A supervillain who has to defeat his own superhero best friend to keep his spot in a club of evildoers takes the stage at Lakewood's Senney Theater this month, as Beck Center for the Arts opens its 78th Youth Theater season with the comedy “Dr. Experimentor and the League of Evil.” The show runs Oct. 22 through Oct. 25, 2026, and brings vegetarian zombies, pacifist ninjas and robot soldiers along for the ride, according to Beck Center for the Arts.
Written by Charlotte Nixon, the play follows Dr. Experimentor, described as a mastermind supervillain who must fight to maintain his membership in the League of Evil by defeating the superhero Extremo, according to BroadwayWorld. The production is performed entirely by Beck Center's youth theater students and features, per the same listing, “an arsenal of ingenious inventions, minions, vegetarian zombies, pacifist ninjas, and robot soldiers.” Russel Stich directs, as reported by cleveland.com.
Students in the Spotlight
Louisa Sabol, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Rocky River Middle School, plays a teenage mutant ninja bunny. She told cleveland.com that youth theater gives her a sense of community and a chance to perform. She also said participating has helped her reading, fluency and comprehension of literature.
Beyond the laughs, Stich framed the production around a broader goal for the program. He said his ultimate aim is helping make better people rather than necessarily better actors, the outlet reported. Theater, he added, emphasizes teamwork, belonging to a group and being someone others can count on — values that align with Beck Center's Youth Theater mission of character building.
A Program With a Long History
Among the student cast is Louisa Sabol, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Rocky River Middle School, who plays a teenage mutant ninja bunny in the production, as noted by cleveland.com. Sabol said she enjoys youth theater for its sense of community and the opportunity to perform, according to the same Cleveland.com account. She also credited the program with helping her improve her reading, fluency and comprehension of literature.
Beck Center's Youth Theater program has operated for more than 75 years, making it one of the longest continuously running youth theater programs in the country, according to Beck Center for the Arts. Any current student at the center is eligible to audition for its productions, the organization notes.
What Research Says About Theater
Separately from the student performers in Beck Center’s production, a National Endowment for the Arts report on theater for young audiences says seeing live theater offers children academic, social and emotional benefits.
Flexible Staging Built for a Big Cast
The script itself is built for scale. It calls for a flexible cast of 13 to 32 performers, with optional extras, and includes two optional story modules beyond the main plot that let directors adjust cast size and running time, according to Pioneer Drama Service. The staging itself stays simple, relying on uncomplicated interior and exterior sets rather than elaborate scenery.
Kicking Off a Season of Comedy, History and Satire
“Dr. Experimentor and the League of Evil” opens a four-production slate for Beck Center's 78th Youth Theater season, which also includes “Mouse in the House,” “Radium Girls” and “Urinetown: The Musical,” per BroadwayWorld's listing. The lineup was described as blending hilarious escapism, heart-wrenching history, dystopian satire and amusing adventures, according to a Cleveland.com report from July.
“Mouse in the House” follows in December, running weekends from Dec. 11 through Dec. 20 in the more intimate Studio Theater. “Radium Girls” is set for the Studio Theater on Feb. 26-28 and March 4-7, 2027, while “Urinetown” closes out the season back at the Senney Theater, running weekends from April 30 through May 9, 2027, cleveland.com reported at the time: cleveland.com.
