Lights, Camera, Action!
First Annual Dinner Theater Held at SLHS
By Taylor Ehrman
November 19, 2009
Washington Sponsors, Dana Epley and Kim Bonifas, got together with the new play director, Joyce Overturf, to brew up a new plan to entertain the public and, of course, find another way of raising funds for the students going to Washington D.C. this summer.
After discussion with the students, the Washington '10 members and the play members agreed to provide a Dinner Theater for the public. They spent around a month selling tickets to friends and families for $10 dollars for the dinner and the play. Also, the choir director, Janice Dart, decided to entertain the public with a group of her students singing, while art teacher, Trish Hinrichs, and family and consumer sciences teacher, Kay Theer, also displayed their student’s works of art as well. The weeks of work put into this “Night of Fine Arts” was all put together for the public on Tuesday, November 17th, in the high school gym.
After the day was spent setting up the gym with tables, chairs, and decorations, the students finally got to sit down and sample the meal to be served to the public, which consisted of lettuce salad, spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and many choices of desserts and salads furnished by the play students and Washington 2010 students.
Then, the students were off to put on their make-up and get dressed while the doors were opened to the public around six o'clock. The Washington members began serving while the play kids got ready to entertain and the choir kids sang. Around 170 parents and community members were ushered to their seats and serenaded by juniors Bailey Morris, Erin Plambeck, Mackenzie Kral, Taylor Ehrman, and Brianna Gentert. These girls entertained the room with "Three Round Frolic" by C. Albert Scholin, "I Enjoy Being a Girl" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Harry Warren, Mack Gordon, and Pete Schmutte. Following the choir performance and the meal, the curtains were opened for thirty-two members of the play and stage-crew to begin their modern-day reenactment of some classic fairy tails, more specifically the play "Not-So-Grimm-Tales" written by Kevin Bean. The play was directed by Joyce Overturf with the assistance of her student director Cami Bruckman.
"We were very pleased with the fact that approximately 170 people attended our first dinner theater at Silver Lake High School. We would like to thank the public, the parents, Mrs. Dart, Mrs. Hinrichs, Mrs. Theer and Mrs. Overturf for their support! We hope this is an event that will continue for many years to come," stated Washington '10 sponsor Dana Epley.
The entire Washington 2010 group echoes Mrs. Epley’s statement in thanking the parents for the food, the play kids for an entertaining show, and the public for attending and supporting our fundraising efforts. We hope you enjoyed the show!
