Photo: Beetlejuice always plotting with Lydia Deetz, Charles, and Delia as the Deetz family begins their hilariously haunted introduction to the afterlife in Thingamajig’s Teen Program production of ‘Beetlejuice Jr.’
There is a particular kind of magic that arrives in October. Not the store-bought kind with plastic fangs and fog machines, but something stranger and more delightful: teens throwing themselves headlong into theatre with the reckless conviction of people who still believe anything can happen onstage.
That magic is alive at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, where the Thingamajig Teen Program’s ‘Beetlejuice Jr’ has taken up ghostly residence. Finlay Moore, in delightfully unhinged form as Beetlejuice, and Olive Fladwood as a sharp, soulful Lydia Deetz, lead a cast whose energy doesn’t merely fill the theatre… it claims it. These teens don’t imitate theatre; they inhabit it, reveling in the macabre spirit of the season with wit, heart, and a surprising degree of polish.
If Halloween is about transformation, then there is nothing more Halloween-appropriate than watching young artists discover just how powerful they can be in front of an audience.
Under the guidance of Laura Moore, with mentorship from Trevor Brown, Samantha Luck, Elly O’Hara, and Sophia Raymond, original props by Tanya Quinn, a spectacular lighting design by Madelyn Krause, and stylish stage design by Jill Fives, the production becomes far more than a youth showcase. It stands as a declaration: the next generation of performing artists in Pagosa isn’t just emerging… they’ve arrived.
Performances of BEETLEJUICE JR continue, October 24, 26, 30, 31 & November 2.
When the teens take their final bow, the grown-ups step back into the spotlight with Terrence McNally’s ‘Master Class’, a striking tonal counterpoint. Directed by Tim Moore and featuring Laura Moore, Elly O’Hara, Trevor Brown, Samantha Luck, Dale Scrivener, and Scott Morehead, with production support from Sophia Raymond and MacKenzie Lowe, the piece reminds audiences why theatre matters long after adolescence: because art demands we confront who we are and who we dare to be.
MASTER CLASS continues its run on November 8, 9, 15 & 16.
So, bring your kids in costume, bring your Halloween spirit, bring your appetite for something spooky, something funny, something unexpectedly moving. In a season obsessed with the idea of the dead coming back to life, it’s worth noting nothing resurrects a theatre like the laughter of an audience and the wild, fearless joy of kids discovering their power onstage.
All performances at Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, 2313 Eagle Drive. For tickets and information visit pagosacenter.org or call 970-731-SHOW (7469)