Gallery • 9 Photos

Raylene Factora

From last years, "Seussical the Musical."

Last year, “After Juliet” allowed us to see past the classic Shakespeare story with new conflicts and action. “Seussical the Musical” channeled our inner Suess and pushed us to take our imagination to uncharted lands. “The Great All-American Musical Disaster” gave us a bizarre storyline and memorable characters that kept us laughing even outside the theatre walls.

But with the new year and a new group of students, West Ranch theatre has a lot in store for us this year.

“Each year, we produce four main stage plays out of the two Advanced Theatre Arts classes. In the musical theatre class, we’re doing ‘Into the Woods’ by Stephen Sondheim. In the other advanced class, we’re doing ‘Letters to Sala’ by Arlene Hutton,” said theatre teacher Christopher Cook about this upcoming school year.

You may have seen Disney’s movie adaptation of “Into the Woods,” a diverse, fun story that features many of our favorite fairytale characters, like Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.    

“Letters to Sala,” however, is a story of very different origins. It follows the survival story of young girl during Nazi Germany. The diverse range between these two shows has students thrilled for what is coming this year in theatre.

“I’m really excited about the shows we are doing this semester. I’m especially excited for ‘Into the Woods’ because it just looks like such a fun piece to perform,” said junior and returning theatre student Levi Adams.

With multiple shows planned for the year, theatre students are expected to put multiple hours and dedication into each one. Actors focus on rehearsing lines, songs and choreography. Stagecraft students work on the set, lighting, sound, makeup and costumes.

“A typical play production takes anywhere from 120 to 150 total hours,” said Cook. Theatre students put a lot of work into their shows and not just for the passing grade, but for something that reaches beyond the class.