It’s that time of year again. Every year the Pleasant Valley Drama Department puts on a spectacular show, and this year is no exception. The show this year was titled Kiss Me, Kate. Suitable for people of all different tastes, the show was a massive success.
The show follows Fred Graham, played by Jimmy Guest, and his company of actors that portray Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. However, chaos ensues as the leading female role who is Lilli Vanessi, played by Madison Wells, Fred’s ex-wife. There is lots of comedy and romance, and all this makes for a great show in the end.
In order to perform this show as well as the actors did, there was a lot of time and effort put into getting it ready for a live audience. Set, hair, makeup, lights and sound, pit orchestra, and the actors themselves had lots of work to do in order to reach the point they have gotten to so far. Rehearsal was everyday and set, lights and sound all met on weekends as well for additional work time.
All this hard work pays off in the end. The musical, with all of its individual moving parts and intricacies, came together and formed an absolutely amazing show. Senior Will Mercer says, “I think this year’s musical as a whole has helped introduce new people to the theatre as many positions formerly held have been vacated by the graduated class.” This just shows how much effort is put forth for the musical. All the cast and crew are very motivated to learn and present their part to the fullest of their abilities.
There is also a lot of work done with many of the exemplar adults, whether they be teachers or staff from our school or volunteers from outside the school. Among the many teachers/staff that assist with the musical are William Myatt, David Baxter, Francis Dunbar, Brian Gartner and Zachary Chaplain. In addition to these wonderful staff members, there are also many volunteers such as Christina Myatt and Mary Gode. These adults are one of the key reasons why the musical is so successful every year. Katie Bullock, a current senior, said “They each bring their own set of talent and values to the table. I primarily worked with Mrs. Gode because I was in charge of hair crew and she does hair makeup and costumes. One thing I’ve noticed about her and the whole team in general is that they’re very versatile which is necessary for theatre.” This versatility and ability to help with anything throughout the production is why the adult members of the department are so valuable.
This passion for drama and all the work that goes into each year’s musical is exactly why it is such a success each and every year. Kiss Me, Kate was an absolutely phenomenal show because of all the dedication and devotion each and every single member contributed to the production.
