Gallery • 3 Photos

Aidan Epstein

A captive audience of hopefuls applaud the monologues as they wait for their turn to audition.

The school year is new and there is already plenty to do. The leaders of the Manitou Springs School District’s theatre department already have everything planned out and know what the student body, including our middle school, will have the opportunity to do this year,  The community will be seeing more after-school activities, meeting new mentors, and of course witnessing new performances.

The fall play this year will be Mother Hicks, a tale set in Ware, Illinois during the Great Depression. The story is about three outsiders; a deaf boy named Tuc, a lonely girl (called only “Girl”) with no family of her own, and a Mother (Mother Hicks) who is suspected of being a witch. This time in history is exceedingly difficult for everyone, but especially for Girl. She lives her life getting passed around from household to household in search of her mother. She crosses paths with the black sheep that is Mother Hicks. The three troubled characters discover who they really are and the power within themselves during this hard time. This story is told through sign language and poetry and is really all about finding yourself, finding home and where you fit into this world.

Director Wendy Harms intends for this play to be for a younger audience, because she says everyone goes through this journey during middle school and high school, not knowing who we are or where we belong, then eventually finding our way out of that dark tunnel, finding oneself and our places. This is going to be a play that everyone can relate to. This years primary cast will consist of Morgan Baker as Tuc, Cate Montville as Girl, Maddie Dayhoff as Mother Hicks.

Mother Hicks will premiere Friday, October 17 at 7:00 pm in the District Auditorium.

In addition to the fall performances, students can participate in a number of theater-related clubs. There will be two new after-school clubs: Film Club and Improv Club. Drama Club will be after school on Tuesdays every other week. Improv club will be on the other Tuesdays after school starting September 9 from 3:15-4:30. Improv is the art of improvisation; making it up as one goes along. In Improv Club, students will be playing games, doing exercises and learning tricks to improve their skills in this performing art. As for Film Club, that will be on Thursdays and is going to turn into an after school film class by December. Students will be working with new leaders such as 2009 Manitou Springs High School graduate Abbie Steen who will be doing some musical directing, and Matthew Maday who will be running Improv club. If students have any questions or concerns about anything they can ask Mrs. Harms.

FULL CAST LIST:

MOTHER HICKS 

TUC…………………………….MORGAN BAKER
GIRL……………………..…..CATE MONTVILLE
MOTHER HICKS………MADDIE DAYHOFF
RICKY RICKS…………………..DEVEN GATES
IZZY SUE RICKS…………………..MIA ELLIOT
JAKE HAMMON……….SEVERN BELMOND
HOWIE HAMMON……….JOSH CHAMBERS
CLOVIS P EUDY………..THOMAS HUDSON
WILSON WALKER…..STAVEN GUERRERO
HOSIAH WARD……………BENNETT CROSS
ALMA WARD…………….CHEYENNE RHINE
CHORUS 1……………….CUINN ZDROJOWY
CHORUS 2…………………….JORDAN GATES
CHORUS 3………………..SAVANNAH RILEY
CHORUS 4…………….SOPHIA CHRISTMAN