BONNYVILLE – Bonnyville Centralized High School’s (BCHS) drama club is confident the only person feeling sleepy during their rendition of the Drowsy Chaperone will be the main character.
Students are telling the story of the Drowsy Chaperone as this year’s production, which is running from Feb. 20 to 22 at Cold Lake High School (CLHS). It’s based on a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar that hit the stage for the first time in Toronto in 1996, and is described as a musical within a comedy.
“It’s a 1920s wedding catastrophe,” explained assistant director Crystal Zaugg. “It’s fun, exciting, there’s mayhem, and lots of high energy fun.”
The production is narrated by the Woman in the Chair who shares her thoughts as she listens to the record of her favourite musical, the Drowsy Chaperone, and the story unfolds on stage.
“The person in the chair is telling the story of her favourite musical,” explained Grade 12 student Halle Martin, who plays the Woman in the Chair. “I basically explain why I love the show so much, and why each song is my favourite.”
The play follows a series of characters, including Broadway star Janet Van De Graaff and oil tycoon Robert Martin on their wedding day. Janet doubts her husband-to-be’s feelings for her, and a pair of gangsters disguised as pastry chefs are determined to ensure Janet doesn’t give-up her career after she gets married.
“It’s a comedy within a musical, so it’s actually quite fun,” noted Erin Anderson, the Grade 12 student who plays Janet. “Some of it is a bit ridiculous, but it’s definitely different than some of the ones we’ve done before.”
Grade 12 student Mickela Tharle, who’s taking the stage as the Drowsy Chaperone, said the play this year “is a different style where we get to show off a whole bunch of different characters.”
“In the past, you have your lead male and female and then you have your smaller characters throughout, but with this one, there’s so many sub-plots that everyone gets their chance to show off their talents,” she continued.
This is the first time BCHS is using the stage at CLHS, after being displaced by the modernization of their own school. The drama club expanded their search to surrounding communities after having no success in town. CLHS stepped up and offered their space.
“We looked for a place to have it, and CLHS graciously said they would house us.”
The drama club has been adjusting to the theatre during rehearsals, and were thankful to CLHS for inviting them.
“It’s a lot different in the fact that we’re a lot closer to the audience than being up on the stage,” noted Kody Duckett, Grade 11 student playing Robert. “I think that’s going to be a different thing to face, and we’re going to see how it goes.”
Anderson added, “Being in a different theatre is hard and challenging, but it’s a good experience. This one is different because we’re not using microphones, which is a challenge for some people. It’s nice to have a theatre we can even be in if it’s not the Lyle. We’re so happy that we could do it here.”
The countdown is on until opening night, and the students are hard at work putting the finishing touches on their performance.
The student actors encouraged everyone to come out to enjoy the show.
“It’s always been an annual thing for us to do, and I think it’s good for the community to come together and see what everyone worked so hard on,” Martin added. “We have been working on it since September, and will be working hard until show night.”
Tickets are available for purchase at the front desk at BCHS, which is currently located at the Agriplex of the C2.
