influenced and informed by the pandemic. Rehearsals were conducted over Zoom. Scenes were recorded in virtual meetings. Songs were much more complicated, as each student recorded his/her singing individually in his/her own home, in front of a green screen. The performances were then stitched together, allowing cast members to occupy the same virtual space, even as COVID prevented them from sharing a real-world stage.
COVID has knocked all of us down this year, in one way or another. This musical is the LMK Drama Club’s way of getting back up and moving forward. We hope that this virtual musical finds you and yours in good health, and we hope that next year’s show will find us all back in our auditorium, performing together for a live audience once again. As always, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting your students and the arts at LMK. None of this would be possible without you.
Excelsior!
The LMK Drama Club Directors
Chandana Neureuther, Artistic Director
Scott Test, Music Director
Jessa Vanherwynen, Choreographer
Stephanie Goldman, Technical Director