Pleasant Valley has been known in years past to put on a one-act play: a 40-minute show put on for local children. However, this year the drama department is trying something different.
This year, under the direction of senior Sophia Dahm, the one-act children’s play is getting a lot more attention than it has in past years. Dahm picked the script, “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” for this year’s production and is taking it to the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) large group speech competition.
However, unlike other years, the show is also traveling to children’s hospitals in the surrounding area. Giving back is very important to the Pleasant Valley community and bringing cheerful entertainment during this holiday season was the main goal of this production.
Taking the show to various locations is no easy task. The department has to be able to fit all of the costumes, props, and technology into the bus that the entire cast rides to the various destinations. This means that the crew had to improvise and be innovative with their planning.
Getting the show ready has been no easy task as well. Auditions were held early in the semester along with auditions for the other children show, “A Wrinkle in Time”, under the direction of Jimmy Guest. Currently, both shows are in the process of blocking, one of Dahm’s favorite parts. Blocking is a technique used in theater when the director guides the actor’s movements.
In the past, the one-act play has been known to be simplistic and wasn’t a main focus for the theater department. However, this year Dahm plans on changing the trend. Katie Bullock, a senior at pleasant Valley participated in last year’s production and is excited about the new changes. She stated, “this year there are more elaborate costumes, more tech, and an overall greater amount of attention going into the production.”
Dahm is very passionate about the show and is hopeful that the message of the act gets through to the audience. Dahm stated, “This show is unique from other shows because although it is a children’s story, it is a story of hope and one for all audiences.”
