By Eli Solomon

Poteau High School’s thespian troupe will be putting on a production of the fantasy-based dramedy She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen.This is will be the first play of the 2023-2024 school year and the second overall production under the direction of Mrs. Grace Mangrum and Mrs. Regina Smith. The play follows high school senior Agnes Evans as she journeys through a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired world to learn more about her deceased sister. “It’s got a little something for everyone”, Senior Bethany Warren plays the lead role. “I’ve done theater for a long time… it’s kinda jarring. One of the most exciting parts of the play  is the fantasy setting, the stage crew are going all out turning the BLK into a fantasy world we’re leaning into the fantasy and we’re having a lot of fun doing so.” The cast will get to embrace the fantastical elements through their characters and costumes “We’ve been assembling fun renaissance fair-esque coutumes” commented Mangrum. This year, the audition turnout was large enough for two different casts for alternating shows; The main cast will perform on November 15th, 17th, and 18th with the understudy cast getting their own show on the 16th..If you love fantasy or just want to support the hard working thespian troupe the first three shows will start at 7:00pm with the last show being performed at 2:00pm. 

By Eli Solomon

One of the most beloved traditions in the Poteau community is our choir's annual Fall Follies concert. They will be performing on October 3rd in the newly refurbished Bob Lee Kidd Center at 6:30 p.m. They will sing multiple songs including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough'' by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terell, “Beautiful” By Christina Aguilera, and “Don’t Worry About a Thing” based on the cover from the movie Sing. “There are a lot of really good solos for people to hear.” says senior choir representative Grant Thomas. They have been hard at work in between practicing for the show and all-district earlier this month and will perform in the All-State choir at the end of October. The show choir will have a special performance during the show. “It was definitely challenging at first, this is my first year. Choreography day was absolutely insane and we had to dance from 9 am to 5 pm, but the more we’ve worked on it, it’s been super fun to be a part of and it gets better every time,” Senior Kirsten Bebermeyer commented. When the question of nerves was brought up, Choir Council President Danika Tom says it comes with the territory “It feels normal, I’ve always loved doing Fall Follies and singing in front of people.” Their hard work will shine during their performance as they share their talent with the community. 

The Poteau High School show choir (also known as Siren Song) has been working on many things for this school year. The show choir just finished their performance last month called Fall Follies. The performance was enjoyable to many including senior Chani Lloyd. “I really enjoyed getting to hear and watch the little kids sing. It reminded me how much I love choir and that is a safe space for me and I love it so much.” Senior Danika Tom is pleased with their progress so far. “I believe that our performance Fall Follies was good since it was our first together. Of course we still have room to improve but I really believe that we will continue to work hard and be ready for competition.”  This year the show choir will be competing in a competition later on in the year but it is taking a lot of preparation for this competition. “We usually just have practice after school from 3:30-4:30 and we will practice during class on Fridays if we have time,” Danika says. “I’m really excited for competition coming up this year because it’s always been such a fun and rewarding experience.”  The show choir is also adding in a new and exciting routine into their performance, Chani is also excited for the new changes. “ I am excited to see how well we score at competition with us doing a more hip-hop/pop routine, unlike most show choirs.”  It is the last year of show choir for some of our seniors, and being in show choir has made their high school years even better because of this opportunity that they were given. “Show choir became a safe place for me to be myself. I made new friends that ended up making my high school experience more enjoyable. Show choir has helped me become more confident in myself and my abilities,” says Danika. Chani echoes the sentiment. “Dance and choir have been a big part of my life for a long time. Having an opportunity at the school where we can sing and dance all at once makes me very happy and excited because I have a passion for it.”

We are extremely proud of the show choir and can’t wait to see how amazing they do at the competition they will be competing at. We hope that the show choir has a wonderful year and we wish them the best of luck!!