"The Lion King" cast says 'Hakuna McConnell'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Victor J. Caputo
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  McConnell Airmen and civilians had the chance to meet cast and crew from the musical "The Lion King," Sept. 11, 2012, at the Robert J. Dole Community Center Ballroom.

Dozens of people came to meet the cast and crew. Currently serving and retired military members brought their children, spouses and parents to interact with the cast. After a question-and-answer session, the cast signed autographs and posed for pictures with everyone in attendance.

For some of the Airmen in the crowd, this meet-and-greet gave them an opportunity to look at the behind-the-scenes aspect of performance arts. For the cast and crew, it gave them a chance to interact with a different type of crowd, composed almost entirely of active and retired military members and their families, said Electra Watson, "The Lion King" ensemble performer.

Attendants asked a multitude of questions to the performers, ranging from basic details of the show to what life is like on the road.

"We go out and perform eight shows a week, 52 weeks a year," said John Sloan III, "The Lion King" ensemble performer. "It gets really tough being gone for so long."

"The Lion King" has been in production since 1997 and translated into seven different languages. The show marked its Wichita debut at the Century II Concert Hall, Sept. 4., Wichita, Kan.

During the current tour of the show, it will be playing in Wichita for the duration of the month of September. The event at the Dole Center was decided on because of the influence McConnell has in the Wichita community.

"We wanted to do something special and it ended up being on a really special day," said Reida York, Theatre League director of advertising, promotions and public relations. "We felt this could be a really nice gesture to [McConnell]."