Our resident theatre troupe is already preparing for their spring production; however, this year they are performing a spring play instead of a musical. Rather than producing a huge musical in the spring, the Broadway Bears opted to perform a smaller musical, The 64th Putnam County Spelling Bee, in the fall, and a larger, more intricate play, Snow White: The Queen’s Fair Daughter, in the spring. Although many band students were unable to participate in the fall musical due to marching season, drama director Mrs. Jennifer Devine believes this was a better logistical option for students.

“We knew we were going to lose a majority of the band participation because of marching season, but putting on a big musical is such a huge undertaking that we felt it was really straining our resources, and putting a great strain on the kids so we’re planning on doing a big musical every other year in the spring, in which of course we would use the band as our orchestra,” said Devine.

The drama department hopes alternating years with large musical productions will lead to better performances and use of resources, as well as increasing student interest in the diverse material. Students can look forward to the spring play in March, which Devine described as a “very dark” interpretation of the infamous Disney story.

“It is very close to the Brothers Grimm tale… we’re putting a Tim Burton spin on it, which we think will make it very appealing to adults as well as kids,” said Devine.

Sophia Wess, who plays Snow White, is excited for the diverse fight scenes and character arcs in this production that aren’t found in the classic Disney film. “I get to scream and run off of the stage,” said Wess, excitedly.

The Snow White play will take advantage of all the talent WSHS holds in not just the drama department. With the help of the construction classes, this play will feature 20 feet tall trees, and even an extended stage. In addition to strengthening their acting abilities, our talented thespians will train with a professional fight choreographer for the multiple sword fight scenes and dialect coach since the play is set in England.

Snow White: The Queen’s Fair Daughter begins on March 10th and runs until the 13th, tickets are $5 for students and $15 for reserved seating.