Jordan Klaus played Sam in the Wm. E. Hay Wildcat Junior Theatre school Grade 8 production of ‘Knock Knock’. The photo was taken during rehearsal at the Stettler Performing Arts Centre on May 31. ECA Review/S. Burkard
William E. Hay school Grade 9 students rehearse a scene from ‘So You Want to be a Cheerleader’, a one-act play by the Wildcat Theatre, at Performing Arts Centre in Stettler, Alta. on May 31 in preparation for the performance June 8 – 10. From the left, Rowan Snodgrass, Jozee Savage, Claire Hoopher, Taytum Marshall and Kadence Fisher. ECA Review/S. Burkard
Wm. E. Hay Stettler Secondary Campus’s Wildcat Junior Theatre is working on two one-act plays that they performed from June 8 to 10.
The Grade 8 students performed ‘Knock, Knock’ by Kathryn Funkhouser and Jason Pizzarello. The one-act is a fast-paced comedy that revolves around the unpredictable world of package delivery.
The story follows experienced courier Logan, who believes she has encountered every possible scenario, and rookie Sam, who believes one’s attitude is crucial. However, both are in for surprises as they encounter a diverse range of individuals during their deliveries, including familiar faces like their former elementary school teacher and even potential burglars.
While the Grade 9 students are performing ‘So You Want to be a Cheerleader’ by M. G. Davidson. The one-act play explores the storyline of cheerleading captain Britney and her squad members conducting tryouts to discover a fifth member for the Nationals competition. The plot unfolds with a series of uproarious and nonsensical auditions, adding to the comedic charm of the one-act play.
The students have been rehearsing since January, explains Shonna Burkard, the teacher for the Grade 8 and 9 drama classes. By performing the one-act plays at the end of the semester, the students can find out if they enjoy theatre and get a taste of it in a smaller dose before high school.
The students faced some challenges along the way.
“Memorizing lines, just being able to have all of our things prepared, like having our boxes out and costumes, set all that stuff,” said Lauren van Ringen, a Grade 8 student who shared some of the difficulties they faced. She also plays the role of Logan.
“Wrapping boxes was kind of probably the worst part of the process,” said another Grade 8 student Jordan Klaus who plays Sam in the show.
Grade 9 students Claire Hoopfer, Trinity Chapman and Rowan Snodgrass agreed that memorizing the lines and blocking for the scenes was the hardest to figure out.
“I ran my lines at home, at school and in class,” said Chapman, who plays Max in ‘So You Want to be a Cheerleader’.
The students are excited about the shows and have put a lot of effort into preparing.
“I hope they see how hard we worked,” said Hoopfer, who plays Brittani, when speaking about what she hopes the audience will take away from the show.
Jessica Campbell
ECA Review
