South County youths take the stage at The Muny

The Muny is a hallmark of St. Louis in the summer. As the sun went down each night over the outdoor theatre — now the winner of a Regional Theatre Tony Award — audience members with a keen eye may have been able to spot South County youths under the spotlight at any of the first three shows of the season: “Bring It On,” “Come From Away” and “Frozen.”

The 2025 season kicked off on June 16 with “Bring It On,” a high-energy feat of acrobatics, chronicling a high school cheerleading competition. Current high schoolers were sprinkled through the ensemble of the snappy musical, including two students from Cor Jesu Academy: Abby Hogan and Madison Geiger.

Hogan is an incoming junior at CJA, and Geiger is an incoming freshman. Hogan performed with the Muny Teens troupe while Geiger performed with the Muny Kids; they both will continue to perform with their respective troupes on select nights at the Broadhurst Pavilion before the show.

“Great job, Abby and Madison!” Amy Willard Top, the CJA drama teacher, commented on Facebook. “I really enjoyed your performance.”

On June 26, The Muny premiered “Come From Away,” a heartfelt musical based on the true story of 38 commercial flights that were diverted to a small town in Newfoundland during 9/11. Joining the ensemble from Lutheran High School South was recent graduate AnnaKait Peters-Bahkou. 

“It was pretty shocking because we’re never in the show that much,” Peters-Bahkou said about the youth ensemble. “Once we started to get the feel of it, it really felt like we were a part of the cast.”

According to Peters-Bahkou, this show was a test of endurance for the involved teens, as the performers were on stage for the majority of the production. This included moving sets, helping the actors with costume changes and more. 

Peters-Bahkou made her debut as part of The Muny’s youth ensemble last year for “Fiddler on the Roof.” She plans to attend Belmont University for theatre performance in the fall, and she’s currently working on a production of “Into the Woods” at the Gateway Center for Performing Arts here in St. Louis.

“I was honored to have the experience,” Peters-Bahkou said. “It was such a blessing.”