Renovations to Vance Brand Civic Auditorium prevented students from taking the stage this fall. Instead of skipping a semester of theater, Lauren Sorey, theater director at Skyline High School decided to take the show on the road.
Sorey’s career has allowed her to participate in many types of theater productions but one she loved was simple musicals that appealed to young kids. When anticipating the challenge of not having access to the school’s stage for half a year, Sorey thought it would be an opportunity to visit the high school’s feeder schools.
Each year, Skyline’s feeder schools, which include Trail Ridge Middle School, Timberline K-8, Alpine, Columbine, Fall River and Rocky Mountain elementary schools, travel to Skyline to watch a theatrical performance. It is an opportunity for younger students to experience the school’s visual performing arts program in action and is an important part of the recruiting process for the program, Sorey said.
So Sorey dug into her past experiences and suggested the theatrical group take on "Junie B. Jones the Musical.”
While there always many parts to producing a play, this one has been particularly challenging for the group. They do not have an established practice space and have had to rely on the technical crew to innovate mobile set pieces that can adapt to different stage settings. Some days the students are found spread out in the cafeteria while others require them to adapt to a common space at the end of a hallway.
Sorey said the experience has been good for the students. It has taught them to be more aware of their surroundings and think outside of the box.
“It’s a cool new experience. At first I wasn’t too excited but now that I am in and building a community with all these challenges, it has been really cool … It’s stressful but you get through it and it is very rewarding. I am excited to go to the kids and show them the show,” said Senior Anni Haakenson.
Stage Manager Ulysses Ayala switched from acting to technical theater in high school because she enjoys working with others to make a show come together. “I was upset at first but now I realize it is a really amazing opportunity to be able to tour as a high school student. Technical theater already builds lots of skills in someone but the touring aspect … is a bigger step,” she said.
The tour begins Oct. 25-28 for the elementary and middle school shows. The public is invited to buy tickets for shows scheduled for Nov. 1-2 in the Skyline cafeteria.
