By Jared Janzen
Local Yokel Reporter
It’s showtime.
This time of year, lots of area high schools are taking advantage of the gap between fall and winter sports to present their annual fall musicals.
Last weekend, Central Christian School debuted “Letters of Liberty,” an original musical created by school staff, and this weekend, Trinity Catholic High School will be taking on an adaptation of the beloved animated movie, “Shrek.”
I had the pleasure of attending rehearsals for both these shows last week to take photos for the newspaper. I love assignments like this, because it gives me a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, which I then get to share with our readers to encourage them to go see the shows.
I never participated in a play or musical when I was in high school, but I’ve got a lot of respect and admiration for those who do.
For one thing, these students are putting in long hours learning their lines, lyrics and dance moves. Between the regular school day, sports practices and musical rehearsals, some students probably spend just as much, if not more, time at school than they do at home.
Then you have the fact that it’s just not easy to be a young actor. It takes courage to go up on stage in front of a big crowd and sing a solo or act like a goofy character.
From what I’ve seen in rehearsals, I’m sure both of these shows will be hits.
Regretfully, the Tribune did not run an article about Hutchinson High School’s fall musical, and the reason is because I got bamboozled by the social media algorithm.
In late September, I saw a Facebook post announcing that HHS would perform “Frozen” the last weekend of October, so I dutifully made a note on my calendar to follow up on that during the appropriate week.
Fast forward to Oct. 20, when I’m starting to make plans to reach out to the drama teacher to arrange the interview. As I started searching for more details, I discovered that “Frozen” was actually the upcoming musical for the high school in Hutchinson, Minnesota.
But what was even more appalling was that our high school in Hutchinson, Kansas, had just presented their musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” the preceding weekend. The show had come and gone with me being completely oblivious to it.
I offer my apologies to the hard-working young actors at Hutch High for not giving them a spotlight in the newspaper.
To further muddle the situation, as I was writing this column, I discovered that Hutchinson students are planning a second show this weekend. Our newspaper is on an early deadline this week due to Veterans Day, meaning I didn’t have time on such short notice to write a feature about the show.
So instead, I’ll give them a plug right here. The show is called “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind.” The tagline is “30 plays in 60 minutes,” which has piqued my curiosity.
I’m not entirely sure what this show entails. The summary I read online makes it sound like a fast-paced amalgamation of short, original plays, with a smattering of audience participation thrown in.
Three shows are planned for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, all beginning at 7 p.m. The school cautions that this play is for mature audiences, and seating is limited.
I would encourage anyone looking for some inexpensive entertainment to get out and support our local theatre students this weekend.
Jared Janzen is a reporter for the Hutchinson Tribune. He may be reached at jared@hutchtribune.com.