Take a seat and be whisked away as current and former Kentlake students take a journey 10 years in the making.<\/p>\n
Beginning Jan. 13, Kentlake Drama presents \u201cPamalot: A Musical Theatre Celebration\u201d in honor of KL teacher and pancreatic cancer survivor Pamela Cressey.<\/p>\n
The production will showcase the best of the school\u2019s drama productions, like \u201cLittle Shop of Horrors,\u201d \u201cAnnie Get Your Gun,\u201d \u201cDamn Yankees,\u201d \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d and \u201cFiddler on the Roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
The review will feature current students and alumni who are returning to honor Cressey, as a mentor who overcame amazing odds in her cancer battle.<\/p>\n
Performance times are 7 p.m. Jan. 13-15, 20-22; 2 p.m. Jan 16 & 23 and a Special Alumni Performance Night 7 p.m. Jan. 16.<\/p>\n
The KL staffer has been leading the school’s drama program for the more than a decade, providing the community with musicals, dramatic productions and student-written plays. She’s also been a force in influencing students to develop their skills and pursue their dreams in theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cPam Cressey has taken my love of theater from childhood dream to lifelong passion,\u201d said Kentlake junior Jacob Axleson. \u201cEvery time I see her, she helps me in one way or another, whether she knows it or not. Cressey, is a constant reminder that there is good in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alumnus Belinda Drllevich shared similar thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I remember most about Mrs. Cressey was that she balanced a demand for perfection with a lot of silliness and motivation for her students,\u201d the Class of 2006 student said. “We wanted to work for her, and because of her, we expected more from ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cressey’s impact as a teacher influenced yet another teacher.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think sometimes I channel a bit of Ms. Cressey while interacting with my own high school students,\u201d said Jessica Nicholas, class of 2002 who teaches at Archbishop Murphy High School. \u201cI can be silly with them and let them know I care about them, while at the same time getting<\/p>\n
things done. I learned about that from her: the power of personal relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a community, Kentlake is ready to take a stand against pancreatic cancer, said director Mario Penalver, a visiting drama and language arts teacher.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery chair we fill for our show is one chair closer to a cure,\u201d he said. \u201cCressey is a warm-hearted, hard-working woman and it’s about time I put myself aside and do something for her,\u201d Axelson said.<\/p>\n
Purchase tickets to this performance at Brown Paper Tickets<\/a> or at the door prior to opening.<\/p>\n Donate to the cause by going to www.firstgiving.com\/pamalot.<\/a><\/p>\n All proceeds from \u201cPamalot,\u201d and the special First Giving Pamalot Web site, will go to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network\u2019s mission. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network provides funding for research, patient services and support and creates hope. This year, 42,470 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and more than 35,000 will die from it.<\/p>\n Of the National Cancer Institute\u2019s $4.8 billion budget for cancer research, less than 2 percent, or $87.3 million, was spent on pancreatic-cancer research.<\/p>\n