Featuring…

Blake Lonergan…………………………………………………………………………………………….Nick Piazza

Maureen Davies……………………………………………………………………………………………Serena Katz

Chris Yousif……………………………………………………………………………………………………Joe Vegas

Amy Rapp…………………………………………………………………………………………………..Carmen Diaz

Paul Zaremba…………………………………………………………………………………………..Tyrone Jackson

Vanessa Legaspi…………………………………………………………………………………..Mabel Washington

Caitlin Walberg………………………………………………………………………………………………….Iris Kelly

Joseph Kujawinski…………………………………………………………………………..Schlomo Metzembaum

Molly Eul……………………………………………………………………………………………………….Grace Lamb

Brian Eiffes…………………………………………………………………………………………………….Goody King

Nicole Babicz………………………………………………………………………………………Ms. Esther Sherman

Evelyn Smith……………………………………………………………………………………………….Ms. Greta Bell

Andrew Trygstad…………………………………………………………………………………………………..Mr. Meyers

Kim Grossman…………………………………………………………………………………………….Ms. Shienkopf

Chorus

Beth Rowe

Cassie Schwietert

Colleen Sinclair

Jen Altheide

Jennifer Lenius

Laura Winters

Lauren Matthews

Chris Hulings

Kat Dennis

Rachel Johnson

It’s been a banner week for budding theater impresario Allison Orr. Not only is her production of “Into the Woods” opening Friday, but for the first time she won’t need a ride from her parents after the show.

“I got my license Monday,” said Orr, 16, a high school junior and founder of Just South of Broadway, an all-student professional theater company.

Somewhere between the spirit of the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland “let’s put on a show” musicals and the church-basement birth of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Orr dreamed up the idea during freshman year at Prospect High School. Launched with friends last summer, the group has grown from a seven-student production to this year’s cast of 18 and a 12-piece orchestra. The high school and college students have been rehearsing nightly for 10 weeks at an Arlington Heights church under Orr’s direction.

“Having a wider range of people makes it a little bit more of a challenge, but it’s a lot more rewarding,” said Orr, who lives in Arlington Heights.

Last year’s “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” sold out a rented 90-seat club for two shows. Buoyed by critical and financial success — they netted about $600 — ambitions are running higher this year after booking the 450-seat Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights.

“It’s easy to put on a show in your back yard and say, ‘Hey guys, come on over, dress in your parents clothes,’ and that’s not what they’re doing,” said Jeremy Morton, Orr’s drama teacher at Prospect.

Tackling Stephen Sondheim’s large-scale musical, the students have handled everything from promotion to designing and building sets. A Web site was created and a cell phone designated as the box office number to begin the formidable task of filling the house.

“I could not think of anything I’d rather be doing,” Orr said, referring to a summer vacation featuring more stage lights than sunlight.

Profits will be rolled into next summer’s production, but the future of Just South of Broadway may be up in the air when Orr heads to college and a planned career in theater education.

“Maybe there will be someone who can take over or maybe we’ll have to stop doing shows,” she said. “I think that it has to be all student run or it just won’t be the same.”

Shows are 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Forest View, 2121 S. Goebbert Rd. Tickets are $10, with $1 going to charity. Visit justsouthofbroadway.com.