Kickoff Summer with KVMT's ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown'

Start off your summer with some fun as the Keith Valley Music Theatre middle school acting troupe brings the classic musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown to the big screen. Given the limitations of COVID during the early months of production, the KVMT had to get innovative for this show due to distancing restrictions, so they adopted sound stages, green screens and filmed students one at a time - ‘mask free’ - and put multiple actors and entire ensemble numbers into the same shot, using advanced digital editing, in order to create the production as a feature film. However, some amazing traditional theatre elements like comic-strip inspired costumes, larger than life props and colorful set pieces were also instrumental in telling this “day in the life” story.

[Note: the scenes reflected here are not part of the musical script and will not appear in the musical and for promotional purposes only.]

Early in the process KVMT took the opportunity to test out its technology and give many of their student actors the opportunity to practice on the green screen. Many of the digital backgrounds used were created in collaboration with Mrs. Hipps Technical Drawing class at Hatboro-Horsham High School.

With this feature being produced as a movie rather than a traditional on-stage production, the showing will take place in two different formats. On Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19, at 8:30 pm there will be ‘under the stars’ outdoor viewings (tickets here) on a giant screen behind Keith Valley Middle School. The event will have concessions and food trucks available to make it a truly safe and special family event that the entire community can enjoy.

Then on Sunday, June 20, at 4:00 pm there will be an online virtual streaming event (tickets here) available to viewers nationwide.

Behind the scenes look at Woodstock green screen filming.

Charles Schulz beloved comic is brought to life in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and features the entire Peanuts gang, including blanket-toting Linus (Joshua Reichner, 6th grade), perfectionist Sally Brown (Avery Kohler, 7th grade / Paisley Lauzier, 7th grade), bossy Lucy (Molly Harrington, 6th grade/ Layla Moyer 7th grade), piano prodigy Schroeder (Gabe Pate, 8th grade), the loveable pooch Snoopy (Lucas Black, 7th grade / Erich Reichner, 8th grade) and his faithful feathered sidekick Woodstock (Kieran McSherry, 6th grade) and of course, the man himself, Charlie Brown (Joseph Bush, 8th grade / Kenny Kirsch, 7th grade).

Look for ensemble appearances from the “legacy Peanuts” such as Violet (Lilee Ziegler, 7th grade), Patty (Amber MacIntosh, 8th grade) and Shermy (Tyler Rosenthal, 6th grade), as well as Charlie Brown’s baseball rival Peppermint Patty (Ondine Van Tassel, 6th grade) and her best friend, the bespectacled Marcie (Rayana Weachter, 6th grade). We’ll also see glimpses of Frieda (Shaina Berkowitz, 7th grade) with the “naturally curly hair,” the cloud of dust Pig-Pen (Browyn Coleman, 7th grade) and the unforgettable and elusive Little Red-Haired Girl (Leah Whittaker, 6th grade).

The rest of the Peanuts Gallery includes the following 6th, 7th and 8th graders: Emma Angell, Marissa Cuffitelli, Erin Finello, Lucia Fuller, Daniela Gelbard, Ben Greenwood, Aubrey Hoffman, Samantha Johnson, Giuliana Martin, Jordan Miller, EllaClair Parsons, Yvonne Prue, Maddie Sachson, Mikayla Trachtman and Margo Verdeur.

The musical features vignettes spanning an assortment of events from Valentine’s Day to “Beethoven Day”. The audience gets to experience the ups, downs, ins and outs of the Peanuts as they struggle with homework, swoon over crushes, celebrate friendships and so much more.
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown was first staged on March 7, 1967 at Theatre 80 in New York City. It has since become a fan-favorite worldwide with productions on Broadway, London’s West End, national tours and even on television.

Sally and Linus enjoying lunch together.

The show, performed by Keith Valley Middle School students, is produced by Kristen Schada, directed by Barry Dougherty and Kelly Snyder, with music direction by Ed Conrad, choreography by H-H senior Gaby Alezard and costumes by Christine Van Tassel. The technical wizardry behind all of the filming and editing is credited to Erik Aaron. This direction team has previously dazzled audiences with productions of ‘Aladdin, Jr.,’ ‘Cinderella: Enchanted Edition,’ ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,’ ‘The Lion King, Jr.’ and ‘Grease: School Edition.’

Director Barry Dougherty explained the decision behind selecting this show, saying, “The Peanuts characters are so beloved and I thought the colorful comic look of this production would really pop on the big screen and be an incredible viewing experience. Plus, these characters are so iconic and larger than life, that I knew it would be an amazing experience for both our actors and staff to be part of. This will be such a special event to bring the community back together in person after being apart for such a long stretch and we’re thrilled to be able to facilitate it.”

Tickets for all three events are $10 per individual and going fast (especially for Friday’s in-person ‘under the stars’ event). Visit KVMT's site for ticket information at https://www.kvmusical.com/ticket-info

You can also follow Keith Valley Music Theatre on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KeithValleyMusicTheatre) for updates, sneak peeks and see what is coming up next for our theater company.