Gaelen Gilliland Chats With Moonlit Wings' Young Cast Of THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE

"The Show Must Go Online," a new virtual musical produced by Walid Chaya, Artistic Director/Founder of Moonlit Wings Productions, premiered online today. Broadway's Gaelen Gilliland (Mean Girls, Wicked, Legally Blonde, Spongebob) met the young cast during rehearsals and shared advice for a successful musical performance.

This weeks camp theme, "Make-A-Musical," put young performers ages 8-14 in the virtual spotlight as they rehearsed and recorded a new musical from home, which was screened on the final day of the program. This program is part of Moonlit Wings' summer series of virtual camps in partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority.

When Gaelen Gilliland met the cast, she talked about her time in Spongebob on Broadway to help them approach the brand new script.

Gilliland said, "I played the Mayor of Bikini Bottom in Spongebob. It's so fun to be in the ensemble of a show but also to be in the original production so that you can create your own way through because no one has done it before you. You're not fitting into a certain mold that's already been created; you get to create that mold. And that's the difference between a show that's already been running verse one that you get to help create from the ground up."

Gilliland also gave advice about approaching a character, "You know yourself super well, so why not be yourself on stage, because that's an interesting person...I think there's nothing more interesting then being yourself, and being authentically you, so you've got to bring yourself to your performance, and when you really enjoy it, people see that."

Following this, the young performers had a chance to ask Gilliland related questions about working on Broadway. Veronica Lowe, camp instructor and production director, worked alongside Walid Chaya to produce the musical in just five days.

Chaya said, "The story encourages kids to use their imagination and discover solutions for moving forward in life. This is important now more than ever as we get creative and find ways to lessen the social separation between us while we're physically distant."

In this first-of-its kind musical published by Beat by Beat Press, each actor was assigned a 1-2 minute scene/song to rehearse, video record, and upload. When all the videos are played in order, they tell the hilarious story of a group of passionate students desperate to keep their annual musical alive...online! "The Show Must Go Online" book is by Jessica Penzias, lyrics by David Hudson and music by Denver Casado.

Moonlit Wings has three weeks left of virtual kids camps open for registration at moonlitwings.org and each week features a different theme with new scripts:

• Aug. 10-14: Wonderful Wizards & Witches Virtual Camp
• Aug. 17-21: The Greatest Showkid Virtual Camp
• Aug. 24-28: Virtual Broadway Camp

Programs are available virtually to families based anywhere and directly to those residing in the Greater DC area, New York City and Los Angeles. This summer, Moonlit Wings will donate a portion of proceeds from all virtual camps and classes to the NAACP Education Fund.

Moonlit Wings Productions is a two-time WINNER of Washington Family Magazine's 2020 "Best for Families" contest for the categories of "Best Arts Program" and "Best Children's Theatre & Drama Instruction."

For more information about Moonlit Wings award-winning acting programs, please visit moonlitwings.org or email info@moonlitwings.org, and visit Fairfax County Park Authority's Online Parktakes for access to over 375 virtual programs this summer.