BY SARAH STEPHENS, OWNER/EDITOR
While a lot of high school students are counting down the minutes at the end of the school day to make a fast break out of the parking lot, a group at Stanhope Elmore High is watching the clock to begin one of their favorite parts of the day.
The Mustang Players, Stanhope Elmore High School’s new Theater Department, has been working on their first production of their inaugural season, “The Mustang Follies” coming up Oct. 25-27.
One recent afternoon long after the parking lot was clear, the Elmore/Autauga News went for a visit to see what these creative young men and women and their instructor Brady Walker were up to. It was time well spent.
For the past weeks, the students and Walker have stayed several hours after the last bell rang, the students learning lines, singing songs and “acting up” with Brady there to offer tips and instruction. We found them sitting in the hallway creating sets for the upcoming production, as others were in the classroom going over lines and working on the musical numbers.
Walker explained that the first show of the season will be called “The Mustang Follies.”
“It is a variety showcase of scenes, songs and monologues from various plays, musicals, films, and television shows,” Brady said. “This event is a fundraiser to help grow and develop the theatre department due to the high costs of theatre production. Our goal is to further develop a culture of appreciation for theatre on our campus at SEHS.”
It isn’t just the students who are learning to appreciate the arts. Principal Ewell Fuller is very supportive of the new theatre department and said he has enjoyed interacting with the students.
“When I was in high school, it was all about athletics, so I am learning a lot about the theatre,” Fuller said. “I may not understand all of it yet, but I do know one thing for sure. They have a lot of fun doing what they do. There is a tremendous about of energy there.”
The students in the theatre department have created the upcoming show with guidance from Walker, and they have taken sole responsibility in creating this production.
The Mustang Follies will also showcase the competition pieces that the SEHS students will be taking to Trumbauer Theatre Festival in November. The showcase will feature administration and faculty of Stanhope-Elmore High School.
The dates for the first performances are:
October 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. and October 27 at 2 p.m. in the SEHS cafeteria. Tickets are $5.00. All proceeds will go to develop and grow the theatre department at SEHS.
The rest of the season will be announced soon as they are finalizing the rights and royalties of the musical.
As the first production draws closer, we will have more information, and the lineup of other productions through the end of school.
Walker said the Mustang Players are needing community involvement and representation for their theatre program.
“We hope that you will join with us to grow, support and develop our program to bring the fine arts to a new level at SEHS,” Walker said. “Theatre production is extremely expensive and we need your help to get this program launched at SEHS.”
The theatre students are working to sell sponsorships in several categories.
Gold Sponsor: $500 or more. The sponsor will get four tickets for every show with reserved seating, business/logo/sponsor name listed on the sponsor banner, business logo/sponsor name listed in the show’s playbill.
Silver Sponsor: $250. The sponsor will receive two tickets for every show, business logo/sponsor name listed on sponsor banner, business logo/sponsor name listed on the show’s playbill.
Bronze Sponsor: $100. Business logo/sponsor name listed on the sponsor banner, business logo/sponsor name listed in the show’s playbill.
Friends of the Theatre: $25 to $50 with name listed in the program.
For more information email brady.walker@elmoreco.com.
Walker is a new teacher at SEHS and teaches Theatre I/II as well as 10th Grade Advanced American Literature I.
