By Racquel Arceo
The 1906 Oklahoma territory comes
back to life on the stage of Bellingham High School in their all district production
of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
This year’s all district spring
musical includes students from Bellingham High School, Squalicum High School
and Sehome High School.
Opening night is March 6 and
continuing on March 7 and 8 and 13-15 at 7 p.m. with a 2 p.m. performance on
March 9 and 16. Tickets are being sold at BHS Village Books and at the door for
$10 a ticket.
Coming to Bellingham High School in
2000, after the theater department was remodeled, drama teacher and musical
director Teresa Grimes will be retiring and has decided to end her work at the
school with the same performance she had started it with.
The musical, set in the old west,
tells the story of two cowboys fighting for the hearts of the women they love
through songs and dance numbers.
BHS senior, Kelsey McHugh,
choreographed each dance. After choreographing last years spring musical,
Pirates of Penzance, McHugh said she fell in to the job again this year.
“Oklahoma! was really the first to
combine ballet and opera,” said McHugh.
She said it was interesting working
with kids her age and trying to emulate the dances in a way that high schoolers
could do it while still sticking to the sort of folk dancing styles of the time
period.
“I still have the men doing kicks
and pirouettes but with more swagger, cowboy like,” said McHugh. “They do manly
pirouettes.”
Hunter Dunn, a BHS senior will be
playing the part of Andrew Carnes in his first musical at the school.
Growing up around theater Dunn said
he had no intention on missing the opportunity to be a part of the musical.
“It’s a little trifle but [my
favorite part is] the interactions on stage and seeing the final production
once it all comes together,” said Dunn.
Getting to work with Students from
the other schools, Dunn said, gave them the opportunity to put on a larger
production.
“It’s fun getting to know other
people from other schools that I wouldn’t normally be getting to meet,” he
said.
Logan Earle, a junior from Sehome
High School was recommended by his voice teacher to audition for the
performance and will be playing both Mike and Skidmore.
This is the first time Earle has
preformed in one of the BHS musicals and said it is great to have the
opportunity to preform in their theater because it is so up to date.
“Sehome has an amazing theater
program but it’s really small,” said Earle.
Earle said that the district
musical is unique because “the amazing talent that Bellingham is able to draw
from the schools.”
He said it was a large time
commitment and had to stop most of his other after school activities but it’s
worth it.
Natalie Maeda, a student from Squalicum
High School, said it is kind of annoying having to travel back and forth to BHS
six days a week for the three hour rehearsals but it’s worth it getting to
hangout with and meet different people.
“The directors are very understanding
for the students having to come from other schools,” she said
During rehearsals the students
gather back stage to work on homework, play chess or socialize.
The entire production is made up of
approximately 40 actors, 25 students making up the orchestra in the pit and 15
crewmembers working lights, sound, and the set.
The all district production gives
student from the other schools to get the opportunity to preform on the
up-to-date stage area and on a bigger scale than they would normally have
access to Grimes said.
Before the show there will be a pie
social and during intermission concessions will be sold to raise money for the
theater production.
The entire production tries to be
self-sustaining so all proceeds go back to the theater department to fund next
years musical, said Grimes.
For more information about this year’s
production or future ones call BHS at 360-676-5006
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