Stories indexed with the term ‘Ann Arbor Pioneer Theatre Guild’

When The Chronicle covered a dress rehearsal of Pioneer Theatre Guild’s “Miss Saigon” last fall, many people we met backstage urged us to check out their annual FutureStars show too, and we marked our calendars. That date rolled around this weekend, when FutureStars 2009 kicked off with a total of four shows on Friday and Saturday, leading up to the blowout finale next Saturday, Jan. 17. [confirm date]

FutureStars is modeled after the pop culture phenomenon American Idol, minus the Simon Cowell acerbity. It’s a talent show, primarily of singers but with some dance performances tossed into the mix, too. In fact, one of the crowd favorites from Friday’s students-only show was a 6-foot-4 break dancer, Robert Axelrod from Huron High School. He’s advancing to the finals. [Full Story]

A cast member dressed in Army fatigues is doing a mic check. Above him, a cloud of theatrical smoke wafts from the stage into the auditorium. He sings a few lines then says, “Am I good?”

“You’re the best!” someone calls out from the group of students clustered around the orchestra pit, as they laugh and hoot and applaud.
[Full Story]