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Oswegoland Park District Theatre Company
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Meet our Staff: Justin Mabrey

March 12, 2018

Get to know Justin Mabrey!

Justin has played a wide variety of roles in musicals, dramas, and comedies over the years. He served as a student director for many shows. He now teaches classes and camps, and will be the Co-Director of the upcoming play featuring Robin Hood and his merry men, The Hero of Sherwood Forest.

We asked Justin some questions, and here is what he had to say:

 

Briefly list your education/experience in theater

I performed onstage for the very first time in 6th grade, did every show in junior high, and every show I could in high school. I joined Limelight the summer before my freshman year and have been a part of many shows since then. In addition to onstage experience, I’ve taken theatre arts courses in high school, writing classes with Limelight, as well as the directing class that Limelight offers.

What are you excited about sharing with Limelight participants?

I am always super excited to share with Limelight participants the amazing ability to become something other than yourself with the power of one’s own imagination.

What do you like most about theatre?

One of my favorite things about theatre is the concept of a whole different world being created right in front of our eyes, whether it’s just in playing a fun theatre game where your peers are the audience or it’s in the sounds of an orchestra accompanying the performers onstage followed by uproarious applause from an audience of 500. In that exploration of a different world, we learn more about our own selves and the world we live in.

Which Limelight productions have I been a part of?

Oh boy, I’ve been involved with quite a few Limelight shows. Just to name a few acting credits, I started as a chorus member in “Once On This Island”, appeared as The Kid in “G36, G36: The Legend of Jack Gaines”, played the puppet, Pinocchio, in “Shrek the Musical”, and tap-danced as the dim-witted groom, Robert Martin, in “The Drowsy Chaperone.” I’ve written and directed scenes for the one-act shows “Behind the Refrigerator Door” and “Under Par.” I adapted my first radio show “On the Waterfront” and co-wrote “Sherlock the Third” with my brother, Brandon.

Share a memory from your time as a Limelight participant

One of the many awesome memories I’ve experienced through Limelight was during “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It was a performance day and the forecast called for rain. The show began dry, so we just thought we’d test Mother Nature. We got about halfway or so through the show until it really started to pour down on us. As the dirt under us turned into mud, one of the most memorable scenes was taking place; it was the fight scene between Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena. Being a very physical, comedic, and involved scene, we continued the scene through the rain and let me just say that acting in the rain is so much fun, especially when you get to fall asleep multiple times on the wet dirt. Even Mother Nature wants to be in Limelight!

What is your dream role? 

I’d have to say Jack Kelly in “Newsies”.

What game or movie universe would you most like to live in?

I think it’d be pretty neat to be a part of the Star Wars universe. I mean, who wouldn’t love to be in the same world as LIGHTSABERS.