Belle Plaine teens learn theater in Cedar Rapids

BELLE PLAINE — Sawyer Neuhaus, a Belle Plaine High School junior, and Lucy Smith, an eighth grader, performed in “Mama Mia” last weekend after spending six weeks of instruction and rehearsal with Theatre Cedar Rapids.

TCR began in 1925 in Grant Wood’s Studio. Today TCR draws tens of thousands of patrons, performers and students every year to the Iowa Theatre Building in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Neuhaus has lived in Belle Plaine since first grade and has performed with Theatre Cedar Rapids since third grade when his parents discovered the theater organization.

Neuhaus has been part of the cast of “Frozen,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Legally Blond and “Chicago.” This year he performed in the ensemble in “Mama Mia” and was the understudy for Bill, one of three possible fathers of main character Sophie Sheridan.

“It’s just, like, a really fun show,” Neuhaus said.

“The music is so good,” said Smith. She likes Abba and knew all the songs before production began, she said.

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This was Smith’s first summer with Theatre Cedar Rapids. “I found out about it because of him,” Smith said, indicating Neuhaus.

Smith has a Marengo address, but she’s always attended school in Belle Plaine, she said. She performed in the school play “Did Someone Say Murder?” and in the school musical “The Phantom Tollbooth.”

Because high school and junior high students share a building, they perform together in school plays, said Smith.

“I’ve always liked watching the different musicals they’d done,” Smith said, and she eventually tried out for a production. She’s also involved in choir and band at school and took her acting off campus with a performance at Brooklyn Opera House last summer.

Neuhaus is in choir and speech at Belle Plaine High School and takes part in plays and musicals.

Both Smith and Neuhaus said they like music and they like being in front of people.

The six-week summer camp at Theatre Cedar Rapids teaches students different aspects of theater while they rehearse for a show which they perform during the last weekend of the camp.

Lucy is Greek Villager and one of the Hotel employees in “Mama Mia.”

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Some of the dances are difficult, said Neuhaus, because the music is fast.

Sometimes the dance routines are hard to remember because of their complexity, said Smith.

Even after they learn the songs and dances, the actors have to adapt when they move from rehearsal space to the stage and when they add other elements to the performance, such as platforms, costumes and props.

Despite the challenging choreography, learning the dances was Neuhaus’s favorite part of the camp, he said.

Smith agreed. “I like learning the dances and meeting other people who like it as much as we do.”

Neuhaus plans to major in theater when he goes to college, he said. Smith isn’t sure what career path she wants to take, but she wants to act, at least for fun.

“I know I want to continue in theater a long time,” she said.