“Cats” is coming to downtown Clinton next month (opening on June 16) for eight performances on the big stage of the Sampson Community Theater. Auditions were lively and many newcomers were able to snare a part in this famous musical that ran for 18 years on Broadway which made it the longest running musical for several years until “The Phantom Of The Opera” overtook it.

Andrew Lloyd Webber based “Cats” on a book by T.S. Eliot entitled “Old Possum’s Book Of Practical Cats”. We expect this show to be a blockbuster to kick off our summer as the stage will be filled with singing and dancing cats. Kittens will take up any empty spaces on stage and if you listen closely you will be able to hear them purring. Thanks to Sampson Salvage for their sponsorship of this wonderful musical.

The theater is very proud to announce that two of the young ladies that have graced our big stage frequently have been further honored. Isabelle Moore has been selected to attend the Jofferey School of Musical Theater Program in New York City this summer and Sarah Day was selected to attend the Governors School as a student in Theater for this summer. Unfortunately neither Isabelle nor Sarah will be available for “Cats”. Both of these ladies are members of Angela’s Musical Troupe, are great students and are very deserving of these honors. We hope to see them on our stage again after they learn a lot this summer. Blake Bellinger, a “Cats” cast member, also will be attending the Jofferey School. He is the young man whose Eagle Scout project was a revamping of our green room and he put on a talent show in January to raise funds to accomplish that end,

Angela Martin is directing “The Addams Family” at the Harnett Regional Theater in Dunn this Thursday, Friday and Saturday and next Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Chuck Moore in the same role he played at SCT last year. Several other SCT regulars are also cast in the play. All shows are at 7:30 p.m., except for the 3 p.m. Sunday show.

Patron Sponsor tickets are available by calling Brenda Martin at 990-4510. These tickets allow two people to attend every show we produce and get their name or the name of their business included in every program at a reduced rate .

Upcoming events

Cats — Currently in rehearsals. Performances June 16, 17, 18, 19 and June 23, 24, 25, 26.

Lion King Jr. — Performances last two weekends of August, auditions TBA.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat — Performances first two weekends of October. Auditions TBA.

How to Succeed Without Really Trying — TBA.

Christmas Show — TBA

Thoughts until next week:

Never judge someone by the way they look or a book by the way its covered; for inside those tattered pages, there’s a lot to be discovered.

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.

So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.

Bruce Caldwell is on the Board of Directors at Sampson Community Theater.

By Bruce Caldwell

Contributing columnist

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