July 15, 2019
By: Danny Hayes

The Connection put on its first production of the summer with THE JUNGLE BOOK! Adapted from Disney’s beloved animated film and the works of Rudyard Kipling, THE JUNGLE BOOK follows the story of man-cub Mowgli and his adventures through the animal kingdom as he meets new animals and will have to defend himself and others against the tiger, Shere Khan. THE JUNGLE BOOK was performed by The Connection’s “Stars on Stage” and “Rising Stars” groups in theater camp, with excellent props and sets provided by “Backstage Pass.”

Luke Brown, who played Mowgli, is a member of the “Rising Stars” group and is in his fifth year of Theater Camp at The Connection. Brown said that his favorite part of the show is rehearsals because he loves learning all the scenes and dances with his fellow cast mates who make the process so much fun. Brown also said that his favorite song in the show is “Bare Necessities” because it is the catchiest song in the musical. He commented that if he was not in the THE JUNGLE BOOK, his favorite role to play in a show would be Peter Pan in “PETER PAN.” Brown hopes that everyone who sees the show had a great time and enjoyed all the hard work that the campers and staff put into the production!

Olivia Struwig, who played Baloo, is also a member of the “Rising Stars” and is likewise in her fifth year at Theater Camp. Struwig said that her favorite part of the show is performing on stage because once all of the rehearsals and practicing is over, the audience finally gets to see the finished product; which is amazing. Struwig also said that her favorite song in the musical is “I Want to be Like You” because it is the number where every group in Theater Camp comes together to perform a song. Aside from her role in THE JUNGLE BOOK, her dream role would be Eliza from HAMILTON. She already knows all of the words–so give her a call, Lin-Manuel Miranda!

THE JUNGLE BOOK  was performed by The Connection’s Theater Camp at Summit Middle School last Friday, July 11. Check out our Facebook page to view more photos from the production!