YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A theater group created for students from Mahoning Valley high schools that don’t have a drama department is back for its second show.

Tri-City Theater will present “Six, the Musical” for six performances over the next two weekends at Fairview Arts & Outreach Center.

Top Hat Productions launched Tri-City in 2023 to provide a theater outlet for students in Campbell and Struthers High schools, which didn’t present plays, and Lowellville High School, which does.

Its first production, the comedy “The Play that Goes Wrong,” was presented in February 2024. Its success prompted inquiries from students and administrators from other local high schools.

Tri-City opened its casting to them. As a result, “Six, the Musical” will feature student actors from nine schools: Campbell Memorial, Canfield, Champion, Kennedy Catholic, Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, NEO Academy, Springfield, Struthers and Ursuline. 

Performances will take place at 7 p.m. Friday and Feb. 1-2 and 7-11 at Fairview Arts & Outreach Center, 4220 Youngstown-Poland Road. Tickets are $18.75 and can be purchased HERE.

Directed by Melanie Lucas, with musical direction by Tyler Stouffer and choreography by Maddie Pinto, “Six” is a modern retelling of the six wives of Henry VIII.

It focuses on six queens who were married to the not-so-nice English king who had at least two of his wives executed. Each of the wives tells her own story in an effort to reclaim her identity.

The cast includes Raquel Allison, Finlay Andrei, Abbianna Bates, Emma Hawkins, Izabella Krekus, Maggie Mutchler, Alexndra Pappalardo and Cadence Treich.

“Six,” by British playwrights Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, premiered on Broadway in 2020 and has spawned multiple tours. It won two Tony Awards and was nominated for Best Musical. The teen version of the script has rapidly become a popular choice in high schools nationwide.

Brian Palumbo, executive director of Top Hat, said his company leans toward works that are fresh and newly available. 

“Six” fit the bill on several levels. 

“We wanted a production that students would be familiar with and would get excited to get behind,” Palumbo said.

Expanded Role

Tri-City was formed in the wake of tightened school budgets that reduced or eliminated drama departments.

After the first show in 2024, Top Hat began to get phone calls from outside the original three school districts. 

Two of the originals, Campbell and Struthers High schools, resuscitated their theater departments in the past year but are also still involved with Tri-City. Since they now had some in-house arts programming, and with all of the interest pouring in from other locations, Top Hat figured the time was right for Tri-City to open its arms to many other schools, Palumbo said.

Parents have been “extremely” supportive of Tri-City from the start because it provides an opportunity that many students otherwise wouldn’t get. But since the theater is not under the auspices of any school district, parents must take on more responsibility.

“It takes a solid commitment from the parent because they are responsible for all of the transportation and scheduling issues that may come up with their everyday lives,” Palumbo said. “We can really see how this program has filled a need, and we feel that in the next couple of years we will refine it to provide a greater impact on the community.”

Tri-City isn’t taking the easy road either. It provides a full range of theater instruction without cutting corners.

Its inaugural production, “The Play that Goes Wrong,” was technically challenging, and the upcoming show will use a live band for music. Band members are Tyler Stouffer, Tyler Guerrieri, Jason Vuksanovich and Evan Stefancin.

Palumbo, who is a professional costume designer and maker, created the costumes for the production. He said the show has a complex vocal score and poses technical challenges.

Lucas, the show’s director, said she was excited for the opportunity. She praised Top Hat’s reputation for quality and its small but professional theater facility.

“Top Hat consistently produces shows with top notch costumes and tech,” she said. “I knew no other local theater could make ‘Six’ as spectacular as it deserves to be.”

The show is the first musical produced by Tri-City, and it drew a strong audition response, Lucas said.

She is happy with Tri-City’s quick impact on the schools it serves and said the theater company wants to build on it.

“We are looking at ways of expanding the program and offering workshops on a smaller scale to keep students engaged,” she said.

Pictured at top: The cast of Tri-City Theater’s production of “Six, the Musical” includes, back row from left, Maggie Mutchler, Abbianna Bates and Alexandra Pappalardo. In front is Izabella Krekus.