Take a seat and be whisked away as current and former Kentlake students take a journey 10 years in the making.
Beginning Jan. 13, Kentlake Drama presents “Pamalot: A Musical Theatre Celebration” in honor of KL teacher and pancreatic cancer survivor Pamela Cressey.
The production will showcase the best of the school’s drama productions, like “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Damn Yankees,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The review will feature current students and alumni who are returning to honor Cressey, as a mentor who overcame amazing odds in her cancer battle.
Performance times are 7 p.m. Jan. 13-15, 20-22; 2 p.m. Jan 16 & 23 and a Special Alumni Performance Night 7 p.m. Jan. 16.
The KL staffer has been leading the school’s drama program for the more than a decade, providing the community with musicals, dramatic productions and student-written plays. She’s also been a force in influencing students to develop their skills and pursue their dreams in theater.
“Pam Cressey has taken my love of theater from childhood dream to lifelong passion,” said Kentlake junior Jacob Axleson. “Every time I see her, she helps me in one way or another, whether she knows it or not. Cressey, is a constant reminder that there is good in the world.”
Alumnus Belinda Drllevich shared similar thoughts.
“What I remember most about Mrs. Cressey was that she balanced a demand for perfection with a lot of silliness and motivation for her students,” the Class of 2006 student said. “We wanted to work for her, and because of her, we expected more from ourselves.”
Cressey’s impact as a teacher influenced yet another teacher.
“I think sometimes I channel a bit of Ms. Cressey while interacting with my own high school students,” said Jessica Nicholas, class of 2002 who teaches at Archbishop Murphy High School. “I can be silly with them and let them know I care about them, while at the same time getting
things done. I learned about that from her: the power of personal relationships.”
As a community, Kentlake is ready to take a stand against pancreatic cancer, said director Mario Penalver, a visiting drama and language arts teacher.
“Every chair we fill for our show is one chair closer to a cure,” he said. “Cressey is a warm-hearted, hard-working woman and it’s about time I put myself aside and do something for her,” Axelson said.
Purchase tickets to this performance at Brown Paper Tickets or at the door prior to opening.
Donate to the cause by going to www.firstgiving.com/pamalot.
All proceeds from “Pamalot,” and the special First Giving Pamalot Web site, will go to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s mission. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network provides funding for research, patient services and support and creates hope. This year, 42,470 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and more than 35,000 will die from it.
Of the National Cancer Institute’s $4.8 billion budget for cancer research, less than 2 percent, or $87.3 million, was spent on pancreatic-cancer research.
Go to www.pancan.org.
Click <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pancreatic-Cancer-Action-Network-Puget-Sound-
Affiliate/136974389540″>here to go the Puget Sound affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
For more information, visit the official Pamalot Web site at www.Pamalot.org.
Learn more
WHAT: “Pamalot: A Musical Theatre Celebration”
WHEN: 7 p.m. Jan. 13-15, 20-22; 2 p.m. Jan 16 & 23; Special Alumni Performance Night 7 p.m. Jan. 16
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