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First Stage raises the curtain on 2015 with playwright Y. York’s adaptation of the Jerry Spinelli children’s book Stargirl. Recommended for kids 10 and up, the play tells the story of a homeschooled girl who enrolls in a high school that is much bigger than home. The adaptation of Spinelli’s story of iconoclasm, determination and acceptance stars Actor’s Equity member Richard Ganoung as the sole adult in a show that also features two different rotating children’s casts.
The novel originally appeared in 2002. The sequel Love, Stargirl was published in 2007. It’s interesting comparing this particular young adult novel to the more recent mega-successful young adult novels. It may not be part of a huge, ugly mega-business franchise machine like Twilight or The Hunger Games, but Stargirl definitely has its following. Anything that stresses the importance of acceptance and individuality is going to find an eager audience and Stargirl has definitely done that. A few years after the original novel appeared, student-centered Stargirl societies have started springing up various places promoting the kind of individuality and nonconformity we’re going to need as a society if we’re going to survive in the long run.
First Stage’s production of Stargirl runs Jan. 16 - Feb. 15 at The Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater on 929 N. Water St. For ticket reservations and more information, visit click here.
