Last weekend, Becker middle school and high school drama students showcased their talent on an outdoor stage. The middle schoolers performed Pirates of Penzance, and the high schoolers presented You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Both groups put on excellent performances with beautiful weather for the productions.
Middle School Play
Pirates of Penzance is a musical comedy about a young pirate who wants to leave behind his life of crime on the high seas and fall in love with a pretty girl.
Starring in the play were: Dru Thornton, as Samuel; Kennedy Riffe, as the Pirate King; Tate Salvevold, as Frederic; Sophia Fakhreddine, as Ruth; Kaylie Clemen, as Kate; Mina Nelson, as Edith; Abby Gamble, as Isabel; Grace Gifford, as Mabel; Brody Bjerga, as Major-General Stanley; and Hunter Graftaas, as the Sergeant.
Cast in the pirate crew were: Ellie Staples, Holly Burthwick, Sylvia Johansen, Maddie Mlenek, Kaylee Smith, Morgan Riedel, Shelby Whaley, Kurt Neumann, Abby Dove, Reis Brake, and Jenna Koscielniak.
Cast as the daughters of the major-general were: Sydney Grecula, Grace Withrow, Claire Jensen, Jaxon Severson, Cece Jones, Kali Lombard, Brinkley Salvevold, Elaynna Kuklok, and Kaylee Waters.
Cast as constables were: Addie Mohler, Courtney Riedinger, Ash Lumley, Evedson Johnson, Abbey Hennen, Kenley Nicholas, Molly Hoefs, and Jo Jones.
Director Greg Lynch said, “After the cancellation of last year’s show State Fair Jr. on opening night due to the first COVID wave, this year my main goal for the production was to give actors a chance to get back on stage and perform for a live audience. So many students have been stuck at home in front of screens for so long, I think the actors were excited to be out putting a production together in person. And they did great. We still had COVID protocols to follow and didn’t know for a long time whether we would be allowed to perform without masks or not. In the end everything seemed to come together: the weather cooperated (though it was a bit chilly Friday), the mask mandate for performers was lifted, and the kids did a great job.
“I would like to thank our school administrators for being so supportive of the program and being so willing to work with the drama and fine arts programs to put together a great outdoor performance venue. I do think we’re all looking forward to a more ‘normal’ season next year though!”
High School Play
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, is a musical based on the original Peanuts comics, consisting of a series of short, comedic scenes with all the beloved Peanuts characters.
Starring in the play were: Tucker Schmoll, as Charlie Brown; Aria Webster, as Lucy; Anna Pancoast, as Sally; Connor Schafer, as Linus; Austin Clemen, as Schroeder; Chris “CJ” Klein, as Snoopy; Devynn Cox, as Woodstock; Kaelyn Lombard, as Violet; Nick Roehl, as Pig Pen; Alyssa Oelmann, as Peppermint Patty; and Brooke Peterson, as Marcy.
Ensemble included: Ellie Christensen, M Kolbinger, Emelya Hanson, Brianna Dahle, Nash Super, Madison Makarrall, Colette Koscielniak, Sienna Blauer, Anna Kuklok, Bryce Berger, Carson Hagberg, Kayla Meyer, Kendall Wiggins, Allie Rose Euerle, Ryleigh Procter, Skye McCarty, and LaJon Singer.
Tech crew included: Paige Johnson, Sam Warren, Patience Severson, AJ Schmidt, Shelly Clemen, Craig Vogl, Camden Aanenson, Nathan Christianson.
Director Joe Rand said, “We had such a journey putting this show together. We knew from the start that it could be over at any moment because of COVID, so we didn’t take any of it for granted. The kids worked harder than ever. Especially when faced with cast members having to quarantine the week of the show because of exposure. Luckily those cast members were able to return and perform. The relaxed style of performing outside was awesome and felt like a huge accomplishment given all the new things we had to learn.”
