As the school year begins, so does all of the preparations for the FHS musical. Picking a different show to perform every year is something that the drama club, as well as the community, anxiously looks forward to.
‘“The King and I’ is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein show. It has a large cast which fits our students, plus it will be able to use elementary and middle school students as well. It really is a great story. The music is fantastic and the costuming is beautiful with all the royal colors,” musical director, Deb Williamson said.
This year’s selection process will be going slightly different than the past year’s.
With the loss of one of Freedom’s very own, this gave Williamson the opportunity to honor her memory.
“This show was also my very dear friend, Mrs. Anna Maria Folmar’s, choice when we had several discussions about the musical. She was such a great supporter of the Drama Club. What better way to honor her,” Williamson said.
Choosing to perform Folmar’s favorite musical will carry its own special set of challenges, different than any other musical performed. Not only does it need to be a quality piece that impresses the audience, but it carries special weight in the hearts of those who knew Folmar personally.
“Mrs. Folmar did so much for our drama club, and I know that doing her pick will push all of us to work that much harder to make her proud,” Senior Vice President Emma Cumberledge said.
“I love ‘The King and I,’ and I’m so glad that we are doing Anna Maria’s favorite show. My biggest hope for this year is to make [Anna Maria] proud and honor her with our performance,” Junior Maddie Edder said.
The most challenging part about this whole production is going to be the kids, because they’re the ones that have to bring it to life.
“The challenge will be getting the students to learn their characters and make them their own. They were very successful in doing that last year,” Williamson said. “This is another journey that we are all going to be on and my hope is that we once again make many memories, work hard and have fun!”
The Drama Club will be holding fundraisers throughout the 2015-2016 school year to raise money for this production. This includes a homecoming breakfast and lightsabre battles that were both held during the homecoming fair, tagging at the Cranberry Walmart and a spaghetti dinner.
This year, the dates for the live shows have been pushed back, to avoid any conflicts with State Band. The King and I will be performed on April 29, 30 and May 1 in the FHS auditorium. Until then, the cast and crew will be working endlessly to put on the best show possible to honor Mrs. Anna Maria Folmar.