By Anna Huffman & Matt Aiken / The Nugget --------------------- For some, it’s not just a musical. It’s the curtain call for their high school career. That’s the way senior Kyler Howell seems to describe the production of Oliver! which will take place this weekend at Lumpkin County High School.
“[Towards the end of the musical], I have a song reviewing the situation,” he said. “Then, when I get to do that for the last night, it will finally hit. … That’s it for high school.”
Fellow senior Emily Hadley feels the same way.
“I think, at least for me, it still hasn’t set in yet,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to genuinely set in until the senior show, and even then, I don’t think it’ll click.”
Still, Show Director Hannah Chapman believes her cast and crew are ready for the big moment.
“This is a show that I’ve been in three times and have wanted to direct forever,” said the LCHS Chorus Director. “I’m so excited because I love the music in this show, I’ve always loved the story of this show, and I love Charles Dickens.”
With a total of 48 students participating, it’s been quite a big production.
Hadley said that, for her, it all comes together right before the curtain opens.
“I personally love the aspect of getting ready and doing my makeup,” she said. “That's kind of a time where I collect myself, and what I've learned for when I perform is I feed off of people's giggles. Then it’s like ‘Oh my gosh, all of the work we’ve been doing has paid off.’”
With the help of the Lumpkin County High School administration, the high school carpentry class, and many more hands on deck, it’s become a show that many members of the Dahlonega community will be happy to see come to life.
When it comes to costumes, The Holly Theater, The Menagerie, and the North Hall High School Theater Department were a big help. And Chapman’s mother Janey was essential as well.
“She’s done almost every costume that’s up there,” she said.
Oliver!’s choreographer Stephanie Garret has also been coming in approximately once a week to teach the students the dances for the show. And she’s been contributing in-class instruction alongside videos and instructions for the students to practice on their own.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Leah Eversole, an LCHS Senior playing Nancy, has been in musical theater since Pre-K. And she said her favorite part has been “meeting new people and figuring out my singing range and figuring out who this character is.”
Hadley, who plays Widow Corney, said she’s grown into the role.
“I didn’t realize that I would find a lot of comfort in being a very sassy old woman who yells at her husband a bunch,” she said. “I didn’t think I would like it as much, but I do. I’ve been having a lot of fun with it, and especially with my song I Shall Scream. I ended up hitting a super high note that I didn’t even know that I could hit.”
A lot of the students said they don’t want to see their theater career end with high school, when the final curtain falls. Many of them, including stage manager Phoenix Westmoreland, said they would love to see themselves working in local theaters like The Holly Theater after graduation.
Even though the end of the semester feels bittersweet for Chapman and the seniors, she looks forward to seeing a lot of her juniors next year.
She’s also excited to see a lot of the middle school students who are participating in Oliver! in high school theater in the coming years.
But for now, the show must go on. And Oliver! awaits.
“I like musicals that are a little bit darker and a little bit heavier,” said Champan. “I love the idea behind it, bringing attention to children in poverty, which is why Dickens wrote a lot of what he did. It was really fun to direct it with this cast.”
Shows for the public will open on Friday, May 9 at 7:00 p.m and Saturday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10, cash and check only, with children under 5 admitted free.