The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to be performed at Ridgewood
WEST LAFAYETTE – The Ridgewood High School drama club will be celebrating Halloween a little late this year with their fall production of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” on Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Ridgewood High School auditorium.
Jill Collins, director of the play, said they wanted to do a production geared toward children this year, and the morning of the production, the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will be invited to come to the high school to watch this classic story unfold on the high school stage.
“The story moves very quickly,” said Collins. “It’s constantly changing from scene to scene and there’s always something going on. It’s a non-stop set up for the show.”
The production has 25 cast and crew members including Ichabod Crane, portrayed by Johnathan Arnold, Katrina Van Tassel, portrayed by Kayle Art, Brom Bones, portrayed by Cameron Burkholder, and Yost, portrayed by Keith Claxson.
For those who don’t know of the classic story, it is set in 1790 in a small glen called Sleepy Hollow, which is known for its ghosts and hauntings. It centers on Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster, who is pining for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel. Also vowing for her hand is Brom Bones, who plays a series of tricks on the schoolmaster to try to dissuade him from pursuing Katrina. The story climaxes when, after attending a harvest party and listening to Brom tell ghost stories, Ichabod asks Katrina to marry him and she rejects him. He rides home only to encounter a headless horseman. Ichabod is so frightened that he leaves town, allowing Katrina and Brom, who was most likely the headless horseman trying to scare Ichabod out of town, to get married.
“One challenge that we have with the play is an effort to make it spooky and mysterious and create sound effects which we don’t have, and lighting effects with technology,” said Collins. “To do the best we can do when learning technology when doing the sound and lighting effects. Audiences expect those kinds of effects now.”
Collins said that one scene she thinks the audience will enjoy is when Ichabod walks through the audience and meets three phantoms and other ghouls.
Tickets for the production are $5 for adults and $3 for students and can be purchased at the door. The money helps to fund costume rentals, props, play rights, and to help finance the spring musical.
beth@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
Category: Arts & Entertainment
