Direction by Jennifer Young Mahlstedt and Josh Wechsler
Music Direction by Josh Wechsler
Choreography: By Jen Young Mahlstedt
Special Guest Choreography by: Karly Powell-Lewis and Amelia Paul
Special Guest Music Direction: Jenn Goodner

MAY 17-21, 2023  |  The Topfer at ZACH  |  Tickets: $25
Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m.  |  Saturday-Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

For a full listing of Zach Theatre Staff, visit www.zachtheatre.org/about

Special Thanks: To Carolyn and Marc Serif and the Education comittee. To Amelia Paul, Allen Robertson, William Harris, Ian Bethany, Grace Morton, Jenn Goodner, Karly Powell Lewis, Zoe Parkinson and the ZACH Performing Arts Academy Faculty: You inspire and challenge our students with your creativity and work. To Nat Miller, Austin Manning and the Production Team. To the PPC families and parent volunteers. Thank you for your support!!! 

PPC A COMPANY

Atalie Quintanilla
Claire Butler
Benjamin Walk
Hannah Vale
Mary White
Owen Edwards
Addison Jarrett
Ellianna Minaux
Poppy Pollard
Daphne Pollard
Alina Curtin
Isabella Eleazar
Chloe Craxton
Katie Stumpf

PPC B COMPANY

Delilah Grad
Alexandra Watson
Madeleine Jones
Fiona Kirsch
John Coury
Finley Stephens
Kennedy Quintanilla
Milo Slimi
Owen Griffin
Mia Gonzales
Aria Lee
Karolina Andarza
Garrett Grant
Hadley Rebtoy
Samari Davis
Zane Shieh
Eric Judge
Luciana Marinari
Anabella (Sky) Gonzales
Navika Charu

PPC ELITE COMPANY

Director of Pre-Professional Company and ZACH’s Resident Choreographer
Jen Young Mahlstedt

Pre-Professional Company Co-Director, Music Director 
Josh Wechsler

Emma Johnson
Gabe Minh Tuan Beach
William Iannitelli
Kathryn Dooley
Stella frye-Ginsberg 
Maya Cidale
Joelle Sellers
Scout Hutchinson
Presley Muirhead
Julia Almendra
Haley Sekel
Mariela Denson
Anderson Zoll
Landon Winslow
Ian Kenndy 
Allen Douglas
Kaitlin Black
Charlotte Jefferson
Camden Packer
Chloe VanDeGraaf
Nikko Ramos
Sydney Safarik
Lance Nájera
Ryleigh Phillips
Reid O’Connell
Esme Garcia
Ruth Waiwaiole
Blakeney Mahlstedt
Wilkes Goodner
Cameron Redwine

Two of the primary concepts PPC students learn each year are “The Sphere of Influence” and “The Sphere of Understanding.” The Sphere of Influence contains all of one’s lived experiences: everything that one can relate to not only intellectually, but emotionally and physically - because of first hand experience. The Sphere of Understanding contains those experiences just beyond the contents of one’s own life, to include experiences an individual hasn’t had themselves, but that they can relate to. 

The work and challenge of the actor is to take an inventory of our lives, to understand why we as individuals do what we do and think how we think. We study ourselves, our feelings and histories to decipher our personal motivations and tendencies. We take that knowledge and use it to step into the lives of others, to inhabit them such that we are able to tell those stories to strangers. It’s hard work and we should all probably be in therapy…

For a very long time actors of all ages have been expected to dive into the depths of their personal trauma and neuroses in order to do their job. Teachers of acting and directors, often with little to no training in psychology have functioned as ad-hoc therapists… for better or worse asking their actors to relieve pain, conflict, a wide-range and often quickly changing heightened level of emotion; usually without safeguards in place to ensure the mental and emotional safety of the actor. 

That work is hard on everyone, but it can be especially challenging on the developing psyches of young actors. While we know we have to do this work, and we love it, we hope to guide our students to do it in the most careful and healthy manner possible.

While the work of the actor is challenging, it is equally gratifying and even potentially healing, as it affords the storyteller a perspective broader than one’s own myopic view of the world. Resilience is forged in the face of conflict; our capacity to hold and respond to conflict is a measure of our level of personal resilience. The work that follows is a testament to the resilience of every student in our program. May it also help you feel your own.

INVINCIBLE is both touching and poignant, based on what the PPC Senior class of 22-23 felt moved to share with you, the audience. It explores the emotional lives of young people, and more specifically feelings many of them share—feeling alone and isolated from the world, like no one else could possibly understand what they are going through.

The show begins in our darkest and most isolated moments. We explore feelings of fear, heartbreak, disappointment, the unrealistic expectations we have of ourselves, grief —-yet through this exploration we arrive at the end of the journey seeing how much more alike and connected we are than the world would have us believe. Through these stories we learn about each other in a deeper and more meaningful way. We become more aware of our interconnectedness. And when we go out of the theatre and back into the world, and as we experience more LIFE, may we be shaped and informed by the depth of compassion and empathy these stories of humanity proffer us.

- Jen and Josh

May 29 and 30th 
Please check out our website for more information about upcoming auditions and scholarships!

PPC College Acceptances include:
Baldwin Wallace University
Belmont University
Berkley School of Music
Boston Conservatory
Carnegie Mellon
Coastal Carolina University
Elon University
Indiana University
Ithaca University
Malloy College/Cap 21
Missouri State University
Montclair State University
New York University
Ohio Northern University
Oklahoma City University
Otterbein University
Penn State University
Pennsylvania State University
Point Park University
Rider University
Roosevelt University
Sam Houston State University
Southern Methodist University
Texas Christian University
Texas State University
The Relativity School
The University of Texas
University of Alabama
University Of Central Oklahoma
University of Cincinnati (CCM)
University of Michigan
University of Oklahoma
Viterbo University
Wright State University