Wilton Kids Play 'Guys and Dolls' On Summer Stage

WILTON, Conn. – Ben Senneff doesn’t often get to be the “cool kid.” But this summer on the stage of Wilton High School’s Clune Center, he will get the chance.

Ben, 13, will play Sky Masterson, one of the main characters in "Guys and Dolls," this summer’s feature presentation of the Wilton Children’s Theater Summer Stage program.

“I think it fits me perfectly,” said Ben, who will be an eighth-grader at Middlebrook School when classes resume this fall. “He (Sky) is supposed to be too cool for school. It’s a great learning experience, and it’s very exciting. I have a lot to do in the show.”

Ben is one of 52 Wilton students in grades 7 to 10 taking part in Summer Stage. They have been practicing several days a week since June 21 to prepare for the show, which is set in 1930s New York City. The production, a Broadway classic, will take to the stage July 12 and 13 at the Clune Center.

In some of his previous stage roles, Ben said he played characters who were mean, kind or excited. This time, he gets to play a guy who wears his hat sideways to show how cool he is. “He (Masterson) has a little swagger,” Ben said.

“This is an incredible cast, a very talented cast,” said Liz Salguero, a producer for the show and president of Wilton Children’s Theater, which has been running for 35 years. “All of them are theater veterans, and they’ve been (acting) since fourth grade.”

Previous Summer Stage productions include "You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown," "The Wiz," "Once On This Island," "Footloose," "Grease" and "Godspell."

The students will go rehearse for 96 hours for the show. “They love this,” Salguero said of the practices. “They live and breathe theater. They’re all looking forward to it.”

Showtime for both performances is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. For more information, call Salguero at 203-984-8233.

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