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Christmas Crisis in Mistletoe Mesa
Christmas Crisis in Mistletoe Mesa
Lilith Roberts - 12/22/21
This year's Senior class play is a western Christmas melodrama that knocked everyone's boots off. Participants include Lily Roberts as Mama Grunch, Julia Cooper as Ebenezer Grunch, Gracie Stengel as Mary Christmas, Lilly Franchino as Happy Holiday, Cara Taylor as Tiny Kim, and Kaylor Offenberger as Bully and Mr. Jingle Bell Rock. Freshman appearances from Taylor Starkey as Holly Bush and Ryleigh Rutter as Prospector were key for this Senior class, as the participation this year was low. A special appearance from Sophomore Jud Cooper as Santa Clause was also great.
Taking it back to the beginning, this class play had many ups and downs from day one. The interest shown from early on in the year by many students of the class of 2022 showed promise for a large cast. However, with delays on starting time and not knowing what play we were going to do, this interest quickly dropped when it came time to choose practice times and roles. The Senior class decided to improvise and chose two freshmen that not only had great enthusiasm but also fit their roles well. Taylor Starkey brings Holly Bush to life, a young tomboyish girl who loves Christmas and lends a hand in trying to save the town of Mistletoe Mesa from two villains. Ryleigh Rutter also did a phenomenal job with the role of Prospector. This old man "struck it rich" when he finds that the silver mines aren't played out after all. He's a forgetful man, though, and therefore easily influenced by the mean Mama Grunch and Ebenezer Grunch when they tell him it's just a "purty" rock and steal his findings. Looking for another underclassman with good character to play Santa Clause, the Senior's first thought was Jud Cooper, who agreed instantly. Jud may only have one line, but really helped bring this play to a close with his jolly attitude and boisterous ho ho ho's.
Our Set
Our Set
One step that people often forget when getting a play together is the set. Our play's set had a few minor issues but with the help of Mr. Brooker and Jennessa Lang, we got it fixed up real quick. With some brown paint, courtesy of Mr. Schwendeman, Gracie, and Lily put a coat on and called it good. We also got some cute wood paneling bulletin board paper from Senora Vernon, which we used to cover the front of the "hotel."
Pulling up on the week before the play, all the cast members started to pitch in, adding the final touches on the set. Making the set look rustic and vintage was important and added to the play nicely. Mistletoe Mesa is set as a western town in the 1800s so we used many old pieces from Mrs. Beardsley's barn and things from other people here and there. Giving it the Christmas feel the cast added tinsel, Christmas signs, trees, and more. We also added signs like "Boots Etc." and "Abby O's Rodeo" to personalize it. It was a fun time trying to piece this set together while listening to music and laughing with this wonderful cast.
Sunday Matinee
Sunday Matinee
Starting with our first performance, it's safe to say the cast was pretty nervous backstage. Most of us had done this before, however, we had never had this many lines before. The Complaint Department, our Junior class play last year, didn't have much of a storyline like this one and gave nearly everyone the same amount of time on stage. This year was much different with some actresses having up to 80 lines. We were all sweating backstage as people arrived and our nerves grew larger. Jennessa Lang and Jud and Brooklyn Cooper were crucial parts of our play and really helped when it came to working behind the scenes. Jennessa ran our spotlight, giving us great lighting on stage and keeping the focus of the audience where it needed to be. Jud had control of all of our music leading up to the play and sound effects throughout. We had many dramatic entrances for our main characters. Mama and Ebenezer Grunch had many evil soundtracks when they were entering and being mischievous. Our hero, Happy Holiday, also had some sound effects for his hero-like entrances and saving moments.
Even though everyone was nervous at first, I think everyone can agree that after the first couple of scenes and appearances, everyone was feeling groovy. Once we all got comfortable, it was pretty smooth sailing from then on. For me personally, I was feeling a little nauseous the first few lines, but after I got the nerves out I really started to have fun with it. Reminding myself that I knew the lines was key for me because I could really take on my character's full persona and get into the acting of it all. This play is a fun one and much different than last year. I loved "The Complaint Department", but this western melodrama really took the cake for me. I genuinely had so much fun performing it with my cast and director because we just made it so easy. With all of the subtle comedic lines and the not- so- subtle comedic moments, you can't help but have a good time!
School Performance
School Performance
Going into the school performance we were still nervous, but with one showing under our belt, we all felt a little more confident. Teenagers and the school can be a tough crowd when it comes to plays and we should know. Except for the underclassmen, we seniors knew what it was like to have funny parts in the play and hardly get a giggle from the school crowd. So, going into this afternoon we knew we wanted to kill it so everyone would love it.
Our school showing was a huge success. We had little bumps here and there, but hey that's show business. Everyone worked well through the rough parts and made it all seamless. Our play director and supervisor, Mrs. Beardsley, unfortunately, couldn't attend the school show. She told us that she believed in us and we trusted her. Our western theme put everyone in the cowboy feel afterward for a fun-filled, square dancing afternoon with the whole school.
Overall I would rate this year's play a 10/10. We're all so grateful for a wonderful cast and want to give a shoutout to Mrs. Beardsley for working with this crazy cast and our even crazier schedules. We couldn't have done it without you!
If you're wondering if you should participate in your class's plays, we would all highly recommend it! It's great fun taking on characters different from you and a memory that we will surely have forever. Yeehaw!
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