Ridgewood drama club to perform a Christmas classic
WEST LAFAYETTE – The Ridgewood High School drama club will be performing a Christmas classic for the general public on Monday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at the high school auditorium and for senior citizens on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m. Although not well received when it first opened in 1946, “It’s a Wonderful Life” has become a must-watch for many each Christmas season.
“It’s a classic and we always try to keep our senior citizens in mind when doing our Christmas play,” said Jill Collins, director of the play. “We did this a number of years ago, and it was well-received, and we just happened to have the right students to be able to do it again this year.”
The play focuses on George Bailey, played by Jared Norman, who is less than happy with his current life as he has given up his personal dreams for the betterment of his small town and his family, his wife Mary, played by Shianne Boone, and their children. When his Uncle Billy loses an $8,000 loan on Christmas Eve, George contemplates suicide. That’s when Clarence, George’s guardian angel, played by CJ Buckler, intervenes and shows George what his town of Bedford Falls would be like if he had never been born.
“This is one of those endings where the co-director and I tear up every time when one of George Bailey’s sons says, ‘Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings’,” said Collins. “It just gets us every time.”
Although there are no really challenging scenes in the play, Collins said the lighting and sound technicians have a challenge due to the number of scene changes.
Students in the drama club itself are being challenged as well. Just a few weeks ago, they performed, “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” on Nov. 20 and in the middle of January, they will be performing “Rehearsal for Murder” on Jan. 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. The leads for each play were cast early in autumn so that they could have plenty of time to learn their lines.
“We’ve been rehearsing for the play for the past two weeks,” said Collins. “We’ve been spending a lot of hours together and we eat dinner together. We’re like one big family.”
Tickets are available at the door and are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Those attending the play on Monday, Dec. 21 are asked to park in the front parking lot.
“We always do a Christmas play for our senior citizens,” said Collins. “They are one of our steady audiences at other performances. They are such great supporters and many of them helped to build our auditorium through their donations.”
beth@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
Category: Arts & Entertainment
