Bajan OTT Students To Stage Fame! JR.

Operation Triple Threat (OTT) Summer Performing Arts Boot Camp students will be “on top of the charts” when they offer a joyous performance of ‘Fame! JR.’ on August 23rd, announced Freddie Gershon, Chairman of Music Theatre International (MTI). ‘Fame! JR.’ is based on the hit motion picture which was turned into a long-running television series. The musical is part of the MTI Broadway Junior Collection®, MTI’s special collection of musicals for younger performers.

Conceived and developed by David De Silva, featuring a book by David De Silva and José Fernandez, music by Steve Margoshes, lyrics by Jacques Levy, and the title song “Fame” written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore, ‘Fame! JR.’ is set during the last years of the “Fame School”, New York City's celebrated High School for the Performing Arts on 46th Street (1980-1984). The musical follows the bittersweet but inspiring story of a diverse group of students as they commit to four years of gruelling artistic and academic work in order to achieve their dream of “hitting the heights” and putting their “name in lights”. With insight and humour, the show explores the issues that confront many young people today, including prejudice, identity, self-worth, literacy and perseverance.

“In ‘Fame! JR.’ the characters discover it takes much more than talent to achieve their goals, they must find their true artistic voice, build up their confidence, learn how to collaborate well and work very, very hard. Operation Triple Threat (OTT) students are exhibiting these same life skills and discipline through their process of staging ‘Fame! JR.’ We hope that Barbados gives them a standing ovation for all their hard work,” said Gershon.

The thirty member cast, made up of students 11 to 18 years, have been working diligently over the past weeks to perfect the show and are thrilled to be making history as the first young performer cast to present a fully licensed Music Theatre International (MTI) production to the Barbadian public. Directed by the camp’s founder, Janelle Headley-Newton, and supported by a team of industry professionals and performing arts educators, the show promises to be one that the audience will never forget!

Janelle Headley, founder of OTT, directed 'Fame! JR.'

Janelle would especially like to thank the Frank Collymore Hall, OTT staff, parents and students for their hard work and dedication to presenting a world-class show. Fran Wickham-Jacobs, Manager of Frank Collymore Hall, explained that “Operation Triple Threat’s production of ‘Fame Jr.’ fitted the Hall’s free Sunset Concert profile,” and she is “particularly pleased to be able to provide this show the world-class facility where these young artists can showcase their talents”.

Remember…Remember…Remember…. ‘Fame! JR.’ will be presented by Frank Collymore Hall in association with OTT on Thursday, August 23rd at 6:15pm, at Frank Collymore Hall, Spry Street, Bridgetown. Admission is free - entry by ticket only. Tickets may be collected from The Frank Collymore Hall. ‘Fame! JR.’ and OTT memorabilia will be on sale in aid of the Janice Millington Scholarship Fund.

‘Fame! JR.’ is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. MTI is one of the world's leading dramatic licensing agencies, granting schools as well as amateur and professional theatres from around the world the rights to perform the largest selection of great musicals from Broadway and beyond. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these shows to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 60,000 theatrical organizations in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

For more information visit Operation Triple Threat’s website or Facebook page, email info.operationtriplethreat@gmail.com, or call Frank Collymore Hall at (246) 438-9083/4 or Operation Triple Threat at (246) 419-9337 / (246) 829-7243.