It was a case of art imitating life at the Eagle Eye Theatre on Friday and Saturday (July 27 and 28).
The Squamish Academy of Music's Broadway or Bust production of Fame took over the stage, with dozens of talented youngsters entertaining the packed theatre.
Song and dance numbers and dramatic scenes were on the menu and the two main stars were thrilled to have played such an important part in the production.
"It was a great experience," said Baylee Iacovone, who played Serena Katz in the production. "This was my first year in Broadway or Bust and it was just so great working with all of these talented people."
The three-week program saw students get a chance to focus on their skills in singing, dancing and acting through classes, workshops, rehearsal and the eventual final product.
"The performances are the best part," Iacovone said. "But the dancing and just remembering the lines can be a little tough. Overall, though, it was a lot of fun."
For Ian McCloy, who played Nick Piazza, it was a bittersweet end to his time at the camp. He performed in last year's Guys and Dolls production and said he's going to miss not having the chance to take part in future editions of the camp.
"I really wish I could come back again next year," he said. "It's such a great experience and you learn so much. The performances are so much fun but the rehearsing and memorizing can be a lot of work."
McCloy said he could easily relate to his character, who in the play is trying to take his craft seriously and become a star.
"I totally related to him," he said. "He wants to make it big in acting and singing and so do I, so it was easy to portray someone like that for me."
Other young standouts in the musical included Micky Williston, who played troubled dancer Tyrone Jackson, and Madison Blackman, who played self-conscious dancer and signer Mabel Washington.
Artistic director Melissa Braun said it was another banner year for the camp.
"We had a very great group of kids today that I'm really going to miss," she said. "We have such a core group of young dancers here in town, so we decided that Fame would be a good choice for us. There are so many big dance numbers that I think everyone did so well on."
Helping out Braun this year were two familiar faces to those in the local arts community - Emma Wong and Lyndon Jhuty. The two have been involved in several local productions and are former students of Braun. Jhuty took on the role of producer for the show, while Wong was an assistant. Braun said she appreciated their help.
"They were both a great help to me," she said. "They really helped me a lot with all of the little things and just made my job a lot easier. It's great for them to have this type of experience, especially when they're so young."
Next up for Broadway or Bust is a production of the Jungle Book. Registration is open now and the session runs from Aug. 13 to 31. For more information on the camp, visit www.squamishacademyofmusic.com.
