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(Enlarge) Melissa Valdivia, 17, rehearses "At the End of the Day," on Reservoir High School's stage in preparation for the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts' Teen Professional Theatre production of "Les Miserables." (Staff photo by Matt Roth)

Think of the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts' annual Teen Professional Theatre production as an all-star game for area teenagers. Only here, the emphasis is on dramatic training rather than on competitive sports.

This summer, the team will be taking on one of the most dramatic musicals of our time — "Les Misérables" — and local parents will be cheering on the emotional vocalizing instead of haranguing the refs.

Make no mistake: The 44 kids who are rehearsing every day at Reservoir High School, in Fulton, are carrying on a proud legacy started by theatrical maven Toby Orenstein back when Columbia was in its infancy. The fruits of everyone's labor will be on public display when "Les Misérables" begins its four-day run this Thursday, July 23.

The CCTA annual teen show is the newest product of the theatrical mini-empire founded by Orenstein when she started the Young Columbians theatrical troupe and opened Toby's Dinner Theatre decades ago.

The Teen Professional Theatre program was launched as an outgrowth of the center in 2002 as a way to offer talented area kids further dramatic education, says Melissa Woodring Rosenberg, the center's executive director.

"We had a real high-caliber group of kids, and they wanted something more challenging," Rosenberg explains. "We were selected to be the first group to perform a student edition of 'Les Miz.'"

In the ensuing years, the company has staged productions ranging from a locally generated version of "Phantom of the Opera" (penned by Columbia composer Tom Alonso) to a full-scale rendition of Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida."

This year, the troupe is reviving "Les Misérables" under the direction of Dawn Younkers-Reilly, who helmed the 2002 premiere production of the musical. Younkers-Reilly was also featured in the role of Eponine in the Broadway production, as well as in numerous national tours.

"As far as the production itself, we try to bring in somebody who has been in the production or associated with it," Rosenberg says. "That gives teens an extra exposure to professionals who can provide coaching, instruction and advice."

The 44 featured teens are convening not only to sharpen their skills, she stresses, but to learn to work with unfamiliar people in a different setting then they've become accustomed to.

"There's a lot of emphasis on the importance of the whole team," says Rosenberg. "When we do our evaluations, the kids talk a lot about how much they learned just being a part of everything."

"Les Misérables" is the 1980 Tony-winning stage musical based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel. It follows one man's unjust imprisonment and persecution against the backdrop of entrenched state corruption and a doomed student uprising demanding reforms. The work was composed by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg along with librettist Alain Boublil and lyricist Herbert Kretzmer.

Rosenberg thinks the play's name recognition and popularity will be a good draw for locals, despite the relative youth of the talented cast.

"We average a few thousand each year," she says of past audience turn-outs. "The majority, of course, are parents and friends, but we get a lot of seniors.

"I got calls today from people who had seen the sign out front in the Fulton area. I'm hoping it will be around 3,000 people this year."

Who's who

The cast is made up of 44 teen-age actors from both the immediate area and the surrounding region. Several actors will alternate the vocally demanding lead roles.

Jointly playing the part of Fantine will be Sarah Charles, 18, of Archbishop Spalding High School, and Carrie Meeder, 18, of Oakland Mills High.

The role of Eponine will be played by both Erica Clare, 15, of Westminster High School, and Alex Bushee, 16, of Centennial High School. Gavroche will be shared by Derek Galvin, 13, of Sykesville Middle School, and Spencer Franco, 14, of Atholton High School.

In other key roles, R.J. Pavel, 18, of Archbishop Spalding High School, will play the reformed fugitive, Jean Valjean; Maeve Ricaurte, 17, of Glenelg Country School, will portray Cosette, the orphan; and A.J. Whittenberger, 19, of Indiana University, will play the student revolutionary, Marius.

Playing the role of the tenacious police inspector, Javert, will be Jeremy Goldman, 16, of Atholton High School. Little Cossette will be played by Maya Goldman, 10, of Pointers Run Elementary School,

The comic relief villainy of Thernardier will be in the hands of J.C. Abarcar, 17, of Oakland Mills High, while Madame Thernardier will be portrayed by Sarah Goldstein, 18, of Glenelg High School. Dave Stishan, 20, of the Shenandoah Conservatory, will play Grantaire.

Others in the cast include Austin Antoine, 17, of Reservoir High School, as the Bishop; Jenna Balderson, 12, Ellicott Mills Middle School, as Little Eponine; and Chris Donaldson, 16, of River Hill High, as Enjolras.

In featured roles are Tom Britton, 16, of Glenelg High; Maddie Brown, 15, Wilde Lake High School; Julie Celtnieks, 16, of Oakland Mills High; Laura Citren, 15, of Chas. E. Smith Jewish Day School; Cody Cooley, 14, of Century High School; Jonathan Cort, 13, of Lime Kiln Middle School; Daniel Eisenberg, 19, of the University of Maryland; Abby Franklin, 16, of Glenelg Country Day School; Yo Han (John) Hong, 18, of River Hill High; Ryann Lillis, 16, of Howard High; Christina Mattera, 14, of Patapsco Middle School; Olivia Medoff, 16, of Wilde Lake High School; Jarrod Meehan, 15, of Howard High School; Emma Mountcastle, 15, of Seton Keough High School; Erica Murphy, 16, of Glenelg Country School; Mike Nugent, 16, of Hammond High; Colin Parker, 18, of Reservoir High; and Katie Rasmussen, 16, who is home-schooled.

Rounding out the large cast are Deirdre Ricaurte, 15, of Glenelg Country School; Karen Salvaggio, 15, Archbishop Spalding High School; Shelby Smith, 15, of Howard High; Shelby Smith-College, 18, of Susquehanna High School; Aaron Spainbey, 14, of River Hill High; Allie Stern, 15, of Century High School; Max Talisman, 15, of the Sandy Spring Friends School; Melissa Valdivia, 17, of Oakland Mills High; and Nick Zients, 15, of Glenelg Country School.

"Most of these kids have been leads in their own school productions," Rosenberg concludes. "So coming in, they're very talented. We try to add a more professional layer to that.

"They're not only working on this production. We also have workshop instructors who are professionals to help them develop various techniques in acting and auditioning."

The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts' Teen Professional Theatre will present "Les Misérables" Thursday-Saturday, July 23-25 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, July 25-26 at 2:30 p.m. Performances will be held in the Reservoir High School auditorium, at 11550 Scaggsville Road, in Fulton.

Admission is $15 general, $12.50 for students and seniors and $10 for children ages 5 and younger. Reserved seats run $22.50 and all Saturday daytime performances run $10. Tickets can be ordered at www.CCTArts.com or bought at the door.

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