‘The Prom’ is the latest not-just-entertaining production of Rise Above.
By Tamara Solum and Kylee Worth
Original Air Date: June 11, 2025
Host: Rise Above, the youth theater group in Sarasota, is taking a risk in the search of love and acceptance. Tamara Solum went to see their latest musical, “The Prom,” for herself, and Kylee Worth provided the interviews.
Tamara Solum: The lobby and house are one and the same at Sarasota’s Rise Above Performing Arts. The theatre is a former pizza restaurant with high ceilings, a bar and a proscenium stage without curtains. Last Friday, the venue at the Siesta Crossings mall next to Cinebistro was permeated by jubilant teen energy. My friend and I were ushered through some tight seating into our second row chairs by an enthusiastic student. It was the second night of the short run for “The Prom” and there were many empty seats. Nonetheless, the music started right at 7:30, and the show began.
“The Prom” cast poster.
Having seen “The Prom” on Broadway and the Netflix televised performance in 2020, I was curious to see director Jacob Ruscoe’s interpretation of this 2018 musical, which was nominated for seven Tony awards, including Best Musical.
Here’s how Vivianna Coppa, who plays the role of Alyssa, describes what The Prom is about:
Vivianna Coppa: The show is about a girl, Emma Nolan, who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom. But the PTA is freaking out, and they end up canceling the prom. But five Broadway actors come to save the day. It’s hilarious, and it has a really great conversation about love and acceptance.
TS: “The Prom” creators, Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, started writing the musical eight years before same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. While it seems the nation has moved past this controversy, bringing it to the stage in Sarasota looks like a brave choice. After all, this is the town with a Moms for Liberty founder on the school board. We are also the home of a gay high school class president who had to deliver his graduation speech talking about his “curly hair” due to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Here’s how Ruscoe describes the choice. Rather than wading into LGBTQ+ controversies, he says it’s about love. And fun.
Jacob Ruscoe: For one, you go to the theater to be entertained. Like you said about it being funny, it is hilarious. “The Prom” is definitely entertaining. As I said in my director’s message and with the cast as well, I think, as a community, we can all agree on one thing: Everybody deserves to be loved, and everybody deserves to be able to express that love.
TS: Rise Above is a youth theatre program that began in 2016 and encourages local students to audition and perform in their full-scale productions. Not afraid to confront difficult themes, they have also produced shows like “Rent,” whose characters struggle to live during the AIDS epidemic; “Spring Awakening,” about adolescence and how teenagers navigate sexuality and societal pressures; and “Next to Normal,” which deals with a woman’s struggle with mental health and its impact on her family.
Here’s how Artistic Director Jacob Ruscoe describes why young people deserve the chance to act in theater.
JR: Adults tend to not give young people their due, and we tend to limit them and put them in boxes. One of the reasons why we started Rise Above was because I was like, “Well, there’s no reason that young people can’t produce theater at the same high quality as adults can.” They are just as talented. They have sometimes even more passion than adults have just because of the place where they are in their life. When you give young people that creative space to perform and tell a message, it’s amazing what they can do.
TS: The program calls The Prom an “alumni production,” because it has pulled talent from Rise Above members who are now attending college.
Eight of the cast members in Rise Above’s “The Prom.”
In part due to that, the cast only had a little over two weeks of rehearsal to put this show together. The student Emma is played with a wholesome honesty by Caroline Russell, who is now a University of Florida psychology major. Russell has managed to tap into this multifaceted lead character. She shows her acting and vocal chops with her rendition of “Just Breathe,” where she displays both the frustration of her character, a young woman not fitting into the narrow definitions of her community, but also the strength and determination to stand up and tell her story despite possible blowback.
Another strong performance is that of Mars Woelfel, who portrays the Diva actress Dee Dee Allen. Mars is currently attending the prestigious Hartt School and is pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre. Woelfel has channeled the maturity of an aging Broadway star with aplomb and struts, sings and dances with ease in her colorful polyester jumpsuits. Her talent is spotlighted in the number “The Lady’s Improving,” where it is fun to watch her humorous evolution from a self-absorbed narcissist to a hesitantly altruistic person.
Kate Mobley beautifully plays both the charm and sexiness of Angie, a chorus showgirl with “antelope legs”, who aspires to play Roxy Hart in Chicago. With her wide, innocent eyes, you expect her to be a shallow follower, but Angie brings up her political knowledge of the electoral college, and it is Angie who helps Emma find confidence with the fun Bob Fosse-referenced number, “Zazz.” 
Other stand-out performances who bring authenticity to their roles are Marc Dalmau, a junior at Oberlin College, as Juilliard trained thespian Trent Oliver, and Mr. Hawkins, the sympathetic principal, played by Auggie Toynton.
The rest of the 30 member cast squeeze onto the stage with enthusiasm, executing many ensemble musical numbers, some more precise than others. The cast also works hard at changing set pieces, including a particularly scene-stealing bouncy air mattress.
During Pride Month, “The Prom,” with its message of tolerance, acceptance and inclusivity, hits all the right notes. The show runs through June 14, with three more performances. For more information, go to riseabovearts.com.
This is Tamara Solum, WSLR News. Thank you to Kylee Worth for providing the interviews.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.