ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Students at William Allen High School on Saturday were treated to a special workshop — right out of Broadway.
The married Broadway actor duo Orfeh (of "Saturday Night Fever," "Legally Blonde" and "Pretty Woman") and Andy Karl ("Groundhog Day," "Legally Blonde," and "9 to 5" and "Rocky the Musical") visited students preparing for William Allen's production of "Little Shop of Horrors," and offered tips, advice and acting as a resource for the students there.
- Broadway actors Orfeh and Andy Karl came to William Allen High to conduct a workshop for the school's upcoming performance of 'Little Shop of Horrors'
- The pair was invited by alumni Dan Kroll in the hope it could inspire students and make them feel more connected to and passionate for the art form
- William Allen High School's 'Little Shop of Horrors' opens April 20 and will run until April 23
Dan Kroll, a 1993 Allentown School District graduate and founder of soapcentral.com, became friends with the pair through his husband's work on Broadway, and said they come to the area often.
"I've heard from some of the kids, I've heard from teachers, I've heard from parents, that a lot of the kids here at Allen feel as though maybe theater isn't for them, because they see that a lot of the suburban school districts have endowments and whole funds dedicated for their performances, and we don't have that here," Kroll said.
"Having the kids see that people care about them, I think, is far more important than throwing tons of money at them. With the looks on their faces, you can tell that this is worth all that to them."
'We have friends here in Allentown'
Karl and Orfeh both come from theatre departments in public schools during their times in high school, and both excitedly interacted with the teens in the program, impressed with where they are at in the rehearsal process.
"We have friends that are here in Allentown," Karl said. "We have and we can we come down and visit and now we can actually be effective in any way toward these kids, and they're pretty frickin' talented."
Both opened the session by watching the cast run scenes from the first act of the show, offering advice and ideas of how to tweak and improve the performances.
"It's amazing because it's just a such a wide variety of people trying to make it and then them seeing us and acknowledging us and being able to help us improve and wanting to be a part of this with us is absolutely amazing and I'm so grateful."Eli Mercedes
"This is just such a well-rounded, amazingly gifted cast," Orfeh said. "I just want everyone to realize that this is a fun experience and for them to have fun, because it's infectious.
"If you're having a great time as a performer, the audience is going to have a great time."
'Giving me hope for the future'
Eli Mercedes, who portrays the lead character Seymour in the show, said, "It was so surreal getting to see like people who do this for like a living when this is your dream.
"It's amazing because it's just a such a wide variety of people trying to make it and then them seeing us and acknowledging us and being able to help us improve and wanting to be a part of this with us is absolutely amazing and I'm so grateful."
Mercedes, along with Nico Rodriguez, who portrays Audrey, and others were able to speak with the actors one-on-one — getting feedback not just about their performances, but also about the theatre industry as a whole and how to tackle characters when on the stage.
"It is an incredible honor to have them with us, to see us and give us advice that we are looking for," Rodriguez said.
"It takes so much effort to get into theater departments like this, so it is very grateful that they took their time to come and see us and give us advice."
Theatre teacher and director John Sechler said the coronavirus pandemic created a difficult time for the program, leading to less involvement in the years that followed.
Now, even though the department does not have the resources that many wealthier school districts may have when it comes to putting on performances, the cast is enthusiastic in the lead-up to the show, Sechler said.
"This year is completely different, where the students are so hardworking and they've got such a good work ethic, and they have each other's backs," Sechler said.
"It's good to watch, it's giving me hope for the future."
William Allen High School's Little Shop of Horrors opens April 20 and will run until April 23.
