CV drama takes on a musical classic

Central Valley High School’s Theater Department will present some of its favorite things when it performs “The Sound of Music.”

Auditions for the production were held the week before Thanksgiving, and adviser Mike Muzatko even included students from Greenacres Middle School, Liberty Lake Elementary School and Sunrise Elementary School to perform the parts of several of the von Trapp children.

It’s a huge undertaking, and Muzatko has rounded up professional musicians to help, even in the orchestra pit, where members of Central Valley’s band and orchestra will provide the music.

“It’s a different animal,” Muzatko said of playing in the pit.

Muzatko also knows a little bit about the history of the von Trapp family, a real family, and has worked with the actors to help portray the characters better.

He said Maria Rainer and Capt. Georg von Trapp were married a couple of years and had children before they fled from the Nazis. They also just went to the train station instead of heading to Switzerland over the mountains.

And the love story in real life was different.

“She fell in love with the children first,” Muzatko said. She eventually learned to love Captain von Trapp. When Agathe von Trapp, the inspiration for Liesl, died last December, he read that she had been upset about the way her father was portrayed in the musical. She said he was a very loving father.

“Josh does play him that way,” he said of Josh Bacheller, the student who plays the captain.

After the curtain rises, the whole production is in the hands of the students. From the set changes, to the direction, to the costume changes, the students are in charge, while Muzatko finds a seat in the house to see how things go.

There are also about 70 parent volunteers.

“I can’t do this job without my volunteers,” Muzatko said.

Muzatko said he invites the families of the students to volunteer for 15 hours. They help with the concessions, ticket sales, ushering and many other tasks.

“They let me do my job,” Muzatko said.

The complete cast and crew of “The Sound of Music” includes: Maitlin Stewart as Maria Rainer; Mandi Clark as Sister Berthe; Hailey Reneau as Sister Margaretta; Natalie Martinez as the Mother Abbess; Mariah Crosby as Sister Sophia; Shay Simon as a Postulant; Josh Bacheller as Capt. Georg von Trapp; Brandon Carter as Franz (the butler); Alanna Hamilton as Frau Schmidt (the housekeeper); McKayla Crump as Liesl; Andrew Stewart as Friedrich; Ashley Stewart as Louisa; Trey Julian as Kurt; Brooke Hagerty as Brigitta; Amanda Hansen as Marta; Sophia Oye as Gretl; Justin Ward as Rolf Gruber; Tegan Monaghan as Elsa Schraeder; Lauran Hollenbaugh as Ursula; MaKade Claypool as Max Detweiler; Ashton Toth as Herr Zeller; Daniel Graham as Baron Elberfeld; Bennett Troxel as Admiral von Schreiber.

The nuns are Mara Orenstein, Sydnee Scofield, Casey Enzler, Lauran Hollenbaugh, Bekky Berg, Justine Beschta, Ryann McKinley, Breanna Ahlgren, Katelyn Graham, Karissa Elliott, Bethany Piehl, Kaelyn Yandt, Karissa Olson, Crystal Xie, Abby Hockett, Salina Johnson, Shay Simon, Hailey Reneau, Kendra Sherrill, Ashliegh Parr, Mariah Crosby, Mandi Clark and Jessica Boynton.

The Nazis and Hitler youth are played by Daniel Graham, Ashton Toth, MaKade Claypool, MaKormick Claypool, Brandon Carter, Carter Holloway, Dexter Calkins, Bennett Troxel, Ethan Erickson, Landon Toth, Mitchell McCarty and Patrick McGruder.

The technical crew includes David Malinak, Katie Drinkwine, Alexandra McLaughlin, Lauran Hollenbaugh, MaKormick Claypool, Emily Jarvis, Ashley Stenson, Spencer Cole, Kevin Hamberg, Richy Morgan, Nicole Bridges and Megan Clark.