First Musical Production in New Performing Arts Center
The Norton High School Drama and Music Departments are producing Once Upon a Mattress April 27,28, 29. The musical comedy will be the first theater show in the new high school and the new, state-of-the-art auditorium. The new facility provides a sixty-four foot proscenium, a digital sound board and nearly 90 computerized lighting instruments, a dozen hanging curtains, cycloramas, and scrims in the stage loft. The auditorium has 650 comfortable seats, acoustical engineering, and unobstructed sight to all areas on the stage.
Once Upon a Mattress is hilarious version of the fairy tale called The Princess and the Pea.
The overly protective overbearing talkative Queen refuses permission for her son the Prince to marry any of the candidates vying for his hand. When an unlikely, not delicate candidate arrives at the castle, the Queen uses a test of sensitivity to eliminate this latest applicant. The new princess is so eager to marry a prince that she swims the moat rather than wait for the drawbridge. So the Queens new test is the pea under twenty mattresses. Despite her best efforts and the impossible trial, the plot resolves happily.
Queen Aggravain (McCartney Betz), the mute King Sextimus III (Jonathan Walton) and Prince Dauntless the Drab (Ryan Longoria) comprise the Royal family. The courtiers feature the Wizard (Cameron Baughman), the Jester (Matt Kaufman), Sir Harry (Reece Swarm), and Lady Larken (Rose Morrison). The story is told by a wandering minstrel (Sydney Shufford). The Princess is Jillian Pletcher.
The cast includes various other Ladies, Lords, and Knights. The show features twenty-five of Norton High’s finest singers, dancers, and actors including: Katelyn Becker, Sydni Bilinovich, Makayla Crowder, Sylvia Downie, Kayla Gauze, Hannah Hitchings, Kristina Nemes, Hanna Rowell, Cailin Swearingen, Brenna Vence, Kara Wright, Tyler Blackburn, Michael Bucha, Casey Cascaldo, Laban Erbe, and Jacob Wagner. The production is supported by a hard-working crew behind the scenes and in the box office.
The students are coached by a wonderful group of teachers and local instructors. The choir director Jennifer Casper is in charge of the vocal music. Tim Longfellow is the accompanist. Jennifer Betz is the choreographer. Denny Oswald is the technical director with Anthony Paridon as stage manager and Tracy Willison in charge of the lobby sales. Glen Sonoda heads the construction team. Bill Vaill has designed the production. Tricia Pletcher is the sponsor of the drama, debate, and speech team activities.
The seating in the new auditorium is reserved. Reserved seats are $10, and General Admission seats are $8; both are available on the nights of the shows at the Box Office, or as presale on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information on presale tickets, click here. For more information, contact the drama program at the high school 330-825-7300 ext. 532151.
Norton High School is very proud of its various programs and excited about all the new facilities.
The students and advisers in this first theater production sincerely invite the students and the entire community to be part of this event.