Photo: Orange choreographer John Gray with the cast of "Fame" currently playing at Port Arthur Little Theatre through Aug. 11. Record Photo:Penny LeLeux

Penny LeLeux

For The Record

John Gray has taught dance and choreographed shows in Orange County for years, 25 and 10 to be exact. His most recent endeavor is choreographing Port Arthur Little Theatre’s production of “Fame” which opened last weekend and has two more weeks of performances.

The show has a huge cast, mostly high school students since the setting is the School for the Performing Arts in New York. They wanted to be inclusive, so there are also a number of junior cast members too.

Gray incorporated many different forms of dance in the choreography including ballet, hip hop, lyrical and even a little Flamenco.

“It has taken me about two months to put it all together and it’s been a great two months indeed!” said Gray. “My favorite thing about choreographing “Fame” was seeing this cast bring it to life. Some of the cast has never been in a show before and they worked very hard on some pretty difficult choreography.”

If you are interested in taking dance classes from Gray, you will have to wait for another time. Gray said he is not currently teaching in a studio “…but I will be offering classes soon at Port Arthur Little Theater in musical theater and the audition process.” Gray said classes will be for all age groups.

There are a few other Orange Countians in the ensemble cast including: Shannon Kieren, Rochelle Williams and Ryan Reagor.

“Fame” is directed by Debbie Pletcher. It has 7:30 p.m. evening performances on Friday and Saturday nights, with a Sunday Matinee at 2:30 p.m. now through Aug. 11. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for active duty military and seniors, while students are $11. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.palt.org or reservations can be made by calling (409) 727-7258. You can walk in, but musicals usually sell out, so it is not recommended. The theater is located at 4701 Jimmy Johnson Blvd, Port Arthur, TX 77642.