Two weeks ago, the high school put on four strong performances of the Fall Play How the West was Dun.  It was the last play for many of the seniors in the theater department, and according to Director Mrs. Farrell, all of the cast and crew members, not just the seniors, truly pulled together as an even closer family in the days leading up to the show.  “The students were helping each other with makeup and hair,” and “by helping each other off stage and on stage, their characters grew, allowing for more comedy in the show.”

The attendance for this performance was down somewhat from last year’s Spook House.  However, the audience’s response was nonetheless very positive.  Cast members were not expecting so many laughs during the performances, so they were happily surprised when the crowd unexpectedly burst into laughter and applause during scenes.  Mrs. Farrell was approached by many audience members praising the quality of the show and the individual characters’ performances.

In the moments leading up to the Saturday night performance, the final performance, the cast and crew were very emotional.  As is tradition, the seniors give speeches to the rest of the group, and these only added to the bittersweet sentiments of the group.  Mrs. Farrell said the seniors explained “how important it is to continue being a family to help each other be successful,” and “as a director it is great to see the connection between the cast, as well as hear the wonderful words of appreciation, encouragement and wisdom.”

Mrs. Farrell believes this show will highly prepare the students for the upcoming musical Beauty and the Beast.  Between gaining confidence skill in their stage abilities and growing as performers and a family, the students are ready to take on the musical.  According to Mrs. Farrell, “auditions may be very challenging, because choosing between them is going to be very hard!”  This could be a repeat of the immensely difficult casting process of How the West was Dun.