MAHOMET — Keegan Pogue must be a natural.
The Mahomet-Seymour senior’s prior theater experience consisted of stage-hand work. That is, until this year.
Pogue decided to try out for an acting part in Mahomet-Seymour High School’s spring musical, “Hello, Dolly!” which opens Friday.
He landed a lead role.
“That’s pretty unusual. Pretty unusual,” musical producer Christa Ledin said.
“It’s fantastic!” Pogue said of his experience.
“I decided to try out, and it looked like a blast. I practiced a lot and got just what I wanted.”
Pogue said he would have taken any role he could get. He got much more.
Pogue plays the male lead, Horace, opposite female lead Alex Olson’s Dolly in the two-cast performance. Pogue’s friend John Grygiel IV, whom he credits with helping him a great deal, and Eden Sanborn play Horace and Dolly in the other cast.
“Hello, Dolly!” runs two weekends in the high school auditorium. Friday performances open at 7 p.m. Other 7 p.m. performances are April 13, 19 and 20. Sunday performances on April 14 and 21 begin at 2 p.m.
On days when they are not performing their lead roles, Pogue and Grygiel are part of the show’s ensemble.
— DAVE HINTON