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The Saline County library’s Rising Stars program has been running weekly classes on singing, dancing and acting on Fridays since September of 2024. In December of 2024, the acting troupe announced their upcoming play production as “Lion King Jr.” This show will be free to the public, on Thursday May 29th at Bryant High School from 7:00-9:00 PM. The play will only have one showing.
Mason Newberry, Director of Rising Stars and Assistant Public Services Manager at the Saline County Library, has worked on a number of student productions for the library, including “Peter Pan & Wendy,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Newberry said, “The cast shows up every week ready to learn, ready to grow, and to support each other. I’ve seen kids come out of their shells, find their voices, and take ownership of their roles both on stage and behind the scenes. They’re not just performing – they’re becoming confident, responsible young people. The most rewarding part for me has been seeing how much they’ve grown.”
“I have got to say I love being in Rising Stars. It’s just a wholesome community full of people who love what they do. I love being here at the library, the library has helped us so much along the way.” said Evalyn Russum, age 17. She is Co-Director of the Lion King, Jr. production. “I have personally been in Rising Stars since I was in 4th grade, and I am almost graduated now.”
The production features a large ensemble cast of 37 students, many of whom are returning actors from previous annual Rising Stars productions. Ages 8 – 18 can participate before graduating from the program.
“Being the Co-Director is so much fun; I love these kids with all my heart.” Said Russum. “Getting to see them flourish, grow, and light up with the love of theater is an amazing thing to watch.”
Nathan Clay, Music Director for the Lion King Jr and Public Services Assistant at the Saline County Library, has worked with Mason as an actor sharing the stage, but this is their first time collaborating as a creative team to teach acting to students. “It has been a pleasure to work with these kids and these young actors in their first musical with Rising Stars, and it has been a pleasure to introduce them to the world of musicals and music itself.”
Samson Scott, a student who plays one of the leading roles of Older Simba said, “I think this is my fifth or sixth show, and this is my biggest role that I’ve had. At first, I didn’t know what I thought of being Simba, but it’s turned out to be a dream role for me. Very fun. Very enjoyable!”
“I really like doing the Lion King and acting with my friends, it’s really fun.” said Abigail Haggard. She plays Older Nala. “And I get to learn a bunch of different things I never thought I’d be learning.”
The play’s role in forming new friendships is evident with the comedic duo of Timon and Puumba, played by Azlyn Barnard and Emily Durham respectively. Both expressed that they were initially nervous to play their roles.
“To be honest, I was very scared to play this role. But as I met [Barnard] it got easier. It’s so fun to work with her. I just love acting!” said Durham.
“At first, I was very nervous being cast in such a big role. But we have great chemistry.” Said Barnard. “I’m so happy [Durham and I] get along. I love theater, and I want to keep doing it as I get older, and maybe make it a profession.”
Newberry recalled the journey of the Rising Stars program, and its flagship performance in 2019. “When we first started this we had just 8 kids, right? We were down in the Makerspace of the library. It was a small group but you could tell everyone was excited. We didn’t have sets, we didn’t have costumes, and we didn’t have money for a show. We wrote our own show. It was just a group of kids who wanted to perform. Fast forward to today, we’ve got 37 kids and have a big space. It’s awesome to see how far we’ve come!”
He also emphasized the importance of the program. “I always tell people: theater isn’t just about putting on a show, it’s about building community, teaching life skills, and giving kids a safe space to be themselves.”
Laney Kennedy, playing the villain of the piece as the nefarious Scar, also emphasized the importance of theater and how it creates a community. “I really love Rising Stars, because you don’t have just friends. By the end of it, it’s your family.”
Browse MySaline’s list of all the events in Saline County at: www.mysaline.com/events
