LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Places, and curtain! Four students from Los Alamitos High School’s Advanced Drama class have been selected to perform in the Broadway concert version of the play, “Children of Eden.” Leo Athy, Eva Parhami, Brooke Singleton, and Ali Valenzuela will perform in New York City’s Lincoln Center in February.

Last summer, Los Al drama teacher Ms. Castiglione (Ms. C) received an email from Manhattan Concert Productions, the production company for “Children of Eden.” Los Al’s drama department was specifically invited to have students perform in the concert play because of their renowned work and increasing fame. Ms. C added that something of this scale has never happened to the drama department at Los Al before. 

“I was floored by all this,” Ms. C said. “The work that the [drama] kids are putting in is just getting stronger and stronger. And their work ethic is paying off because other people are recognizing it, or we’re making a name for ourselves enough that people [have heard about us].”

Ms. C explained that she chose Athy, Parhami, Singleton, and Valenzuela because of their recognition and achievements from last year. She also chose them for their vocal skills, which are needed for this production. Unlike the original version of “Children of Eden,” the concert version involves a live orchestra on stage and less acting and set design.

Then, the students had to submit audition videos within a certain time frame to Manhattan Concert Productions. After much anxious waiting, Ms. C finally received an email that all four students had been accepted into the ensemble cast.

“I told my aunt and my mom, who are both really into musical theater, and they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, the Lincoln Center, that’s insane!’” Singleton said.

“It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Valenzuela said.

On Feb. 15, early in the morning, the four students and Ms. C will fly to New York for rehearsals and the show. Rehearsals begin that same night, Ms. C said, and continue until the final tech and dress rehearsals on Sunday. Then, on the night of Sunday the 18th, “Children of Eden” will perform on Broadway. The Griffins will return back home soon after the show, missing two days of school in total while in New York.

Renowned actors and singers Auli’i Cravalho (“Moana”), Norm Lewis (the first Black actor to play the Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera”), Nikki Rene Daniels (most recently appeared on the newest Broadway production of “Company”), and Jordan Fisher (“Teen Beach Movie”) will star in “Children of Eden.”

Additionally, the musical directors of the concert, Tony-nominated performer Tony Yazbeck (“On the Town”) and Kimberly Grigsby (“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”), are prominent figures in the theater world.

“There [are] so many amazing people connected with Broadway in the production. We get to observe them and learn a lot from them,” Athy said.

“Just to be in the same room as them is an honor,” Valenzuela said. 

Ms. C expressed how thrilled she was for her students, comparing herself to a “proud mama bear.” She said that, in times like these, what is good for the school also impacts the community surrounding it.

“We’re in this weird new cycle of hearing horrible things that happen at schools,” she said. “So I think it’s always great for our community [during tough times] that people can really be proud of [something].”

With the drama department continuing to make a name for itself, Los Al cannot wait to see what they accomplish next. Congratulations to Athy, Parhami, Singleton, and Valenzuela!