FLEMING ISLAND – The Island Theatre puts on productions for the community and gives many people, from experienced to novice, with a chance to learn the theater arts and live out a dream to get on stage in front of the crowd.

Two of those performers are local high school students.

Sunai Grant and Garrett Bleau attend Ridgeview and Fleming Island highs, respectively. Both have performed in multiple productions for the Island Theatre, recently completing a two-weekend run of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

“My first show here was in Shrek,” said Grant, a 15-year old freshman at Ridgeview. “So that was around like two years ago maybe. That was a lot of fun to do that. I was a dragon.”

That was Grant’s first performance.

“That was my first time. I was always one of those kids, like kids who did, like sports,” she said. “And my mom found this theatre, so I was like, ‘this sounds like fun.’” Her mom suggested that she try something new, and she loved it. Grant also performances drama at her school.

Bleau is a sophomore.

“He does a lot of theatre at the Island [Theatre], and he also does a lot at his own school, and he also does theatre at some of the other community theatres as well,” said Tricia Williams, managing director of the Island Theatre. “So he pretty much is in a theatre all the time.”

He has already performed in 11 productions at the Island Theatre and has the lead role of Jean Valjean in the upcoming production there of Les Miserables. According to Williams, Bleau is a ‘rock-star.’ He doesn’t care about having the lead role. He will do whatever is needed of him, and whatever best helps the production to be successful.

“He’s like: ‘You need me? What do you want me to do?’” said Williams. “He would be a tree if that’s what you needed him to be.” He has always been around drama. His mother is a drama teacher at Green Cove Springs Junior High. Not only is he a talented actor, but he is also in the chorus and the ACE program for advanced students.

Grant also will be performing in Les Miserables and loves to work with Bleau. She also enjoys working with Williams and director Daniel Osofsky. She has found her groove in being on stage at the Island Theatre.

“It just boosts me up when I’m on the stage,” she said. “Generally, I’m kind of shy, but when I’m on the stage, I can feel like I’m a different person, and it just lifts me up.”