Junior Audrey Mach was so ecstatic she jumped and squealed when she found out she landed the role of Cinderella in the high school musical this year.
Mach, who has participated in theater for three years, said she had smaller roles in earlier productions, so playing the lead was exciting.
“All characters in a production are important,” Mach said. “But having never played the lead before, it was kind of a jump. It’s a lot more weight, but I’m handling it best I can.”
The high school will present “Cinderella” at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 and 12 (Thursday and Saturday) and 2 p.m. Nov. 13 (Sunday) at the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for K-12 students and will be sold at the door.
There is no production Friday because of the chance the football team makes it to sectionals. One of the students, Nate Reazin, is on the football team.
There will be another production of “Cinderella” at noon Nov. 10 for senior citizens. Before the show, at 11 a.m., a Thanksgiving meal will be served in the cafeteria. Doors open at 10 a.m.
RSVP to the senior show by Tuesday by calling or emailing Robert Wood at (785) 542-4987 ext. 1906 or [email protected].
Director Allison Enneking said she chose “Cinderella” because the high school’s musicals typically follow a pattern: a well-known crowd-pleaser followed by a classic show. She said “Cinderella” is a crowd-pleaser. Last year, they performed “Little Women.”
Enneking said preparation for the musical is going well even though they had to overcome some roadblocks.
“We have a great group of kids,” she said. “We definitely had some hurdles to overcome — like sickness and recasting a couple of roles — but the kids are working really, really hard to make the show enjoyable for their audience. I think people will enjoy what they see.”
One such replacement was sophomore Allison Allison, originally cast as a mouse who stepped up to play one of Cinderella’s stepsisters after another cast member gave up the role.
Allison said she felt uneasy about taking a bigger role because this is her first musical.
“I was nervous at first because I’d never done a musical, but then I got excited,” she said. “Rehearsing has been really fun so far.”
Senior Natalie Karten, who has been in productions at the high school for four years and plays Cinderella’s stepmother, said this role gives her an opportunity not only to sing but act in this role.
Karten said the most rewarding part of performing is how it affects the audience.
“When I perform, I do it for myself because it brings me joy,” Karten said. “But I love how it affects other people. I love seeing others’ reactions to it, being excited or inspired by me.”
Enneking said the Eudora community always provides positive feedback to the program and is supportive of students. In the future, she hopes to expand the program to involve more students in all parts of the production, from performers to set designers to technical crew.
Enneking said theater is important beyond its artistic significance because it teaches valuable emotional lessons.
“Theater teaches empathy,” she said. “It has you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, feel what they’re feeling and convey that to the audience.”
Enneking also said theater creates a spirit of camaraderie within the cast.
“The kids play sports together. They have class together and come to rehearsals in the evening,” she said. “They spend a lot of time together, so there’s a lot of teamwork and conflict resolution. It’s really, really fun to see the kind of oddball little family that gets built throughout the musical season as the kids work together.”
Reach reporter Jenna Barackman at [email protected]
