MEAN GIRLS JR to be Presented at The Shawnee Playhouse
Performances will run from July 25th through August 16th, 2025.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jul. 22, 2025
The Shawnee Playhouse, celebrating its forty-sixth season, will present Mean Girls Jr., from July 25th through August 16th, 2025. Directed by Johanna Gelbs, with musical direction by Noelle Vallario, and choreography by Cordelia D'Orsi, this captivating and dynamic musical stars upcoming, teen talent from The Poconos and surrounding areas, including Violet Kastner as Cady Heron (Understudy: Isabela Christoph), Kyra Lavine-Ertle as Regina George (Understudy: Caroline Cortes), Isabelle Law as Gretchen Weiners (Understudy: Zoey Charles), Eloise Saab-Gothard as Karen Smith (Understudy: Layla Lavine-Ertle), Elizabeth Almonte as Janis Sarkinsan (Understudy: Maria Giordano), and Finn Naughton as Damian (Understudy: Sebastian Pariso). This riveting rendition also showcases Riley Kimler as Aaron Samuels (Understudy: Tobias Ricks), Hannah Echevarría as Mrs. Norbury (Understudy: Esther Vough), Wesley Leap as Mr. Duvall (Understudy: Sal Pennell), Luis Torres as Kevin G (Understudy: Parker Krupski), Tobias Ricks as Martin/Cady's Dad, Sebastian Pariso as Shane Oman, and Cadence Bohdal as Regina's Mom.
How fetch! Directed by Johanna Gelbs and choreographed by Cordelia D'Orsi, Mean Girls Junior hits the stage with character favorites from the movie, powerful music, timely pop culture, and news references. Janis Sarkisian and Damian Hubbard welcome the audience to their "Cautionary Tale" about Cady Heron, the new girl at North Shore High School in Chicago, who is desperate to fit in and find friends. Janis and Damian befriend the new girl, and when The Plastics set their sights on Cady, Janis convinces naive Cady to be their "friend" in order to bring down Queen Bee, Regina George's, reign. Along the way, Cady loses herself, her friends, and her crush, all for the chance to be popular and loved. When dethroned, Regina gets revenge by releasing the Burn Book, and Cady is brought down and must mend fences and her broken relationships. With dynamic and relatable songs for young performers, Mean Girls Junior is an anthem to friendship, loyalty, girl power, and being true to yourself.
Produced by Charles and Ginny Kirkwood, and under the executive direction of Midge McClosky, Mean Girls Jr. also features an energetic ensemble cast that audiences will fall in love with, including Cade Santiago, Bella Long, Delaila Simmonds, Alexis Rodriguez, Yanessa Maimone, Anabella Fazio, A'naiyah Taylor, Cydney Smith, Anya Cameron, Allison Fazio, Olivia Morales, Hannah Corona, Cailyn Rosario, Jaelynn Bonilla, Madison Zorn, Olivia Durant, Kara John, Layla VanDerVliet, Olivia Applewhite, Shereen Millama, and Wihanny Fernandez. The creative crew for this musical rendition includes Peter Valcukas as Stage Manager, Nevaeh Fair as Assistant Stage Manager, Chris Hnasko as Lighting Designer, Della Baird as Costumer, Kenneth Card as promotional photographer, Robert McClosky as media manager, and Samantha Cameron as press writer.
Showtimes, dates, and ticket prices are as follows:
11:00AM: July 26th and August 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, and 16th
7:00PM: July 25th, and August 1st, 8th, and 15th
A special, shortened, sensory-friendly performance is scheduled for Saturday, August 9th at 9:30AM for $5.00 per ticket.
Tickets are $15.00 each, for this fun-for-all ages musical.
Meal and a Show tickets are $43.00 for patrons ages thirteen and up, and $28.00 for children ages four to twelve years old.
Philadelphia Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
CATS (Shawnee Playhouse)
17.3% of votes
2.
INTO THE WOODS (The Milford Theater)
6.1% of votes
3.
NEWSIES (Viviana Theatre)
3.9% of votes
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