All right.

Heading just across the street.

We're still in Elkhart with my friends over here at Premiere Arts, and I'm so excited they are doing Suzy Called the Musical, and I have my friend the Cat in the hat here, as well as Jo-Jo, played by my friend Nolan.

Now, Nolan, you and I have done a show together before and that was so much fun.

You are so, so talented.

Tell us about your part as Jo Jo.

It's really fun because I get to, like, interact with a bunch of characters, and I can imagine new things.

And.

Okay, Caleb, you are a parent yourself.

Okay.

Now these are the nursery rhymes that we grew up with.

Oh yes.

Right.

And now I have expressed them into our children as well and talk to us about how that correlates bringing it up onto the stage.

Oh it's stories that people know, characters that people know all of the things we grew up with and that we're giving to a new generation and just brings everybody together.

I love it now.

The musical is encompassing a number of the storylines, so which ones maybe are we touching on and which are your favorite?

What do you think?

I kind of like how it, like, brings in The Grinch.

That's really fun.

Oh that's fun.

They have a whole scene about it.

Really?

Okay.

What?

I love some of the lesser known stories, like the Butter Battle Book was one of my favorites growing up, and we touch on that was really fun characters too.

I don't even remember that book, but you're going to see it on stage.

Butter side up now.

The set is amazing and I know everybody here premieres just as an incredible job with that.

Talk to us about the bright colors and what goes into building a set like this.

This is such a distinct look.

Doctor Seuss has a very unique look to the way the stories are in the books are, and I think you can see that come across on the stage in the way they've designed it.

A lot of bright colors, like you said, and really fun shapes that maybe aren't so straight and, unique.

I love that now you guys are already in, dress rehearsals this week.

We're ready for opening night.

It is so exciting.

Talk to us about the process and how you got here, because I know Premiere Arts does.

There's.

You guys are go hard and you do it quick and you are ready as soon and it is time to perform.

So basically they'll have auditions and a workshop and then when you get in to the auditions, you could get in and then you got all these rehearsals for like singing, choreo blocking, and then you move on to tech week and it just comes together and it's really fun.

I love that.

And again, you are so talented.

So you get to sing in this.

Uhhuh.

You do.

Okay.

And this is a musical.

So have you ever done a musical before?

I have done a few.

Yeah.

Okay.

And how is that experience been for you coming into Sousa?

This is different in the fact that it's all song.

So probably 90% of it is all music and songs.

So it just goes from one to the next and really keeps the energy going the whole time.

I love that so much.

Okay, so lots of music.

You guys are going to be up here on stage and I know you've been rehearsing downstairs, but coming up on the stage, what is it like?

Magical.

It is an awesome experience to be up here.

Now.

You guys are going to be working, this weekend.

But there is a great group of cast members.

You are just two pieces of that puzzle.

Talk to us about the cast.

It's a it's a good sized cast with wide range of people.

Right.

Just like we say from your arts from 5 to 95.

And so if you're 96, what happens?

No, sorry.

No, we're all encompassing.

So it's it's always fun because, you see, not only people that you may have seen on stage before, but people you may have seen in your community before.

It may be your dentist.

It may be, your car, your car guy.

It may be your accountant, you know, somebody that, you know, as well as kids.

So it gets everybody together, and it's just fun to see it all come together.

And it's a beautiful performance area here, too.

I mean, this the learner itself has so many seats for everyone.

So I hope you guys saw a lot of tickets for this.

And I hope everybody comes out and says, when are the performances?

Because this is the weekend, but you have just three performances for this cast.

Yep.

So of course Friday we have at 730, we have Saturday at 730, and then a wonderful matinee on Sunday at two.

Now Premier Arts here also has Premiere Arts Academy, which is there's their students, and their school here.

And they are also doing a simultaneous performance.

Oh yes.

Program.

And you actually have kids in the program?

I have a few, yes, you have a few.

Okay.

How many?

Four.

Four.

Oh my gosh.

Okay.

And they go to school here too.

They do.

They go to Premiere Academy.

Wonderful.

So tell us about that performance because that's coming up the same weekend.

It is.

And it's a great opportunity because it piggybacks off of the community show.

But it gives the kids in the school an opportunity and some of them their first time to be on stage.

So it's really fun to watch their eyes light up and be in this big space and perform for their friends, their family and the community.

And just a great opportunity to bring the show into the school as well.

I love that now, Nolan, how old are you?

Can I ask that question?

You don't have to tell you.

You don't have time.

If you don't, I'm 11.

You're 11.

And how long have you been performing?

Probably around, like four years.

But three years here.

Three years here.

Okay, so you are an experienced actor if I may say.

Okay.

Okay.

So you kind of know what you're doing.

Talk to us about the kids in the cast that you're working with.

There's a bunch of new kids.

And I like how Premiere Arts gives new opportunities for them to have like acting and singing and can get them all enrolled in theater.

And it's just really fun.

And I can make new friends and meet new people.

I love it, and I met you and your wife right now.

I love that.

How many people are in the cast this time?

There's, like, probably 35 or so.

Okay.

Okay.

That's a great cast.

Awesome for you guys up here on stage coming into it.

I know this is going to be a really exciting weekend.

So can you give us a little bit maybe of a line or two or a song or two or a little bit.

Oh no.

No pressure.

What's maybe your fate or what might be a line that, someone might recognize from the book.

One you might recognize is.

Yup.

Yup.

Okay.

All right.

What about you?

Oh.

The things you can think, it's it's our start to the show.

It's the end of the show, and it's the one that gets stuck in your head all the time.

And a great book, too.

Can't wait for that to be stuck in all of your hands.

We'll see you this weekend.

So I know everything is happening this weekend, but also coming up soon as auditions, a brand new show.

Nobody's done it before.

First one in the area is frozen.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

That's exciting.

I know my family's excited for it.

So when are the auditions coming?

They're actually the next weekend, so they're going to be on Saturday the 21st.

Okay.

And it's going to be a great opportunity if you love this show or seen any of the other shows or even if you haven't come on out because it's a story everybody knows and loves for the whole family.

Yes.

And Premiere Arts is always so welcoming, so I encourage that.

I know there's workshops too, right?

You guys always do a workshop beforehand.

Yep.

So if you want to get involved with that, make sure you check out their website and get all the information and get registered for that too.

So thank you guys so much.

Thank you.

We'll see you up on the scene.

Break a leg.