The teenage years are often a formative time filled with personal growth and self discovery. It’s also replete with the unnecessary childhood drama that comes from a desire to make friends and be popular.
This weekend, Saltwater Creative Arts Studio brings 13, a fun, high-energy musical about discovering what is cool is sometimes found where you least expect it, to the stage.
Featuring a cast of talented Victoria teens, 13 tells the story of 12-year-old Evan Goldberg who’s prepping for his bar mitzvah while dealing with the pressures of his parents’ divorce, moving to a new city, having to meet new friends and trying to fit in.
Joanne Hounsell, Saltwater’s creative director and director of 13, says it’s been a mutually rewarding experience working with such a talented group of kids.
“We’re really giving them a professional approach to theatre. Several of the performers are very seasoned young performers. Already you see in these young people that they have a discipline and a focus,” she said. “Just to see these kids are so proud to be doing something that they know has a quality and a professionalism that they are more than capable of rising to is neat to see.”
13 features a great rock score with music and lyrics from Jason Robert Brown. The show premiered in Los Angeles in 2007 and opened on Broadway the following year.
Saltwater Inc. presents 13 Nov. 9 and 10 at the Hall at Glenlyon Norfolk School (801 Bank St.). Shows are 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets ($25) are available from the McPherson Playhouse box office by calling 250-386-6121. The show is recommended for kids 11 and older, Hounsell says.
“It’s not edgy, it’s not provocative. It’s a family show about the exploration of teens and coming of age,” she said.
For more information, visit saltwaterinc.ca.