By MIA LENZI – IHS is alive with The Sound of Music! Early March brings the highly anticipated spring musical. This year, performing a well-loved show, each member of the cast, crew, and pit is looking forward to those opening days. March 16, 17, and 18 are the show dates with evening performances starting at 7:30 pm, and the Saturday matinee at 1:30 pm. Tickets are available by calling 724-388-5055 after 4:15 pm, or sending an email to lschwartz@iasd.cc. Also, tickets will be sold for eight dollars at the door for each performance.
The Sound of Music is a vocal heavy show that features romance, love and much enjoyable fun. Junior Jillian Black is cast as Maria and senior Seth Gardner is The Captain and look forward to sharing the show with an audience. Black comments, “This show is progressing fast, and it is an amazing community of talented individuals who pull from their love of each other to make the show come to life on stage. It is the best part of my day and I cannot wait for the community to see this amazing production.”
This show has a variety of characters, and students from a variety of grade levels are cast. All seven of the children in the show were perfectly cast, and every cast member is clearly compatible with each other. The children include junior Maeve Morris as Liesl, sophomore Nick Skalican as Friedrich, sophomore Emma Zuzek as Brigitta, freshman Alyssa McLaine as Louisa, freshman Connor McQuaid as Kurt, freshman Lily Boulard as Marta, and little Maddie Jablunovsky, a third grader, as Gretl. Morris says, “The best part of the show for me is getting to spend time with my friends. Cast and crew are more like family since we spend most of our time together. This show is going to be something to remember.”
Along with the cast, the crew and pit are working extremely hard. Pit director Mr. Jason Olear says, “The 2017 Sound of Music pit musicians are playing at a very high level. We have been preparing parts of the show now for several weeks, I am expecting an excellent performance from everyone! The pit, cast, and crew have all been working hard to present a fantastic show.” The costume crew, run by Mrs. Bethany Ryan, have been working diligently on finding and making each character’s costume. Other crew productions have been getting started over the last few weeks as the show get closer.
The show is directed by IHS drama and English teacher Leah Lyons, with the vocal director being her husband CJ Lyons, who just welcomed their new baby, Matthew only days ago. The Lyons’ were absent from rehearsals during the birth of their child, but the processes did not slow down one bit. Upon their return, rehearsals resumed and were quickly brought back up to speed. Lyons stated, “The Sound of Music has only been performed one other time on the HIS stage. It was last performed 40 years ago in 1977, so we are very excited to bring this family favorite back to our community.”
Performing one of the classic musicals, the cast, crew, and pit has big shoes to fill, but they have the determination and passion to produce yet another spectacular show.
