Area high schools ready to compete and entertain with fall drama productions

High schools in Houston County will be hosting their annual fall productions as they prepare for the GHSA One Act competitions.

Northside High School and Houston County High School compete in Region 1-AAAAAA. Their One Act competition will be held at Lee County High School on Oct. 27. Warner Robins High School and Veterans High School compete in Region 1-AAAAA, which will be held at Veterans High School this year. Veterans is scheduled to compete at 10 a.m., and Warner Robins at 11 a.m. The 2AAAA competition, which Perry High School competes in, will be held at Perry High School on Oct. 27; Perry’s performance time is 1:45 p.m. The competitions are open to the public.

Public viewings of the plays are as follows:

Houston County High will present “Emma” Nov. 3 and Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Houston County High School Theater. Tickets are $5 at the door. “Emma” is based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen.

Drama director Amy Eller said Houston County’s production is a modernized musical version of the famous story. Emma will be played by Amanda Rivera Martinez.

“She sings very well. She has a lot of songs in that role,” Eller said. “Amanda has a magnetism about her, and she is able to pull off both Emma’s welcoming and snootiness attitudes. She does a really good job of playing both personalities of Emma. Amanda is very beautiful and has a wonderful smile and lights up the stage.”

Northside High School’s theater department will present “Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe” on Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. and Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the door.

Brian Barnett, drama director at Northside, said there are two special benefits to attending the Halloween night performance. At the Oct. 31 performance, admission is $5 or you can bring five canned goods that will go to benefit Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat (TOTS-Eat), which is the the International Thespian Society’s annual nationwide community service project. Also, special treats will be given to any audience members who wear a costume to the Halloween night performance.

Perry High School will present “A Blue Sky Tomorrow” on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Perry High School Theater. Tickets are $5 at the door. “A Blue Sky Tomorrow” was written by Perry High School drama teacher Joe Sendek and is based in Warm Springs during the polio epidemic.

Sendek’s play, which also includes original music written by Perry High School students, tells the story of Lily, a girl who has struggles in life with both her relationships with her mother and the aftermath of having polio. Part of the story centers on Lily’s belief that a house guides people to heaven. Perry’s drama department produced two life-size horse puppets for the production.

Veterans High School will present “The Addams Family” Nov. 3-5 at 6:30 p.m. in the school theater. Tickets are $7 at the door with students admitted for $5.

Since the play is based on the television show, many audience will find the characters familiar. Cast members include Veterans’ students Cailyn Rushin as Wednesday Addams; Garrett Wurdeman as Lurch; Brooke Stepanek as Grandma; Andrew Mozingo as Uncle Fester; Owen Warden as Pugsley Addams; Brian Torres as Gomez Addams; and Emily Bodony as Morticia Addams.

Warner Robins High School will be presenting its production of the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on Nov.10 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the door. The comedic play tells the story of six students as they compete for the spelling championship.

Students participating in lead roles in the production are Marcus Farrow, Junya Montgomery, Tristan Terry, Kenzie Sabaka, Llonatan Savala, Bre’kel Howard, Gideon Strickland, Mary Lawerence, Jmonet Hill, Nia Robinson, Ellie Brooks, Katherine Carter, Kovin Holland, Andrew Leatherwood, Alexus Mason and Jmonet Hill.

While the show is a comedy, Warner Robins High School’s drama director Nicholas Sostillio suggests that the material is not for young children.

The Westfield School drama department will present “Desperate Housewives of Shakespeare” on Nov. 3-4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Arts and Sciences building. Admission is $5 at the door for adults and non-Westfield students. The comedic show is a takeoff on reality television using Shakespeare’s most famous characters. Cast members include Lucy Swearingen as Lady Macbeth, Charles Cartwright as Lord Macbeth, Sophie McEntee as Cleopatra, Laura Liz Bryan as Kate, Gracie Johnson as Titania, Leeanna Allen as Juliet, Madelaine Kinnebrew as Rosalind, Luke Hartley as King Duncan, and Nate Sizemore as Detective Tremblelance/William Shakespeare.

The comedy is designed as a spoof of reality television. Six of William Shakespeare’s famous female characters grow tired of Shakespeare writing their stories. In an attempt to step out on their own, they devise a plan to get rid of the bard.

This story was originally published October 23, 2016 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Area high schools ready to compete and entertain with fall drama productions."