Twice the drama at U-Hi this theater season
The drama students at University High School are doing something a bit different this year.
Instead of launching their season with one drama, they will perform two plays on alternating days in November. Both “Forever Plaid” and “The Taffetas” are nostalgic musicals that look back at the days of harmony groups and are collaborations between the drama department and the music theater class.
Doing two similar shows just made sense, said theater department head Briane Green. “When evaluating the potential talent for the upcoming season, (Russell) Seaton and I took into account the current vocal and acting strengths of our students,” she said. “We felt that opening with two fun and vibrant musical-review type productions would be appealing to local audiences as well as a challenging, yet educational experience for everyone involved.”
“Forever Plaid” is about a high school quartet called The Plaids who are killed in a car accident on their way to see the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The play begins with the foursome returning from the afterlife to have a chance a musical glory.
The play stars students Jordan Taylor, Joey Pitner, Patrick Wolfe and Willy Dowling. They will be crooning their way through songs like “Moments to Remember,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Chain Gang,” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.”
The female counterpart to the production is “The Taffetas,” starring Breanna Duffy, LeeAnne Frahn, Kylene Peden and Jessii Arp. The story follows four singing sisters who are making their debut on national television. They’ll sing hits such as “Mr. Sandman,” “Where the Boys Are” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
The plays are directed and choreographed by Green and the music is directed Seaton.
Students will perform “Forever Plaid” by Stuart Ross on Wednesday, Friday and Nov. 12 and 14. “The Taffetas” by Rick Lewis will be performed on Thursday, next Saturday and Nov. 13 and 15. Curtain time is 7 p.m. for both plays. Tickets are $7 each or $12 for both shows.
Fundraiser a success
The recent East Valley High School Booster Club auction raked in a record-setting $32,000 last weekend, delighting organizers and district officials. The top moneymakers were two families who bid $5,000 each for reserved seats for the graduation ceremony in June.
It is not unusual for families to arrive several hours early for the graduation ceremony in the Opera House, said district spokeswoman Judi Christianson. “We have parents camped out in line to get good seats to take pictures of their kids,” she said. The two families won eight seats each and they can request any spot in the building for their seats.
Half of the money raised will go to the Booster Club, which supports various clubs and activities, and the other half goes to the senior all-nighter. “It was a huge windfall for all of them,” Christianson said. “If you take away the two individuals who paid $5,000 each, they raised about the same as they did last year.”
AP Scholar Awards
Eight students at East Valley High School have earned AP Scholar Awards based on their scores on Advanced Placement exams. Nationally, about 18 percent of AP students earn a high enough score to win an award.
Seniors Robert Jopson and Nicholas Marquiss earned an AP Scholar Award for completing three or more AP exams with a grade of 3 or higher. Students Deann Brown, Morgan Dunning, Hilary Payne and John Roland earned AP Scholar with Honor award for earning an average grade of 3.25 on all AP exams or grades of 3 or higher on four exams.
Students Brian Reidy and Brian Stamer earned an AP Scholar with Distinction award for earning an average grade of 3.5 on all AP exams or earning grades of 3 or higher on at least five exams.
Marching band results
The Central Valley High School marching band took third in Class AA preliminary and won High Visual at the recent Oregon State University Marching Band Competition in Corvallis, Ore.
In the finals, the Bears placed fifth out of 22 bands and placed second in Ensemble Music. At the 28th annual Cavalcade of Bands in Pasco, the CV band and colorguard was named the grand sweepstakes winner. It also won Best Colorguard, Best Percussion, Best Marching and Best General Effect.
Students in the West Valley High School marching band competed in the recent Puget Sound Festival of Bands in Everett. The students placed second in Class AA preliminary, while Cheney High School took fifth. West Valley also won caption awards for Best Music and Best Percussion. At the same competition, Mt. Spokane High School took fourth place in Class AAA preliminaries, while University High School placed fifth. Mead High School took first place in Open Class preliminaries.
Sports auction
The eighth-grade class at St. John Vianney Catholic School is holding a special auction to help fund a class trip to Orcas Island in the spring. The auction winner will receive a two-night stay at the Riverhouse Resort in Bend, Ore., where he or she will play a round of golf with former Washington State University and NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The package also includes an autographed football.
Online bidding begins Nov. 11 and continues through Nov. 16. Bids will be accepted only online. Visit www.cwconsultant.spaces.live.com for more information or to submit a bid.
CV craft fair
Central Valley High School will put on its annual craft fair and bake sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday. Admission is $2. The sale benefits the Band Boosters. The school is at 810 S. Sullivan Road.