COLONY THEATRE TO STAGE MUSICAL PLAY BY PRECOCIOUS WRITERS.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

GLENDALE - For most writers and composers, seeing their work debuted on a professional stage is the result of years of struggle and perseverance.

But two talented teens who are still in high school are about to reach that enviable milestone in their lives.

Playwright Lizzie Wade, 16, a sophomore at Crescenta Valley High School, and composer Greg Wannier, 17, a senior at La Canada High School, will see their work premiered in a festival in June at The Colony Theatre in Burbank.

``It's unbelievable. Unless you are brilliant or very lucky, you are probably never going to see your stuff being performed by paid actors in costumes,'' Wade said. ``It's very amazing.''

Titled ``Bus Stops,'' Wade and Wannier's musical centers on a young man who doesn't get off the bus for five years because he is afraid that the blind date he was going to meet would not measure up to his ideals.

On the bus, he meets other riders who are also stuck in a rut in their lives because they are afraid to take chances.

Alternately hilarious, touching and uplifting, the 15-minute musical captivated an audience during a recent rehearsal.

Wade and Wannier have been attending the Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop on scholarship for the past year while also keeping up with regular school.

Since October, they have been studying alongside adult students - many of whom are more than twice their age - to learn the nuts and bolts of writing a musical.

As part of their final project, the two were teamed earlier this year with Joan Conrad, a lyricist and a grandmother, to write the musical.

``They are treated like peers. They are not treated as kids,'' said John Sparks, artistic director of the workshop, which is located on Brand Boulevard.

By all accounts, the youngsters are measuring up.

``They are very good. I've been very impressed,'' said Arline ``Arlo'' Williams, the workshop's executive director. ``They've held up.''

What the teens lack in experience, they make up for in talent, Sparks said.

``Lizzie is a charming playwright,'' he said. ``She has a really interesting way with words. She also understands the concept of dialogue - making the words mean more than their dictionary definition.''

Sparks praised Wannier for his original music.

``Greg writes very contemporary, interesting music. He is not from a musical theater background, so his music is original,'' he said.

When the two teens joined the workshop last year, neither had any experience in creating a musical or working on an equal basis with adults.

``I didn't know how they would react to my being half of their age,'' Wade said. ``I came in, and everyone was throwing around these musical names I've never heard of, let alone seen.''

Wannier also admitted to feeling intimidated.

``I was just some high school kid who came in because I liked making music,'' said the self-taught composer who also sings. ``There are all these adults. I really want to impress people.

The compositions he did for the musical, Wannier said, represent the first ``real songs'' he has written.

``I no longer say I've made things up, that I've composed stuff,'' he said. ``Now I can say I've made a musical.''COLONY THEATRE ``Bus Stops'' and other short musicals will be premiered June 10 and 12 at The Colony Theatre in Burbank, 555 N. Third St. Admission is $10. For reservations, call [phone].

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Work by composer Greg Wannier, 17, and playwright Lizzie Wade, 16, will be debuted in June.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News