YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – “Be More Chill,” a fast-paced musical about an unpopular high school student who uses an unusual way to become popular, will open Friday at Youngstown State University Theatre and run for two weekends.
The 2019 Broadway show is directed by YSU theater lecturer Adam Day Howard. It’s an adaptation of Ned Vizzini’s young adult novel of the same name.
“Be More Chill” follows teenager Jeremy Heere as he attempts to achieve having the “perfect” life thanks to a tiny supercomputer known as the Squip.
Promising to bring him everything he desires most – a date with the girl he desires, an invite to the best party of the year and a chance to survive life in his suburban New Jersey high school – Jeremy must decide if being the most popular guy in school is worth the risk.
The student cast for this production includes Nicholas/Vixen Atwood, Alex Bosca, Liam Burk, Natalie Ciccone, Samantha Cox, Romerio Dawkins, James Desharnais, Lincoln Hall, Natalie Horvath, Owen Mills, Sam Nabring, Ben Podnar and Ilse Zijlstra.
The faculty crew includes Gunnar Carwile as technical director, Todd Dicken as scenic designer, Katherine Garlick as costume designer and Jonathan Zelezniak as lighting supervisor.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-15 and 21-22 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 16 and 23.
All performances will be in Spotlight Theater, on the lowest level of Bliss Hall.
Tickets can be purchased HERE in advance. Parking is available in the Wick Avenue Deck (M30) for a $5 fee payable in cash only.
Pictured above: Nicholas/Vixen Atwood and Sam Nabring in “Be More Chill.” (Every Angle Photography, Elaine Manusakis)