![\"Stage](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088054_718_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nGuess what, ever since the world began
Same plot, everyone’s been dumping on their fellow man
Pounding people they feel better than
I hope you’re taking notes cause
You feel everyone deserves a shot
Get real
Some of us have got it, girl
And some got squat<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a temptation to lump \u201cCarrie\u201d with musicals like \u201cHeathers\u201d and \u201cMean Girls\u201d \u2014 as another sad story about teenage peer pressure, pecking orders and the desire to fit in. Truth is, \u201cCarrie\u201d is one of the most complex psychological thrillers to ever see the stage.<\/p>\n
First and foremost, \u201cCarrie\u201d is a story about abuse, beginning with Carrie herself, played for The Belle Theatre by Sophia Brook.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is a very shy and isolated girl,\u201d said Brook of her character. \u201cShe has been severely abused by her mother and bullied at school as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turns out that Carrie isn\u2019t the only character in this torturous story who\u2019s been abused at home. So has her tormenter, Chris Hargensen, whose revelatory number is \u201cThe World According to Chris.\u201d<\/p>\n
My daddy taught me
You get nowhere being nice
So now I’m sharing his advice:
The world according to Chris is
Better to strike than get struck
Better to screw then get screwed
You’d probably think it’s bizarre
But that’s the way things are<\/p>\n
Chris is played by Maliyah Mattis. She sees her character as a tragic figure. Her pathologically narcissistic parents give her material things in lieu of the love she actually craves.<\/p>\n
Not all abused children become abusive. In fact, most find socially acceptable ways to come to terms with their childhood experiences. But several studies have found that boys who were abused or neglected are more likely to become abusive with their partners in adulthood than those who had not been abused and being abused or neglected as a child is a predictor for juvenile violence and use of mental health services for both genders.<\/p>\n
This correlation lies at the heart of Chris\u2019 dog-eat-dog mentality in \u201cCarrie.\u201d To earn her parents\u2019 love, she idolizes them, puts them on a pedestal and tries to be just like them \u2014 controlling and heaping abuse on those poor unfortunate souls who cross her path, like Carrie.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s ruthless,\u201d Mattis acknowledged. \u201cThroughout that entire number, and even in the end when Sue tells her to grow up, she\u2019s like, but why? Why do I have to? She cannot change her way of thinking. It just doesn\u2019t make sense to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sue Snell, played by Emily Feichthaler, is not caught up in the cycle of abuse that\u2019s ensnared her bestie. She has an epiphany that enables her to see that Carrie\u2019s not some spastic weirdo toad. Rather, she\u2019s the product of her mother\u2019s religious fanaticism, as she expresses in \u201cOnce You See.\u201d<\/p>\n
She… she’s Always been there.
I… I never knew
I felt as though
This girl revealed herself to me
And now I know,
That once you see
You can’t unsee<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019Once you see, you can’t unsee,\u2019\u201d Feichthaler emphasized. \u201cTo me, that means that once you look into someone’s life and you try to understand, you can’t forget it. Once she’s tried to understand Carrie, she can’t go back and be who she was before. She has to leave what she knows behind and become a different and better person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if it means losing Chris as a friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cSue has this change while Chris doesn’t, and it’s very hard to lose a best friend, I know, but Sue did the right thing by standing up to Chris rather than going along with whatever her friend thought because it was comfortable,\u201d Feichthaler explained. \u201cSometimes it’s good to be uncomfortable if it means doing the right thing and standing up for someone. So, \u2018Once You See\u2019 definitely gives a deeper look into, I won’t say Sue’s life, but Sue’s perspective.\u2019<\/p>\n
Audiences discover the depth of Carrie\u2019s despair and desolation in the show\u2019s title number, \u201cCarrie.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s not my name!
Doesn’t anybody ever get it right?
Carrie
Why don’t they remember I am “Carrie White”?
Carrie
Is it any harder to say than “god damn toad” and “spastic” and ‘weirdo” and “dumb bitch”?<\/p>\n
Doesn’t anybody think that I can hear? I hear
‘Specially when I got them screaming in my ear, I hear
Everyday they mock me and push me around, ’til I drop
If I had a wish, God, I wish they’d stop<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the song \u2018Carrie\u2019 because it\u2019s the first moment that you get to see Carrie\u2019s internal life,\u201d said Brook.<\/p>\n
I might take a chance
I’ve always wondered how
And maybe I’ll dance
And try hard to laugh more than I do now
And the world will open its eyes
And for once the whole world will recognize Carrie<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s getting to speak not only about the way that these words have impacted her, but also about the inner hope that she still holds within her.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that finally brings us to the crux of \u201cCarrie\u201d: the consequences that flow from losing all hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gains hope throughout the story, which is all crushed in one devastating moment,\u201d Brook observed. \u201cAnd what makes this even more heartbreaking is that all she wanted was to be seen and loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carrie responds with vengeance.<\/p>\n
The instinct for revenge is ancient. It is deeply satisfying. It activates the brain\u2019s reward system, releasing dopamine and creating a fleeting sense of control, including, vicariously, for members of the audience.<\/p>\n
While the audience may be horrified by the outcome, they are nevertheless satisfied that Chris and her cronies got what they had coming.<\/p>\n
But what then of Sue?<\/p>\n
Does \u201cCarrie\u201d stand for the proposition that \u201cno good deed goes unpunished?\u201d
Feichthaler doesn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone were to say, no, nothing comes from doing the right thing, I would say that is not correct because doing the right thing is making someone else feel included, like Sue was trying to do, or making someone feel seen,\u201d she asserted. \u201cIn this day and age, it’s very hard to be seen for who you are rather than who you’re trying to be. And I think it’s very important that everyone is able to be seen for who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Belle Theatre\u2019s production of \u201cCarrie the Musical\u201d is worth seeing.<\/p>\n
Not just because of our inherent fascination with telekinesis or the story\u2019s famous blood bath ending.<\/p>\n
Not just because it is well acted and it\u2019s characterized by outstanding vocal performances.<\/p>\n
But because beyond the messages it delivers about bullying and isolation, the pressure imposed on adolescents to conform to the expectations of their peers and the fear of losing control, it is a powerful explication of the destructive nature of revenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarrie: The Musical\u201d is onstage at The Belle Theatre Aug. 7-15.<\/p>\n
MORE INFORMATION:<\/p>\n
At the center of the story is Carrie White, a shy, awkward teenage girl who is mercilessly bullied at school and controlled by her fanatically religious mother at home. Carrie discovers she has telekinetic powers\u2014the ability to move things with her mind\u2014which become stronger as she grows increasingly distressed.<\/p>\n
Brook uses acting lessons and techniques she learned this past year at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts not only to inhabit her character, but also to navigate the wide range of disparate emotions Carrie evinces over the course of the play. A strong singer, she uses her vocal range and resonance to capture the isolation and anguish of a girl trapped in a cruel high school hierarchy that seems determined to break her.<\/p>\n
As Sue Snell, Emily Feichthaler delivers a compelling performance. She is particularly good in the \u201cInterrogation Space\u201d scenes where her guilt and inner conflict are palpable. As the one girl who tries to do the right thing, Sue\u2019s well-meaning actions ultimately contribute to the tragedy. Feichthaler\u2019s performance reveals these layers of complexity and conflict both through her acting and vocals.<\/p>\n
As Chris, Maliyah Mattis perfectly embodies the quintessential \u201970s mean girl, the bitchy bully-in-chief of Chamberlain High. Her solo, \u201cThe World According to Chris,\u201d is a biting and energetic ode to the high school social hierarchy, brimming with a ruthless, survival-of-the-fittest attitude.<\/p>\n
Little has changed since the 1970s \u2013 bullying and social isolation still plague young people today, perhaps even more so in the age of social media, where the school day no longer ends with the final bell.<\/p>\n
Despite its supernatural elements, \u201cCarrie: The Musical\u201d delivers a deeply human message. It urges us to consider: What happens when we fail to truly see one another? Carrie\u2019s tragic journey is a haunting reminder of the importance of empathy, the danger of blind conformity, and the courage it takes to stand up for what is right.<\/p>\n
Psychology of revenge<\/p>\n
As noted, \u201cCarrie\u201d stands for the proposition that revenge is a destructive force, not only against those to whom it is directed, but for the person seeking vengeance.<\/p>\n
In \u201cCarrie,\u201d that vengeance is lethal as it is in many of the films referenced above. But it can also be more insidious and subtle, such as ignoring someone who hurt you, withdrawing help, excluding them socially, or quietly celebrating when something goes wrong for them. These acts may seem harmless, but they serve the same psychological purpose as open retaliation. They allow us to regain a sense of control and justice without direct confrontation.<\/p>\n
Revenge can also take the form of incentivizing the aggrieved to improve themselves or succeed in ways that demonstrate their superiority over the person who harmed or slighted them. Psychologists have given this type of revenge a name: \u201cbetterment revenge.\u201d Here, the focus is on personal growth, success, or happiness as a way of sending an unspoken message that you did not get over on me, proving the proverb that \u201cLiving well or success is the best revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
As mentioned, the brain\u2019s neurocircuitry makes revenge deeply satisfying in the moment. It presumptively restores a sense of balance, promising closure. Hence the adage, \u201csweet revenge.\u201d But this chemical rush quickly fades. Decades of modern research suggest that the consequences are far less satisfying. Getting even keeps the hurt alive, fuels fixation and sets off cycles of escalation that spread far beyond the original harm.<\/p>\n
While that may be, the acceptability, normalcy and even desirability of righteous revenge is reinforced culturally by novels, film and television shows. Think \u201cUnforgiven,\u201d \u201cInglourious Basterds,\u201d \u201cKill Bill,\u201d \u201cCape Fear\u201d and \u201cRambo.\u201d The heroes takes justice into their own hands, deliver the punishment, and walk away lighter, stronger, and free. What we rarely see is what happens next, particularly the emotional toll of revenge.<\/p>\n
Because of such cultural reinforcement, people who take revenge on someone who hurt, harmed or insulted them frequently feel worse afterwards but they nevertheless believe it had helped them, stating that they would have felt even worse had they not acted. This shows how deep the myth runs. We cling to the idea that revenge heals, even when the evidence tells us otherwise.<\/p>\n
The truth is that revenge may briefly satisfy our sense of justice, but it rarely satisfies our emotional needs because the mind keeps replaying the story, searching for a resolution that punishment alone cannot provide.<\/p>\n
While subtle revenge may seem harmless, it still keeps the focus on the person who caused the hurt. True freedom comes only when the need to get even fades altogether. Until then, even the quietest form of revenge keeps the past alive.<\/p>\n
Chris Hargensen’s idolization of her father<\/p>\n
As noted, Chris Hargensen idolizes her parents, particularly her father. She emulates him and his philosophy of \u201cdo unto others before they can do unto you.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is ample support for this type of response to childhood abuse and neglect.<\/p>\n
Studies show that many children of abusive parents try to be just like their parents on the belief that they will win their parents\u2019 love and admiration if they can be just like them. Emulating their abuser is also a coping mechanism. It\u2019s easier to pretend things aren\u2019t that bad than to face the hurt directly. This kind of thinking helps them hold on to a connection with their family, even when it\u2019s painful.<\/p>\n
There is also social pressure to be like our parents and internalize the mental tapes they impart, no matter how twisted or distorted they may appear to others. Society tells us that we should respect our parents no matter what. This can lead people to ignore their own bad experiences and think idolizing their parents is the right thing to do. Friends and family can reinforce this idea, making it harder to recognize the truth about the abuse.<\/p>\n
Finally, children find it difficult to let go of the idealized version of their parents because their own sense of identity and self-esteem is so connected to their parents. The fear of losing their self-identity keeps them stuck in the cycle of idolization, as happens to Chris Hargensen even when Sue tells her to grow up and stop tormenting Carrie.<\/p>\n
The cast<\/p>\n
Carrie White\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sophia Brook
Margaret White\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Brittany Ringsdore
Sue Snell\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Emily Feichthaler
Tommy Ross\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Josh Malpica
Chris Hargensen \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Maliyah Mattis
Billy Nolan \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DeVaughn Parris
Miss Lynn Gardner\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jessica Turner
Mr. Stephens\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Terry Foster
Reverend Bliss\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Terry Foster
Frieda\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Quinn Strosser
Norma\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Emily Berlanga
Helen\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Camila Guedes
George\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Justin Price\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Stokes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dalton Foose
Freddy\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kevin Morillo
Ensemble\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Peyton McCarthy, McKenzie Anderson, Gaege Hock<\/p>\n
The songs<\/p>\n
In – Kids
Carrie – Carrie
Open Your Heart – Reverend Bliss, Margaret, Carrie, and Choir
And Eve Was Weak – Margaret, Carrie
The World According to Chris – Chris, Billy, Sue, Tommy, and Kids
Evening Prayers – Carrie, Margaret
Dreamer In Disguise – Tommy
Once You See – Sue
Unsuspecting Hearts – Miss Gardner, Carrie
Do Me a Favor – Sue, Chris, Tommy, Billy, and Kids
I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance – Carrie, Margaret
*A Night We’ll Never Forget – Sue, Tommy, Chris, Billy, and Kids
You Shine – Tommy, Sue
Why Not Me? – Carrie
Stay Here Instead – Margaret, Carrie
When There’s No One – Margaret
Prom Arrival – Kids, Tommy, and Carrie
Unsuspecting Hearts (reprise) – Miss Gardner, Carrie
Dreamer In Disguise (reprise) – Tommy, Carrie
Prom Climax – Carrie, Chris, Billy, Tommy, and Kids
Alma Mater – Kids
The Destruction – Carrie, Kids
Carrie (reprise) – Carrie, Margaret
Epilogue – Sue, Kids<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Sophia Brook<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Sophia Brook <\/p>\n
Although just a college sophomore, Sophia Brook has been in more than 50 stage productions and several independent films.<\/p>\n
More about Sophia Brook<\/p>\n
Sophia Brook is a 19-year-old actor, currently studying Drama at NYU Tisch School of the Arts (Class of 2029). Although she\u2019s a veteran of more than 50 stage productions and several award-winning films, she can already see vast improvement in her acting skills because of what she learned during her freshman year at the Tisch School of the Arts.<\/p>\n
One of the techniques she learned at Tisch during her freshman year has particularly enabled her to effectively portray an isolated young woman who is controlled at home and tormented at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called daydreaming,\u201d said Brook. \u201cWhat we do is we literally daydream about something that would make us personally feel a specific emotion. So let’s say I wanted to feel insecure and betrayed by someone. I would think of something that would make me feel that way. Something imaginary. Then later on, once I go onstage, I can feel those emotions go through the story and then return and be like, OK, none of that was real.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Actor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088054_556_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Sophia Brook<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Sophia Brook <\/p>\n
Actor Sophia Brook has learned several techniques at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts that have helped her improve her already formidable acting skills. <\/p>\n
A second technique she learned at Tisch, stated Brook, is \u201clistening and responding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI really, really love that because that means I am working organically in the moment,\u201d Brook explained. \u201cI’m being spontaneous and working off of my impulses, and that makes it feel like that scene is happening for the very first time not only for my scene partner and I, but also for the audience because in real life, these characters don’t know what the other person is going to say, what’s going to happen, what they’re going to do. So if we are working spontaneously and really listening to one another and responding that way, it feels like everything is new and organic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, Brook and her castmates have to replicate this organic, in-the-moment response night after night, show after show.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Brook acknowledged. \u201cBut the blocking helps with that. So, we have to hit this mark at this place, at this point in time. But within that framework, we have flexibility and [Director] Tyler [Young] has been so wonderful in letting us make our own acting choices.”<\/p>\n
For this reason, no two shows are exactly alike. There will be variations depending on how each actor delivers their lines and the reaction that elicits from their scene partner. The script may dictate what they say, this listening-and-responding mechanism will affect how they deliver their lines.<\/p>\n
This may seem like nuance, but it makes the overall performance authentic and fresh.<\/p>\n
Finally, Brook has also learned to be messier.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd with Carrie, there is so much to be messy with,\u201d Brook noted. \u201cBeing messy means that I don’t always have to be so easily digestible to an audience. In real life, as humans, we’re messy. We are different. It’s not always easy to understand where we’re coming from or how we’re feeling or what we’re thinking or what we’re saying, and allowing that messiness to really come out and not being afraid of it is really, really huge, especially for a character like Carrie, especially as you get towards the end with the destruction and all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Brook](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088055_630_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Brook in the role of Rapunzel in Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’<\/p>\n
Her stage credits include Anne Boleyn in \u201cSix the Musical,\u201d Dorothy for The Belle Theatre in \u201cThe Wizard of Oz,\u201d Pocahontas in \u201cDisenchanted the Musical\u201d for The Belle Theatre, Cady Heron for Gulf Coast Symphony in \u201cMean Girls Jr.,\u201d the ensemble of \u201cLes Miserables\u201d for Melody Lane Theatre, Rapunzel in Stephen Sondheim\u2019s \u201cInto the Woods,\u201d Sandy in \u201cGrease,\u201d Margot Frank in \u201cThe Diary of Anne Frank\u201d and Mary in Mary Poppins. In 2023, Sophia earned the All Star Award at the Atlanta Junior Theater Festival, and she scored five superiors at the District Thespians with a Best in Room accolade.<\/p>\n
![\"Sophia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088055_724_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Sophia Brook<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Sophia Brook<\/p>\n
Sophia Brook on the red carpet at Bell Tower Cinema for the opening of ‘The Remedy.’ <\/p>\n
In 2023, Sophia also starred in a short Christian film. Titled \u201cThe Remedy,\u201d the film tells a story of redemption and hope in the context of a troubled father-daughter relationship that was inspired by the true-life relationship of director\/screenwriter Kate Olivia Sandnes with her late father. Brook received a Best Actress nomination and the film was chosen as Best Short Film by the 2023 Christian Online Film Festival (the largest festival of its kind in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Sophia made her feature film debut as Emily in \u201cRough Draft\u201d (Dangerous Curves Productions), directed by Aaron Jackson. She has also appeared as Victoria in \u201cDEAR \u2026\u201d (BrandonVia Productions).<\/p>\n
In addition to her work on stage and screen, Sophia recently completed an international internship at Buraco Nigro Recording Studio in Brazil, where she collaborated on audio for film projects. In the U.S., she recorded vocals with Beyond Entertainment for the demo track of the original musical “The Czar of Hollywood,” now available on all streaming platforms.<\/p>\n
Brook has trained in acting, voice, and dance for over a decade and continues to refine her craft through intensive study and professional coaching. She has also performed the national anthem at more than 50 public events and serves as the founder and president of Loving Letters, an organization that sends uplifting handwritten letters to seniors across the country.<\/p>\n
Her artistry and leadership have earned her numerous recognitions, including multiple Critic\u2019s Choice Awards at the Florida Thespian State Festival, the All-Star Award at the Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, and Best Overall Production honors at Broadway Stars of the Future.<\/p>\n
With every role, she strives to tell stories that move hearts, spark empathy, and captivate audiences.<\/p>\n
An accomplished singer, Brook has performed at venues around Southwest Florida, including with the City of Palms Youth Choir and Gulf Coast Symphony at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.<\/p>\n
![\"Emily](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088056_362_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Emily Feichthaler<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Emily Feichthaler <\/p>\n
Emily Feichthaler is a veteran of more than 38 community theater and high school musical productions. <\/p>\n
About Emily Feichthaler<\/p>\n
Feichthaler has performed in more than 38 community theater and high school (Oasis High) musicals. Her stage credits include Caitlyn Caussin and a French teacher for Melody Lane Theatre in “Mean Girls High School Edition,” work in the ensemble of “Footloose” for Cultural Park Theatre, Heather Duke (Green Heather) in The Belle Theatre\u2019s production of “Heathers the Musical Teen Edition” (2023); Vicki\/Maggie\/Judy in “A Chorus Line Teen Edition” for Melody Lane Theatre (2023), Little Eponine in “Les Miserables” for Melody Lane Theatre (2021), “Footloose” for Fort Myers Theatre (2021), Matilda in “Matilda the Musical JR.” for Creative Theater Workshop, Eva in “Bring It On” for The Belle Theatre, Matilda\/Erica in “Matilda JR.” for Melody Lane Performing Arts Center, Apostle\/Angel\/Featured Dancer in \u201cHerod\u2019s Song\u201d in “Jesus Christ Superstar” for French Woods Performing Arts Center, Taylor in “High School Musical” for The Belle Theatre, Evie\/Audrey in “Descendants JR” for Fort Myers Theatre, Willy Wonka in “Willy Wonka JR” for The Belle Theatre, Timon in “Lion King JR” for Oasis Middle School, Mme. Carlotta in “Phantom of the Opera” for Fort Myers Theatre, Policewoman\/Swing in “Clue” for Oasis High School Thespians, Young Sophie in “Mamma Mia!” for Oasis High School Thespians, Director of the Show in “Elf the Musical” for Wolf Creek Collective, Featured Ensemble in “Clue” for Wolf Creek Collective, Silly Girl 1\/Enchantress\/Dancer\/Napkin in “Beauty and the Beast” for Florida Repertory Theatre, Jafar in “Aladdin JR” for Fort Myers Theatre, ensemble in “Descendants” for Alliance Youth Theatre, Serena Katz U\/S in “Fame JR” for Fort Myers Theatre, Foxy\/Skylights the Pirate in “Peter Pan JR” for Melody Lane Performing Arts Center, Who Family Member in “Seussical JR” for Oasis Middle School, Steward\/Milky the Cow in “Into the Woods” for Melody Lane Performing Arts Center, Clerk\/Londoner in “Mary Poppins JR” for Melody Lane Performing Arts Center, Chef Ludmilla\/Farmer Jerry in “Dear Edwina JR” in Oasis Elementary School and Lynn\/Lemur in “Madagascar JR” for Oasis Elementary School.<\/p>\n
![\"Emily](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088057_435_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Emily Feichthaler as Heather Duke in The Belle Theatre’s production of ‘Heathers the Musical.’ <\/p>\n
Emily’s passion is performing, but she is also a talented athlete. She is an accomplished soccer, tennis and golf player. She is captain and No. 1 singles on her high school tennis team, has earned two black belts in karate, and played on the Cyclones’ traveling soccer team.<\/p>\n
![\"Emily](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088058_659_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Emily Feichthaler in the ensemble of ‘Footloose.’ <\/p>\n
She wants to be in movies, on Broadway, and in commercials. She has sung the national anthem for the Minnesota Twins, at the City of Palms Classic National Basketball Tournament, and at ECHL Florida Everblades Hockey Games.<\/p>\n
She received a superior rating (the highest) at the Florida Vocal Awards Competition in 2021. She won the 2019 Turn It Around Voice Tour with a rare high platinum rating.
Emily also enjoys academic competitions. She won her school’s Pi Memorization of digits contest with 110 digits. Emily has played piano since age 4 and is gifted academically. She loves to read and travel.<\/p>\n
Feichthaler will be attending Georgetown University in the fall. Her parents not only graduated from Georgetown. It’s where they met and fell in love.<\/p>\n
“It will be a really big chance,” she noted. “I’ve lived in Cape Coral my whole life and I’ve been in the same school, Oasis, since kindergarten. So, going off to Washington, D.C. is a little intimidating but it’s the right choice for me and I’m really going to grow as a person when I get there.”<\/p>\n
She intends to major in theater and business, with an eye toward marketing.<\/p>\n
![\"Maliyah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786088058_649_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Maliyah Mattis in ‘Heathers the Musical.’ <\/p>\n
About Maliyah Mattis<\/p>\n
Maliyah\u2019s stage credits include Motormouth Maybelle in \u201cHairspray the Musical\u201d for Florida Rep Education (2025), multiple roles (Miss Chauvenet\/Betty Chumley\/Cabby) for The Belle Theatre in \u201cHarvey,\u201d \u201cSaturday Night Fever\u201d and the ensemble of \u201cRent\u201d at The Belle Theatre, the Baker\u2019s wife in the Stephen Sondheim classic \u201cInto the Woods\u201d at Cultural Park Theatre, Shirelle in \u201cBeautiful: The Carole King Musical\u201d at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, the ensemble (and as swing) in \u201cElvis: A Musical Revolution\u201d (which represented her Broadway Palm debut), Miss Esther Sherman in \u201cFame\u201d for Cultural Park Theatre (2023), the Princess Who Kissed a Frog in \u201cDisenchanted the Musical\u201d for The Belle Theatre (2023), Yellow Heather (Heather McNamara) in \u201cHeathers the Musical Teen Edition\u201d for The Belle Theatre (2023) and \u201cAnything Goes\u201d for North Fort Myers High School in a role that gleaned Maliyah runner-up for Outstanding Performance in a Female-Identifying Role at the 2023 High School Musical Theatre Awards.<\/p>\n
Production history<\/p>\n
“Carrie” was Stephen King\u2019s first published novel. King actually threw the first few draft pages of the story in the trash. His wife, Tabitha, retrieved them, read them, and encouraged him to finish the story, which became his debut novel. Its 1974 release resulted in the sale of more than 30 million copies and changed their lives forever.<\/p>\n
Like the book, the film was a commercial success that received considerable artistic acclaim. Auditions for the film were held concurrently by Brian De Palma and George Lucas for both \u201cCarrie\u201d and \u201cStar Wars.\u201d Sissy Spacek wasn\u2019t initially De Palma\u2019s first choice for the title role. In fact, he wasn\u2019t even going to have her provide a screen test for the role. Undaunted, Spacek showed up anyway, wearing an old sailor dress her mother had made for her when she was a child, unwashed, with her hair matted down with Vasoline. Her screen test blew everyone away. Spacek lived the role during filming. She isolated herself from the rest of the cast during production, decorated her dressing room with religious iconography, and studied an illustrated Bible to inhabit Margaret White’s world from Carrie’s perspective and slept in her blood-soaked prom dress during the three-day destruction sequence to maintain continuity. Spacek received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her performance.<\/p>\n
The film’s prom scene has had a major influence on popular culture and was ranked eighth on Bravo’s 2004 program \u201cThe 100 Scariest Movie Moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarrie: The Musical\u201d had a more checkered production history.<\/p>\n
It premiered in 1988 and was a notorious Broadway bust, running for only five performances. Academy Award winners Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford (\u201cFame\u201d) and writer Lawrence D. Cohen re-wrote the show, modified the storyline and changed many of the songs. The Belle Theatre uses the revised version, a modest Off-Broadway hit in 2012.<\/p>\n
Support for WGCU\u2019s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Guess what, ever since the world beganSame plot, everyone’s been dumping on their fellow manPounding people they feel…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-365090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}