The Robert Frye Auditorium at St. Peter’s High School will be alive with the sound of music for the performance of the classic musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein on two weekends this March.
“’The Sound of Music’ is a timeless story. It’s a story that touches hearts everywhere, so I think you’ll see the audience singing, tapping and humming along because everybody knows the songs,” said director Jim Cox.
This double-cast performance will feature six separate shows on March 21, 22, 28, and 29 at 7 p.m. and March 23 and March 29 at 2:30 p.m.
“We’ve double-cast because, frankly, we’ve got tremendous talent. We’re really blessed with great folks, whether they’re adults, high school students, or elementary kids,” the director said. In total, there are about 90 people involved in the musical, including actors, tech workers, and other volunteers.
Because it is double-cast, “It’ll be six different shows, which is very exciting, so everyone in the audience should come six times,” Cox said with a laugh.
The number of elementary students who auditioned outweighed the number of available parts, so the crew decided to add an extra group of characters to the script called the Salzburg Mini-Singers. “Our goal is to involve as many people possible,” Cox explained.
Actor Ryan Shreve, who performs with the Ashland Regional Ballet and recently starred in the Renaissance performance of “Avenue Q,” will star as Captain Georg von Trapp. “He’s a great, great asset,” said Cox of Shreve.
Cox also highlighted siblings Ross and Rowan Pruettmiller, who are nationally-ranked Irish dancers. The pair will play two of the von Trapp children. He further noted Beth Clark and Madeline Carter who will both star as Maria Rainer. “Beth Clark is very much involved in the Renaissance Youth Opera Theatre, and Madeline performs with the Ashland Regional Ballet,” Cox mentioned.
“I’m not surprised by the breadth of talent, because we have a ton of talent here in terms of singing, dancing, instrumental, and vocal,” Cox commented.
Assistant director Rhonda Reynolds affirmed Cox’s comment, saying, “We have a lot of talented performers and phenomenal singers. The nuns’ chorus is going to blow people away.”
Since December, the cast and crew have been hard at work preparing for the musical. “I’m not looking for perfection; I’m looking for the cast to tell the story and act in a way that draws the audience in and leaves them saying, ‘That was one heck of a show. I’m so proud of those kids,” said Cox.
Technical Director Mark Ellis said that the technical side of the show is coming along nicely. Part of the set design—“a beautiful Austrian stately home”—was crafted by Carousel Works.
Ellis said he’s looking forward to the prospect of teaching a technical theatre course to St. Peter’s students, possibly next year. “We’d get to teach the kids about lighting, sound effects, costumes, and other technical aspects,” he said.
Cox confirmed the value of educating the students by saying, “What we really try to do is provide an educational opportunity for kids. We might talk about the background of the story, analyze characters, and so on.”
“We go after five principles in our theatre program,” Cox added. “We try to teach kids how to communicate, how to collaborate, how to be critical thinkers, how to be creative, and how to be confident.”
“And we couldn’t do all this without the parents’ support,” added Reynolds.
Tickets are currently onsale and may be purchased at the Parish Center, or by calling 419-524-2572. Premium seating costs $12 for adults and $10 for students, seniors, and disabled. Regular seating costs $10 for adults and $8 for students, seniors, and disabled.
The musical will be held at the Robert Frye Auditorium, 104 West First Street, Mansfield.
“We’ve double-cast because, frankly, we’ve got tremendous talent. We’re really blessed with great folks, whether they’re adults, high school students, or elementary kids,” the director said.
