On Thursday, Jan. 15, Mrs. Reeder’s Drama III students performed their one-act play production, “One Stoplight Town” during the school day. It was a beautiful piece about dealing with change in one’s life and learning to take a moment to breathe. The class spent eight weeks building the set, learning their lines, and getting everything squared away to be excellent role models for the Drama students attending the production. By the end, they left the audience dazzled and surely left quite a few with a renewed respect and interest in theatre.
This year’s cast was nothing less than spectacular and truly blew everyone away with their dedication to the arts and their outstanding professionalism before, after, and during the show. Destiny Fink showcased her amazing ability to get inside her character’s head and make her presence known, even in the background, with the anxious Casey. Xavier Johnston proved just how deserving he is of all the praise he receives for his acting as he effortlessly switched between Bob, a disgruntled shop owner who doesn’t like the change the stoplight symbolizes, and a kid who just wants to speed through life and gets hurt while drag racing. And no one can forget Zachary Cipriani and Brynn Robinson, as they were able to portray a pair of teens who quickly turn from frenemies to lovers as their love story flows through the stage. The two were impressively professional for their age and really showed how strong actors they are. And this is only to name a few; there were so many students who wowed the audience and who all deserve credit.
CAST LIST:
Tom – Blake Christensen
Bob – Xavier Johnston
Sally – Brynn Robinson
Jim – Zachary Cipriani
Clarence – Cooper Gutberlet
Melvin – Daniel Turner
Casey – Destiny Fink
1st Kid – Cooper Gutberlet
2nd Kid – Xavier Johnston
3rd Kid – Emily Blass
4th Kid – Michelle Favors
Girl – Destiny Fink
Emmett – Payton McNaughton
Runaway – Emily Frank
Prodigal Son – Payton McNaughton
Police Officer – Kenyon Covington
The play synopsis went as follows: “One Stoplight Town is a story about people from a town so small that you might drive through without taking a second look. But if you stopped for just a moment, you might see a young boy and girl fall in love, a cantankerous grocery store owner coping with change, a son returning home while a daughter thinks about leaving, and a handyman taking it all in while he fixes what is broken. These stories and more are filled with fun characters, lots of humor, plenty of heart and the theme that change comes for us all, whether we are ready or not.”
One of the most prominent characters, handyman Tom, was played by the amazing Blake Christensen. When asked what it was like playing such a wise and calm figure and how he did it, he commented: “I just read the script over and over to try and understand his way of thinking. I tried to think what would have happened in his past to make him feel that way.”
Overall, this performance was nothing short of a success and an amazing way for the Drama students to showcase how talented they are.
