CELEBRATING OUR FANTASTIC VOLUNTEERS

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
 

The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre & School of Theatre Arts is proud of our high school graduate volunteers. We wish each of you success as you travel ahead into new opportunities. We will miss each of you during the next year and hope to see you back again!
 
Joe Carroll was last seen on the Civic stage as Kenickie in Grease and is graduating from East Grand Rapids High School. He plans to attend University of Michigan or Carnegie Mellon University to study Musical Theatre.
 
Keenan Foley has been on-stage (The Adventures of Nate the Great) and backstage for the past several years. Keenan will be attending Columbia College in Chicago after graduation from City High School. He plans to either major in jazz saxophone performance or theatre. One of his favorite memories is attending all of the theatre camps (and being a TA).
 
Edith Freyer has been involved in Grand Rapids theatre since she was 5 years old. Graduating from City High School, Edith will be attending the University of Michigan, studying Dance, and Literature, Science, and Arts. Edith remembers during Cinderella (’97) leaving school early to come get her costume fitted the day of opening night – How exciting it was to be part of live theatre!
 
Stephen Hohendorf is graduating from Catholic Central High School and will attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh next Fall. Pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre will be very exciting for Stephen, who has been involved in theatre since he was very young. His favorite Civic memory was getting up the nerve to audition for his first show, Free to Be You and Me!
 
Will Hoyer will attend Western Michigan University with a major in Theatre and minor in Dance. Will was last seen this year in The Miracle Worker and has been in many other productions here at Civic. As a graduate of City High School, Will has been an intern around the offices for the last couple of years. His favorite memory was being part of Peter Pan and the fantastic dancing of the show.
 
Philip Iacopelli is graduating from Catholic Central High School and will attend Western Michigan University this Fall. Philip has been working back stage for many years, doing just about everything. Philip will be majoring in Pre-Med. His favorite memory at Civic would be during his first crew job on opening night of The Hardy Boys, when he was late getting the curtain out. Oops!
 
Brian Martin will be at Western Michigan University this Fall and majoring in Musical Theatre Performance. While a student at Rogers High School, Brian has appeared in many productions at the Civic, most recently in The Sound of Music as Rolf. His favorite memory was working with his best friend, Edith, as Associate Director, Penelope Notter’s intern. “It was full of fun and surprises! I love you both.”
 
Julia Nichols has been a major player backstage at Civic and Rockford High School, where she is graduating. Julia will attend Western Michigan University and major in Stage Management. Her favorite memory of Civic is pointing to an incoming fly and yelling, “There it is!” She does it every time a fly comes in, no matter the show. She has enjoyed every moment at Civic and it was a great place to spend her teen years.
 

Amanda Van Assen has worked backstage for many Civic productions as crew and Assistant Stage Manager. Amanda is graduating from Grand Rapids Christian High School and will be attending Hope College, majoring in Theatre with a Stage Management Emphasis. One of Amanda’s favorite memories of Civic Theatre was the first show she saw, No One Will Marry A Princess with a Tree Growing out of Her Head – later to be in the same show with Summer Repertory.
 
Joseph VanderZee is graduating from Catholic Central High School, Joseph has been seen lately working as a house volunteer and onstage when he was younger. Joseph will be attending the University of Notre Dame in the Fall.
 
Brian Van Vels is graduating from Forest Hills Eastern High School and plans on attending Aquinas College or Grand Rapids Community College in the Fall. Brian will be looking at a major or minor in theatre/business. His favorite theatre memory is spending summer working with theatre arts summer camps and being around all of the other crazy TAs.
 
Luke Virkstis finished up his high school days at Kenowa Hills High School, and will be majoring in Musical Theatre at Penn State University. His favorite memory of Civic is performing in his first mainstage show, Scrooge! The Musical (’04). “It was an exciting show with the friendliest cast ever. It helped me realize my love for being onstage, and the value of the relationships I would form offstage.”
 
Learn more about all the volunteer opportunities available at the Civic Theatre.