Junie B. Jones
The Musical
Book and Lyrics by Marcy Heisler
Music by Zina Goldrich
Adapted from the Junie B. Jones Series of books by Barbara Park
Originally produced by Theatreworks/USA
Director: Raina Ames
Music Director: Emily Zentis
Choreographer: Sophie Calderwood
Scenic Designer: Carol Jo Fisher
Costume Designer: Victoria Carot
Lighting Designer: Lih-Hwa Yu
Sound Designer: Eli McKenna '25
Stage Manager: Harley Cassady '27
Assistant Stage Managers: Rebecca Aguayo '28, Sierra Quigley '28, Will Heater '28
Adapted from the books JUNIE B. JONES IS A GRADUATION GIRL, JUNIE B. JONES FIRST GRADER AT LAST!, JUNIE B. FIRST GRADER BOSS OF LUNCH, JUNIE B. FIRST GRADER TOOTHLESS WONDER, and TOP SECRET PERSONAL BEESWAX, A JOURNAL BY JUNIE B. (AND ME) by Barbara Park. Copyright 2001, 2001, 2002, 2002, 2003 by Barbara Park.
For more about the Junie B. Jones books, visit www.juniebjones.com or a bookstore near you!
Junie B. Jones The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
Please note: Strobe lighting effects will be used during this performance. Patrons that may suffer from epilepsy & other visual light stimulation effects are advised to contact the front of house staff prior to the start of the performance.
Director's Notes
Do you remember first grade when a new toy or book could ignite pure joy or when a scraped knee or missed ice cream truck could result in abject despair? For me, when I watched Romper Room, my perpetual disappointment was when the hostess looking through the mirror never saw me! She would see my brother Randy a lot, and she saw my friend Kelly, but she never saw Raina! My name was never on key chains or other personalized merchandise, but I also approached those racks with eternal hope only to have it dashed many times over. That's why I couldn't contain my elementary school joy when my mom bought me a leather purse with my name stamped into the front of it!
When I direct Theatre for Young Audiences, I will usually tell actors that they must live truthfully in larger-than-life circumstances. Junie B.'s experience, though, includes getting a new lunch box but needing glasses, losing old friends but making new ones, or planning a star turn at the kickball tournament only to be foiled by fate. To a first grader, these are monumental moments ping-ponging from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. Sometimes at lightning speed! For this show, the actors had to learn to live larger-than-life in very ordinary circumstances, finding ways to bring out their inner children. And I needed a break from the craziness of this world in which we live to just enjoy the wonder of life through a child's eyes again. I hope you enjoy traveling with Junie B. Jones as she embarks on her first-grade journey, discovering all of the gloriously ordinary moments that mean the world to a child.
--Raina Ames
Songs
Top Secret Personal Beeswax: Junie B., Company
Lucille, Camille, Chenille: Lucille, Camille, Chenille
You Can Be My Friend: Junie B., Mr. Scary, May, Herb, Josie, Lennie
Time To Make a Drawing: Junie B., Mr. Scary, May, Herb, Josie, Lennie
You Need Glasses: Company
Show and Tell: Company
Now I See: Junie B., Herb, Lucille, Company
Lunch Box: Junie B., Company
Gladys Gutzman: Junie B., Sheldon, Josie, May, Herb, Gladys Gutzman
Top Secret Personal Beeswax (Cookie Reprise): Junie B., Herb, Lennie, Company
Kickball Tournament: Lennie, Herb, Josie
Sheldon Potts' Halftime Show: Sheldon
When Life Gives You Lemons: Daddy, Mother, Junie B.
Kickball Tournament (Reprise): Lucille, Camille, Chenille
When Life Gives You Lemons (Reprise): Junie B., Mother, Daddy, Company
Writing Down the Story of My Life: Junie B., Company
Cast
Junie B. Jones: Grace Gianetti '27
Lucille: Chloe Ferraro '25
Herb: Frankie Minich '26
May: Julianna Giordano '25
Sheldon: Juliana Desnoyers '26
Camille: Diana Gibson '25
Chenille: Julia Woulfe '25
Grace: Drew Wherry '26
Bobbi Jean Piper: Jamie Marquis '25
Josie: Caroline Beers '28
Lennie: Morgan Eldredge '26
Mr. Scary: Al Nelson '26
Mother: Madailein Demler '25
Daddy/Gladys Gutzman: Jackson Rogers '26
Mr. Woo: Chase Johnson '28
Kid Ensemble: Jess Bell '25, Phoebe Gill '26, Shanna Smith '27, Kaila Lumpkin '28
Adult Ensemble: Charlotte Blakemore '27, Alexis Efstratiou '26, Natalie Mack '28, Abby Morin '28
Understudies:
Junie B. Jones: Chloe Ferraro '25
Lucille: Diana Gibson '25
Herb: Morgan Eldredge '26
May: Shanna Smith '27
Sheldon: Julianna Giordano '25
Camille: Jess Bell '25, Phoebe Gill '26
Chenille: Jess Bell '25, Phoebe Gill '26
Grace: Jamie Marquis '25
Bobbi Jean Piper: Charlotte Blakemore '27
Josie: Natalie Mack '28
Lennie: Julia Woulfe '25
Mr. Scary: Alexis Efstratiou '26
Mother: Al Nelson '26
Daddy/Gladys Gutzman: Frankie Minich '26
Mr. Woo: Madailein Demler '25
Production Staff & Crew
Director of Design & Theatre Technology
Szu-Feng Chen
Associate Professor of Design
Liese Zahabi
Costume Shop Manager
Victoria Carot
Technical Director
Lih-Hwa Yu
Music Director
Emily Zentis
Marketing Assistants
Olivia Krick '26
Nick Tavares '27
Dance Captain
Jamie Marquis '25
Projections
Julia Hartin '26
Properties Head
Harley Cassady '27
Wardrobe Supervisor
Casey Dow '25
Costume Support
Ella Arens '27, Anujin Udaanjargal '25
Scenic Artists
Carol Jo Fisher, Franklin Zaure, Caeli Aucoin '27
Master Electrician
Ari Adair '27
Sound 1
Eli McKenna '25
Sound 2
Juliana Desnoyers '26
Lighting Board Operator
Shane MacNeil '27
Sound Support
Reeve Lounsbury '26, Olivia Costanzo '25, Bridgette Francoeur '28
House Manager:
Caeli Aucoin '27
Acknowledgements
This season would not be possible without their generosity and community spirit. We want to recognize and deeply thank all of those who appreciate the importance of the arts by donating their time and money to the prosperity of our department.
Special thanks to: Catie Sneath, Alexander Farlow, Bob Henry, Andy Dolph, Eli McKenna, Juliana Desnoyers, and Holloway Commons Hospitality Services
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David M. Rubenstein.
Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; and the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, involving scholarships, internships, grants, and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers, and critics at both the regional and national levels.
Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction, and performance.
Last year more than 1,500 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.
Congratulations, 2023-2024 award recipients!
Scholarships
These students were chosen because of their ambition, hard work, positive attitude, grade point average, and desire to develop their talent in theatre and dance. Each award recipient would like to thank those who contributed to their education through donations to these scholarship funds.
Gilbert B. Davenport Theatre Scholarship: Krista Farrell, Kaci Kneeland, Eliza Ingersoll
Joseph D. Batcheller Memorial Scholarship: Kaci Kneeland, Lizzie Schwarze
Raymond J. Bernier Scenic Arts Scholarship: Krista Farrell
John C. Edwards Theatre Scholarship: Pheobe Bowen, Juliana Desnoyers, Julianna
Giordano
William G. Hennessy Scholarship: Maeve Bentley
Elizabeth Jones Class of 1922, Scholarship: Kaitlyn Beauchemin, Brendon Kelley, Siena Vitone, Madailein Demler, Krista Farrell, Braedon Meattey, Gavin Blonda, Diana Gibson, Ciara Hoehmann, Samantha Rizzo, Kaci Kneeland
Jean Mattox Memorial Scholarship in Dance: Sarah Whittier
Gary R. O’Neal Musical Theatre Scholarship: Eliza Ingersoll, Juliana Desnoyers
Undergraduate Fellowship in the Arts Award: Krista Farrell, Kaitlyn Beauchemin, Lizzie Schwarze, Sydney O'Toole, Nick Tavares
Theatre Education Endowment Award: Madailein Demler, Julianna Giordano
Mask & Dagger Achievement & Scholarship Award: Eliza Ingersoll
Richard A. Morse Scholarship: Kaci Kneeland, Fiona Fitzpatrick, Bryanna Toohey, Emmy Van Dorn
Make a Gift that Lasts Forever
Scholarships & Endowments
Make a contribution to the education of UNH theatre and dance students. Please indicate the fund you would like to support in the special instructions field. (Link to scholarship list)