In the month of November, it was announced that Marco Island Academy will be holding its very own production of Superhero. Shortly after, students and members of MIA’s Thespian Society took the initiative to audition for a role. Auditions for Superhero took place on Tuesday and Wednesday after school on January 17th and 18th. Students who auditioned received callbacks on Thursday following auditions and the cast members were announced on January 25th.

Superhero follows the story of Simon Branson, a 15-year-old grappling with the tragic loss of his father and the strain this has placed on the connection with Charlotte, his mother. Simon’s infatuation with comic books leads him to believe that superheroes are real and that one might be living in his apartment building. His own desire to save the day jeopardizes his friendships at school and the relationship with his mother at home, begging the question, “What does it mean to be a superhero?”

The wonderful students of MIA’s theater department will fulfill their roles in Superhero and bring authenticity to their characters. The play stars Joey Kakaty as Simon, Lola Green as Charlotte, Nicole Sutton as Dean Fulton, Joseph Padilla-Anglin as Vic, Logan Yarnell as Jim, Alina Nguyen as Vee, Zoie Swift as Rachel, Aiden Schmittauer as Dwayne, and both Esha Blanc & Michael Martiniz-Melara as Voice/High Schooler/Ensemble.

Logan Yarnell, who stars in the play as Jim, had originally wanted to be an assistant director but decided that acting in the show would be fun. He shares that while his audition was rocky, his initial nervousness subsided after the audition. “Mr. Dayett and Dr. B ran through a few vocal exercises with me, after that I felt a lot more confident about how I did.”

Logan Yarnell shares that his favorite part of being able to play his character is, “being able to interpret the character almost however I want.” He says that aside from the defining traits of his character Jim, he can “make the character different from how he originally was portrayed.”

MIA senior, Zoie Swift, who stars as Rachel shares that she knew she wanted to audition for the play this year because it would be her last opportunity to participate in an MIA musical as a student. “I wanted to make the most of it because theatre allows me to connect with everyone else on another level and be a part of the MIA theatre family.” 

Zoie Swift is most excited about being casted as Rachel and shares that her “favorite thing about playing ‘Rachel’ is being able to participate in the background dances that bring a more symbolic meaning to the musical.” Zoie discusses that she felt her singing for her audition was not her best but she feels confident in her acting and theatre ability.

The students who were a part of the cast also had the unique opportunity to see the Wicked Musical and meet the original cast of Superhero. The cast met Kyle McArthur, who originated the role of Simon, and Logan Yarnell got into contact with Salena Qureshi, who originated the role of Vee. He shares that “Talking to the two of them was super interesting and it was awesome to meet professional actors.”

The cast and crew of MIA’s Superhero are ecstatic to be a part of the production and portray their characters with pizazz. Each student will bring their own unique talents and personality to the table and the Rhine stage. To learn more about the cast & crew of Superhero, be sure to visit their website for a glimpse of what is to come.

https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/marco-island-academy/641214386862930e46a0d8e6/