Norwayne Middle School students performing in Seussical Jr. at WCC. (Courtesy photo)

Norwayne Middle School students performing in Seussical Jr. at WCC. (Courtesy photo)

<p>Norwayne students Gulliani Cole and Jasmine Castaneda Gutierrez get hands-on learning experience with WCC’s Entertainment Technologies equipment. (Photo courtesy of Kilgore)</p>

Norwayne students Gulliani Cole and Jasmine Castaneda Gutierrez get hands-on learning experience with WCC’s Entertainment Technologies equipment. (Photo courtesy of Kilgore)

GOLDSBORO – Young thespians from Norwayne Middle School showcased their skills at Wayne Community College for a musical production of Seussical Jr.

The musical, filled with characters from the books of Dr. Seuss, allowed the students to sing, act, and dance in bright costumes and numbers full of the whimsy found in the author’s works. Over 300 students from three Wayne County elementary schools attended the show as part of Read Across America month, a national celebration of reading.

Norwayne Middle School Choral Director Tiffany Kilgore and Theater Director Michael Corbitt helped bring the show to life after the students became inspired by field trips they had taken to see other musicals. Kilgore says they wanted to produce a show of their own, and she picked Seussical Jr. since the large cast would showcase more of her talented students.

After Kilgore’s choir students performed in WCC’s first Middle School Honors Choir Festival last month, she knew the College’s Moffatt Auditorium would be the perfect place to put on the musical.

“WCC was incredibly accommodating and welcoming to my students for this event, and I plan to produce all future musicals here,” said Kilgore. “My students immensely enjoyed performing in Moffatt Auditorium, and they are already asking what we will be performing next year and when we can come back to WCC.”

Between performances, Norwayne students explored WCC’s Entertainment Technologies program with Instructor David Vinciguerra. They toured classroom spaces and learned about different types of instruments. “I now have a lot of students really interested in attending WCC for this program in particular,” Kilgore shared.

Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves around 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 150 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.