The Bully Plays contains multiple scenes which convey aspects of bullying differently in each. Holt High School performed five of the scenes from this selection, “The Bully Pulpit,” “A Bully There Be,” “The Conundrum,” “Nobody Nose,” and “Flash Mob.” The scenes took very different approaches to tackle the aspect of bullying, from mime to Shakespeare. The various short plays had highs and lows throughout, with some scenes having more energy than others. Because of the short time frame for each short play it was difficult to develop characters, but most actors were still able to show depth of emotion.

The Long View is a one-act, which the school had previously performed at St. Louis District Theatre Contest and placed first. The play starts off with a fight scene in which the characters experienced a wide range of emotions. During the one-act, most characters had to deliver a monologue about how they felt about witnessing the fight. These moments were crucial to understanding the motives behind their actions during the scene. The actors all had great stage presences and commanded the stage during their monologue moment, despite line stumbling or distracting noises from the audience. The many different characters and scenes showed off the actor’s ability to be versatile.

The technical elements also helped to stand up to bullying; it included large words associated with bullying like exile and courage, with dramatic backlighting in blue and red. This really set the tone for the production. Also, the platforms on stage allowed the actors to work with the concept of levels to better get the message across to the audience. However, there were a few lighting problems during transitions in the show. All the actors had mics and could be clearly heard, but noise could be heard backstage if the microphones were left on. The special effects of having a screen with a display of the text messages the actors were saying was a very interesting concept that helped to aid in the story telling of “Flash Mob” in The Bully Plays.

Overall, this production left the audience with a powerful message about promoting anti-bullying in schools.

by Alexa McKenna of Parkway Central High

The story follows a redheaded little girl with spunk a mile wide. After she runs away from her orphanage and Miss Hannigan, the drunken caretaker, fate twists in Annie’s direction. The billionaire Oliver Warbucks offers one orphan the chance to spend Christmas in his house, and Annie is the lucky girl. When Annie tells Mr. Warbucks of a note and locket her parents left her when she was a baby, he vows to find Annie’s parents for her. The plan backfires when he puts up a $50,000 reward for her parents, and thousands of couples line up to claim her. The most convincing of these couples happens to be Miss Hannigan’s brother and his girlfriend. They tell Warbucks of the locket, and almost take Annie away for the money when the FBI learns of their plan, and stops the villainous pair. Mr. Warbucks becomes Daddy Warbucks when he adopts Annie, and they spend a wonderful Christmas together to wrap up this heart-warming story.

The show came together wonderfully with good acting, a complex and convincing set, real-looking props, and finally an overall energy and spark that lighted the eyes of the audience. To wrangle up that many small children must have been quite the task, but all that showed was good choreography, portrayed by adorable little orphans. Annie is a story to be told, and tell it they did.

In the title role of Annie, the sixth grader Annika Mills dropped the jaw of the audience from the start. Also in the hot seat, Nathan Hinds played Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks. Together, Hinds and Mills brought the cast together, and showed perfect chemistry. It was hard to remember that they were not actually a billionaire and a little orphan girl. The notes hit by little-bitty Annika Mills earned her the standing ovation she received at the closing of the show.

Although the lead actors showed true talent, the supporting cast was the icing on the Annie cake. Even though some voices may not have been the strongest soloists, these actors gave it their all. Grace Farrell, played by Emily Hampton, and Miss Hannigan, played by Cara Delaporta gave true examples of extreme characters. From Hampton’s loving arms towards Annie to Delaporta’s drunken wobbling, these two ladies had a lot of talent, and showed the audience just what they were made of. Also, Allie Sanderson in the role of Lily St. Regis absolutely stole the show with her spot on Jersey accent, and eccentric way of parading across the stage. Not to be left out, the men of the show showed the audience just what they had as well. Andrew Milhous as Drake, and Christopher Geerling as FDR each had their moments to shine in the show, and shine they did.

The set of Annie was magnificent, from the dark and rickety look of the orphanage, to the lovely rooms of the Warbucks mansion. It truly gave the show the essence it needed. The props of the show only added to this effect. They were perfect for the time period, and gave the audience a perfect idea of what Holt High School had in store for them.

The show was a spectacular one to see, and a perfect example of what Annie had to offer as a heartwarming tale.

by Jessi Reynolds of Pattonville High School

The musical Footloose opened at Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre on October 22, 1998 and ran for 709 performances until July 2, 2000. It was directed by Walter Bobbie with choreography by A.C. Ciulla.

From his first appearance to his last, the quirky, lovable, and slow Willard (Parker Gleason) stole the show. He was always a delight and commanded the stage with his actions, comedic timing, and believable character. His song “Mama Says (You Can’t Back Down)” with his Mama’s boys (Brenden Schaeffer, Riley Grady, and Michael Twellman) was an energetic display of characterization and vocal talent.

Ren McCormack (Cody Cole), Reverend Shaw Moore (Nathan Hinds), and Rusty (Madison Miller) were also notable vocalists. Each had unique and powerful voices that were properly and beautifully showcased.

Ren (Cole) and Ariel Moore (Lara Flanders) showed powerful chemistry and strong vocal talent in their duet “Almost Paradise.” Their chemistry also improved after this song, showing their affection toward one another.

“I’m Free/Heaven Help Me” was a fun and energetic ending to an upbeat first act. “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” was another exciting performance with great energy to start the second act.

Rusty (Miller), Wendy Jo (Lauren Jurotich), and Urleen (Cayla Patterson) were a humorous, consistent ensemble that always represented themselves well and offered a spunky teen insight to the town’s blight.

The Moore’s, Reverend Shaw (Hinds) and Vi Moore (Abigail Alysmeyer) had strong chemistry and were a most believable married couple. They played off of each other well and seemed like the good cop/bad cop, the overbearing father and the less restrictive mother.

There were frequent hiccups in sound to start, but the quality improved throughout the show and were nearly completely absent toward the end of the show. The light cues were off sometimes, but never took away from the show.

Holt High School did not disappoint and may have put the newly released Footloose to shame.

by Brandon Janssen of Northwest High School