Old Age Makeup

Here's an example of some of the fun we had on our last day of class in advanced drama.

Brandi did a fine job of making herself look ancient, don't you think?

New Year, New Adventures

We're already making big plans for next year, and let me tell you - it's going to be a busy one. As many of you already know, I've chosen to produce The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in the fall. This was one of my favorite books as a child, and I think that we can pull off one heck of a production. Go ahead and start researching it now. I suggest reading the entire series. I've chosen Joseph Robinette's script and already we are assembling a great creative team: Donna Norman as stage manager, Guy Perticone as lighting designer and special effects consultant, Beth King as head costumer, and Steffany Bankenbusch has also agreed to design costumes all the way from Texas. We've already purchased the rights for 12 performances in October and November (yes, 12).

Also, we'll be forming our very own booster club! Woo! We will call it the Woodmont High School Theatre Guild, and all of our fundraising activities will be run through this new organization.

I will be teaching drama full-time next year, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be doing this. I'll be teaching 4 sections of Drama 1, 1 Drama 2, and 1 Drama 3H/4H combined. I'll also have a new classroom down the hall. This is the first time in the history of our school that we will have a full-time drama position. How cool is that?

Next year will also be the first time we tackle a MUSICAL! This is a whole 'nother can of worms, folks. It will happen in the spring and I am up for suggestions. I'm leaning towards Little Shop of Horrors. Do you have any better ideas? I'm looking to sell our auditorium out. What are your thoughts?

Way to go, Shawn!

Congratulations to Mr. Shawn Simmons for winning this year's DRAMA AWARD for his outstanding performance as Macbeth. Shawn also starred as Antinous and Polyphemus in The Odyssey and as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book and is an innaugural member of our Troupe 7407 of the International Thespian Society. He will be attending Berea College in Kentucky to pursue a degree in Theatre. We wish him the very best and look forward to seeing him on stage in the future. We'll miss ya, buddy!

The Wildcat Players Drama Award is given to one student annually for outstanding performance in one or more productions. It can be awarded to any student in any grade level. Winners of this award include both Shawn and Matt Coker.

Next year an additional award will be given within our honor society . . . Best Thespian!

Who will be honored next year? Will it be you?

Success!

Our production of The Odyssey was a bona fide success! Congratulations on your achievement. I'm so very proud of your professionalism and work ethic. This has to be one of the top class plays ever produced in a high school. You guys rock!

Odyssey Poster

Check it out! This was designed by JT Helms who designed our Macbeth poster. What do you think? Does it reflect our production? What will people think when they see this?

Our New Mascot

Look what we found at the Jockey Lot this morning! It's our new drama mascot, the amazing Hector Del Toro Bustamante. You can call him Hector for short. Thanks to Rabecca (and especially her mom) for saving him from the perils of the flea market and giving him a happy home. Hooray for Hector!

Odyssey Set Design

Here's a picture of the model I built for our Odyssey set. What do you think? Too much?

Can We Do It?

The word "odyssey" refers to a long series of wanderings or adventures, especially filled with notable experiences and hardships. What a fitting name for our current production. Frankly, I'm terrified. We've chosen a massively ambitious project and we open in less than a month. What were we thinking? How will we pull this one off? Are we capable of achieving this?

We have the resources we need. We have fantastic ideas. Can we do it all in 4 weeks? Are you committed to this project? Are you ready to work harder than you've ever worked before?

The only way to reach the moon is if we work together as one team.

I need you on this team.

Troupe # 7407

Woodmont High is now an official member of the

International Thespian Society!

Congratulations to our first members:

Rabecca Bakken

Jarrod Bennett

Taylor Bishop

Wesley Booker

Justin Chiles

Matt Coker

Malorie Cunnigham

John King

Sarah Klemans

Ashley Pittman

Shawn Simmons

Next up . . .

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for a new spring production on the horizon. The Advanced Drama Ensemble of the Drama 2/3H classes will be presenting a full-length play based on The Odyssey by Homer. This is an ambitious project and these students are ready for the challenge. The show has been cast with both veterans and first-timers. We are currently developing a script and production concept. We will be offering 6 public performances May 1 - 9.

Alice DVDs and Pics!

Well, folks, our Drama 1 class production of Alice in Wonderland turned out to be a big success. Our "little" class play drew in an audience of 504 over three nights. I am very proud of all the students who worked so incredibly hard that last week to pull this one off. Way to go! David Dara is now offering DVDs (with pictures) of Alice for only $15. What a deal! Now you can enjoy this memory forever. Come by Mr. Ragland's room for your copy.