This spring, the beloved musical “Oliver!” will take the stage at RCHS. The production is directed by art and theater teacher Mrs. Erin Allen.
According to Stagent, “Oliver!” follows the adventure of a young orphan boy, Oliver Twist, through Victorian England. He is determined to find a family, love, and friendship. He soon becomes part of a gang of children just like him. Eventually, he is falsely convicted of a crime, but saved by a rich, kind hearted man. This musical is based off of the book “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens . The musical was written by Lionel Bard and its first performance was in 1960.
Mrs. Allen has had a passion for teaching theater for the past 20 years and been the theater teacher here for the past three years. Her role in the current and past plays has been designing costumes and sets, choreographing, and directing.
“I chose “Oliver!” for a number of reasons. I had an internal voice that led me to “Oliver” and there were several other things that contributed to that feeling as well. I wanted to do a show that was well known and that was from the golden age of theater. The story is about a boy who had to deal with a lot of struggles, and we all have struggles, which I feel is a very universal thing,” said Allen.
There was a boom of interest in the theater program this year, which even led to the audition process taking up to four days, compared to the 1-2 days it took in the past.
“I have very high hopes for “Oliver!”. I’m excited that we’re doing something that doesn’t take place in America and to hear all the accents. It will also be exciting to be seeing a period drama in Victorian England. There’s a lot of momentum and enthusiasm towards the story and the actors being part of a cast. Overall, I have very high hopes for this production.”
. The production will star junior Keely Newman as Oliver.
“Preparing for the auditions is like studying. You just have to do it over and over again until it’s ingrained into your brain,” said Newman, “Mrs. Allen and Ms. Darrington notices certain things when you’re auditioning, like if you’re fumbling through or directly staring at your script or looking at lyrics. It makes you look less prepared and professional… Not a lot of people wanted to play Oliver, most of them wanted to play Nancy. I got Oliver. He’s really sweet and I’m glad I’ll be able to play him.” said Newman.
Like any talent, an actor must work and refine their skills in order to become a master of their craft. Newman has been in the past three productions put on by the theater class, and this
will be her first year as a main lead.
“I didn’t get a major role in my first play, and I was more of a background character. With my second play, I had more lines and more of a character. With bigger roles that have more lines, you have to stand where the audience can hear you, but you still seem to be talking to the other character. You must speak loudly and have very clear pronunciation,” said Newman.
“My favorite part of acting is becoming a new character and becoming part of a whole new world. It’s also really fun to get our costumes.”
Gracyn Darrington is a vocal and acting coach that works with students to refine their acting and vocal technique. She has a bachelors in theater and she has been acting since she was eight.
“Erin and I… we watch the kids’ auditions. They will sing two different songs… one we choose from the musical itself, and one that they can choose. We then decided who will best fit into what part of the show,” said Darrington.
“We have a lot of hard working students, and I know Mrs. Allen and I are putting in 100 percent of our effort to make the show possible. Our goal is to create an environment where the students can learn and work within the creative process. I know something fun will come out of it and that the audience will enjoy it. It’s a lot of hard work, but hopefully the students will enjoy it as well.” The show’s debut on the stage will take place March 21-23 at 7 PM.
