Awesome Plays and Productions at Your Fingertips

Awesome Plays and Productions at Your Fingertips

You don't have to go to New York's Broadway or Hollywood to enjoy a breathtaking play or theatre production. Area high schools pride themselves on presenting awesome performances each year.

Cape Central High School (CHS) Cape Girardeau, drama teacher Cynthia Bradshaw says she has directed 50 plays and liked all of them. Bradshaw listed "Diary of Anne Frank," "Arsenic and Old Lace," "Pirates of Penzancee" and "Guys and Dolls" as a few of her favorites. This year's shows haven't been decided on yet but Cape Central will have a fall show on November 19--21, 2009 and a musical in spring 2010. "Drama enables the individual to open up and show the potential that will ensure success in a multitude of careers" says Bradshaw. CHS Choral Music Teacher Dina Casey says "The choirs at Cape Central present an outstanding Madrigal Feaste each Christmas season which highlights music and life in the Renaissance and a POP Concert each spring consisting of current music and that which has been popular throughout our times". "Two other concerts are held bringing out great choral repertoire throughout the ages," says Casey.

Jackson High School (JHS) public speaking and theatre teacher, Bob Clubbs says "The communication skills learned by students in these activities translate into success in whatever field they choose later in life." Jackson High produced "Dearly Departed," "Oh the Humanity" and "Bobby Wilson Can Eat His Own Face" in 2007/2008. "The Mousetrap", "The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet" and "At the Bottom of Lake Missoula" were shown in 2008/2009 and JHS will produce "Steel Magnolias" this fall on October 23, 24 and 30, 2009 at 7:00 PM.

Saxony Lutheran High School, Jackson started drama with two low budget plays "High School--It's a Concept!" and "Collage." By the next year they were doing full-length plays--including "Our Town," "Hollywood Hotel," and "Meet Me in St. Louis". Last year Saxony tried its first dinner-theatre doing two one-act plays, "Making Nice," and "Just Desserts". Another dinner theatre is planned for fall 2009. The school has also done two well-known musicals: "South Pacific" in 2008 at the Perry Park Center Theatre in Perryville and "Fiddler on the Roof" in 2009. Another musical is planned for 2010. "I think drama is such an important program for high school students because it offers another place for students to find their niche", says Tammy Petzoldt, Drama Director at Saxony Lutheran High School.

Notre Dame High School is well-known for its "numerous" plays. The school presents two full length shows each year--a non-musical one in the fall and a musical in the spring. Notre Dame designs and builds its own scenery. Drama teacher and director Cindy King says "Theatre teaches discipline and teamwork in both the technical and the performance areas, some students discover new talents and they also experience the joy of audience appreciation for the results of their work."

In November, 2008 Notre Dame presented "And Then They Came for Me," a multi media exploration of the lives of two Holocaust survivors who knew Ann Frank. "Anything Goes, "presented in April 2009, exposed the cast and crew to Cole Porter and theatre of the thirties. Among other great productions were a musical "Into the Woods", April 1991 and a non-musical "The Dining Room ", in November 2003. The plays are a joint effort between King, Vocal director Ellen Seyer, Choreographer Deana Pecord, dance teacher and band teacher Jim Hindman and others.