Top of the Valley
The Bureau Valley High School Radio Variety Show Presents:
Hello! My Baby Presents online April 30th and May 1st at 6:00 PM.
Purchase tickets and stream the show using the button below:
Download our program to print at home using the button below:
Hello! My Synopsis
100 years ago--Mickey McKee, King of the Song Pluggers, sought to sell a song that would last 100 years into the future. But how did an Irish kid who couldn't write a note himself manage such influence? With the help of someone who knows better, of course. Betty Gold was the Jewish kid with talent enough to match Mickey's personality. And though he got her fired from her job sewing pants, McKee was able to sell it as an opportunity to use her musical experience for something new and better. But the music biz remained set on selling oldies and sticking to the way things had always been done: No girls, no new songs, no changes made.
The two dreamers teamed up--sort of. Mickey and Betty did write their song--a simple melody of something mother used to sing and something more contemporary--but Mickey took off to plug it with the boys at Coots Classics Music Publishers. Hurt, Betty donned a pair of trousers, a derby hat, and the need to get even as one of the boys herself. Disguised as Buddy O'Reilly, Betty became the new King of the Pluggers, which sent the old king, Mickey McKee out on on the streets.
On the streets of 1920s New York, a person could find gangsters, rich kids, and the occasional apple to snack on.
Mickey kept finding either Betty or Buddy and--whoever was together--they found more popularity than anyone expected. A guy wanted a song for his bride to be. A girl wanted a song for her debutante ball. And everyone struggled with attention to details.
In the background, rich kids fell for the working class. Everyone fell for Betty's disguise. And though many dreams came together, the way they came together almost caused a home to fall apart entirely.
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Hello! My Baby appears to ask a musical question in a series of statements. It's comedic on the surface while addressing several societal issues we still consider 100 years later here in our country of eternally great music.
*Our Senior Performers*
Regan Cook
(Junior Tierney) Regan has been apart of the BVHS drama club for four years and has participated in A Midsummer's Night Dream (Puck), Legally Blonde (Margot), Charlotte's Web (Charlotte), James and the Giant Peach (Spiker), Radium Girls (Grace Fryer), The Hunchback of Noter Dame (Clopin), and the BVHS Radio Variety Show (Poetry Reader). Her favourite part of theater is interacting with the audience and connecting with the cast members. This past year has taught her that every bad situation has a bright side. After high school, Regan plans to attend Eastern Illinois University and study Theater and Communications. Her message for someone out there is that any bad day, week, month, or even year, is only temporary. It won't last forever even though it feels like it will sometimes. Look for one positive thing everyday and soon you'll find more good things in life than bad day to day. Regan would like to say thank you to the BVHS drama department for giving her a place to express herself in every way possible and would like to thank you for continuing to support our growing program.
Saralyn Elmore
(Marie) Saralyn has previously been in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Tom Snout), Charlotte's Web (Gander), James and the Giant Peach, Radium Girls (Court), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (King Louis XI), and the BVHS Radio Variety Show where she wrote scripts and had a few voice acting roles. Her favorite part of participating in theatre has been the overall atmosphere of the days of the show. Even though it was hectic, it was fun! This past year, she has learned that even though writer's block does exist, there is a way around it and that the mind can always come up with wonderful ideas! After high school, her plans are still a bit undecided. Hopefully she can participate in a few shows later on in the future whether it be writing or acting! Her message for those out there needing a bit of encouragement would be, "Don't give up! Even though right now may seem rough, there will always be brighter days!" She would like to say a big thank you to anyone who has ever seen one of the productions or listened to the radio show as well as a big thank you to her family and her friends! None of it would've been possible without all of them!
Makayla Heller
(Betty Gold / Buddy O'Reilly) Makayla has previously appeared in Legally Blonde (Serena), James and the Giant Peach (James), Radium Girls (Grace Fryer), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Florika), and several other productions at the Prairie Arts Center in Princeton, and Stage 212 in Peru. Her favorite part of participating in high school theatre has been the amazing friends she's made and the experiences that made her learn more about theatre. This past year has taught her that if you really love something, you'll do whatever it takes to keep doing it. Makayla plans to go to college to get her BFA degree in musical theatre after graduation. If she had to send a message to someone out there, she'd say, "No matter how much your own mind might tear you down and want you to give up, keep pushing for your goals and dreams, because one day you'll make it there." She wants to thank her friends and family for supporting her, and everyone who has continued to support theatre through these times of uncertainty.
Paige Twidell
(Ethel Coots) Paige has been in the lovely productions A Midsummer Night's Dream (Nick Bottom), Legally Blonde (Enid Hoopes), Charlotte's Web (Edith), James and the Giant Peach as (Earthworm), Radium Girls (Irene), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Gargoyle), and participated in the radio show Top of the Valley as a voice actor, photographer, and musician.
In theatre, she enjoys getting to be someone else on stage and making people smile saying, "It's always so much fun when you're on the stage saying your lines with ease and suddenly they don't become lines anymore you're just that character and you're having fun on the stage with friends." This feeling is something she says you can't really find after highschool, so she's glad she had this chance now, even though it could be stressful. (The cast parties were also really fun too.)
In this past year, she realized how much people crave to be with each other and share with each other. And when there's a will there's a way. She encourages everyone to hold your family and friends closer the next time you see them.
Paige doesn't have much planned but she does plan to go to Community College to get her gen. eds. and then attend a University either majoring in Art or Psychology.
If she has to send a message to someone out the, she'd say, "Learn to Love yourself before you give your love to others." And she'd like to thank say thanks to her audience and friends for all of the support and fun these past four years.
Our Department Seniors:
Ryley Aukes: 4 years of working as a team of people in theatre have taught me the importance of working together: Teamwork. This last year has taught me to be patient and how much easier any circumstance --including our current circumstance-- can be with patience.
Jackson Lind: 3 years of theatre have taught me that there is never enough creativity in the world and you should never stop experimenting and pushing the limits further. This last year has taught me that no matter what life throws at you, you have to stick together and your relationships will just grow exponentially.
Karyssa Newsom: Thank you for your support of the drama department over the years!
Natalie Wall: Thank you for your support of the drama department over the years!
The Rest of Our Cast and Crew
Eli Attig
Jordan Britt
Claire Brousseau
Brooklyn Cade &
James Warnell
Trevor Cambron
Riley Cole
Josie Edlefson
Payton Gehm
William Gross
Kinsley Hatton
Adam Johnson
Violet Krider
Eve Massa
Makenna Maupin
Aidan Morris
Logan Nally
Natalie Richey
Ben Roth
Callie Schoff
Abby Siri
Daniel Trone
Krysten Walowski
Alaina Wasilewski
Grace Zeman
Our Process
It’s amazing to think that a hundred years can pass -- especially when it seems this past year has lasted so long itself. Like everyone who has recently found their typical routines and general hapiness interupted, we have been away from our typical life on the stage since March of 2020. We've all had to find new ways to stay motivated and continue to share what we love no matter the circumstances. It's been a sort of simple melody itself, and I hope that at the end of this experience, it really will seem "all that simple, you know."
Throughout the Fall Drama season of 2020, students developed and performed their own series of original radio variety shows called Top of the Valley. We were guided through this experience by inspirational performing artists whose lives have been devoted to the encouragement and inspiration of others. (Check out the Fall 2020 TotV tab for more information and to access our old shows.) This audio-only series prepared us to record Hello! My Baby the Musical as both an audio and visual performance. Top of the Valley now brings you a show developed to be heard but avaiable to be seen (if you so choose).
Since January 2021, students have planned, auditioned, rehearsed, designed, and recorded our musical remotely. We sought to maintain the feeling of Home we achieve on the stage from our various homes across the district. As the director, I have witnessed the message I hope students take with them no matter the year: A stage is just a location, but if the lessons we learn there are important, they are important to maintain in any place (or lighting condition) we find ourselves.
At the direction of myself and our Music Director, Mr. Payton Gehm, students (and their families) have welcomed the stage closer than ever with afternoon Google Meets, late night lip syncing, and very very bright green squares stuck on their walls for several weeks. I hope it has been a perfect contrast for a dark time when it has otherwise been difficult to rely on having something purposful for many of us to do (after finishing homework, of course).
The students have gone beyond managing crises this year. They have excelled through it. If they can hold in their hearts the importance of always sharing a message, bringing people together no matter the distance, and working toward real solutions to any problem, I know that this group of students will welcome some changes made for the betterment of our future.
Brought together with a simple melody of what we’ve learned from our past and present, we'll continue to take a new step every day across any stage we can.
Thank you for your continued support of BVHS Drama and the good people here who just so happen to also be good performers.
~Mr. Daniel Trone