Shining Stars: Scott students perform for Broadway actors

March 21, 2025

Scott Middle School students saw their Broadway-based dreams turn into Lincoln-based reality this winter when they performed for two professional actors.
 
Fifty-eight Scott actors presented snippets of Beetlejuice Jr. for members of the nationwide tour of Beetlejuice. Sophie Aknin and Marc Ginsburg stopped by the school’s multipurpose room to watch students perform four songs from the show. Aknin and Ginsburg both play multiple characters in the musical, which ran at the Lied Center for Performing Arts from March 4-9.
 
Scott eighth graders Jennie, Ella and Tyson said visiting with Aknin and Ginsburg was a highlight of the year. All three are filling key parts in the musical. Ella plays the role of Barbara, Jennie plays the role of Delia and Tyson plays the role of Beetlejuice.
 
“It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Jennie said. “It’s just really exciting. It’s like a big honor for me that I get to meet real people on Broadway. It’s just very, very exciting.”
 
“It was so cool,” Ella said. “I’ve loved theater basically my whole life, and it was just incredible to get to meet people that actually do it for a living. It was just crazy, because maybe I could do that someday.”
 
Scott teachers Taylor Eschliman and Shelley Lyon are co-directing the musical. They said the Stars were beyond excited when they heard that Aknin and Ginsburg would be coming to their campus.
 
“The moment we told them, there was this huge buzz of energy – lots of gasps, wide eyes and cheering,” Eschliman said. “They’ve been working so hard on this show, and the chance to perform for actual cast members from the Beetlejuice tour is just unreal for them.”
 
Aknin and Ginsburg told students they were impressed with what they saw on stage. The Stars performed the musical numbers “Whole Being Dead Thing,” “No Reason,” “Day O” and “Girl Scouts” from the Beetlejuice Jr. script.
 
“We were excited to see it,” Aknin said. “This was really good work from everybody.”
 
“Overall your energy is so good,” Ginsburg said. “You could tell you were having so much fun.”
 
Tyson said he enjoyed listening to a question-and-answer session after the Scott actors performed. Aknin and Ginsburg shared how they became professional artists and how they were selected for their roles. They also provided tips for students about the acting business.
 
“It was pretty cool to hear their stories and how they like to do their characters,” Tyson said. “I liked hearing how their show was different from ours, but we both have the drive to do the show better.”
 
Eschliman and Lyon began leading rehearsals in January for Beetlejuice Jr., which is an adaptation of the professional musical. Scott students have memorized lines, developing their characters and finetuning their vocal numbers each week. They will give public performances at the school at 7 p.m. April 10 and 11.
 
Ella, Jennie and Tyson all said they were happy to work on the show with their friends. Tyson began acting in sixth grade and Jennie and Ella started in seventh grade. They felt they were learning more about the acting trade from being in Beetlejuice Jr.
 
“There’s a lot of fun people in it,” Ella said. “I’ve made a lot of friends doing this. Obviously I love doing theater, so I just enjoy being at rehearsals and singing the songs and doing all of the choreography.”
 
“It’s really fun,” Jennie said. “I really like it. It helps me kind of express myself, and I really love to act and sing.”
 
Ginsburg applauded the Stars for their dedication. He encouraged them to watch as many types of theater productions as possible. He said he learns something from every show he studies, whether it is drama, tragedy, comedy or musical theater.
 
“I love watching people and seeing how people are able to craft a character,” Ginsburg said. “I just love examining how people work.”
 
Aknin urged students to continue practicing with purpose and meaning. She said the professional actors rehearse Beetlejuice every week even though they have been performing it for months. This has helped them elevate the musical to a higher standard every time on stage.
 
“You already have a great show, so you should be proud and excited about it,” Aknin said.
 
Tyson said he and other cast members would take those pieces of advice to heart.
 
“I think it’s just going to help us get better at our parts,” Tyson said. “We’re going to know more about what the show is about and all of those things. It’s definitely going to help us.”
 
Jennie said she was also fascinated to hear about Aknin’s perseverance. Aknin first watched Beetlejuice in 2019 and became determined to join the show. She earned her first audition in September 2023 and was selected for her role in August 2024.
 
“I learned a lot about how it really doesn’t go very perfectly all the time,” Jennie said. “You have to have a lot of patience.”
 
Ella said she would enjoy walking on the same career path as Aknin and Ginsburg one day. She said their visit had given her additional inspiration for her Broadway-based dream.
 
“I’m obviously only in middle school, so I still have a long time to decide what to do, but it’s definitely an option,” Ella said. “It’d be so cool and super fun.”
 
Visit home.lps.org/english to learn more about the many ways English language arts courses are helping LPS students.

You can also visit home.lps.org/english/theatre for more details about the theater programs available for LPS high school students.
 
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