From April 21st through April 24th, the West Branch Performing Arts Program presented The Addams Family. The cast has been working hard since January to bring the show together and leading up to the show, they had four practices a week to prepare. The hard work and dedication had definitely paid off, as roughly 600 tickets were sold on show nights.
During the production of Clue: on Stage, the show was recorded and streamed, and during the production of Oklahoma!, students were given a limited amount of tickets to give out so there was not much of a community audience. During The Addams Family, the program was excited to have a full house again and see members of the community support the Performing Arts. The West Branch Performing Arts Instagram was run by Senior Noah Fry. Noah worked to advertise the show and showcase the seniors. You can support the drama program on Instagram and follow @wbperformingarts to be notified about future shows.
The production was open to fifth through twelfth grade, and with a lot of ensemble opportunities, the show was a great start for middle school students who don’t have very much experience. Another new thing is the inclusion of a pit orchestra, which was the first time in almost a decade that a theatre production was joined with a pit at West Branch. A pit orchestra is a group of musicians positioned in front of a stage that accompanies a theatre production. The pit was conducted by West Branch alumnus, Jerimiah Dobo. The auxiliary percussion player, Max Wittlinger, explains, “I’m very thankful I had the opportunity to be a part of the first pit WB drama has had in years. I believe having a pit provided the cast with a great opportunity to grow as performers. It was rewarding to hear the cast get used to performing with the pit and become more comfortable on stage.” The drama program was extremely grateful to have the pit, as it assisted the performers, and they enjoyed having the experience to listen to live music.
The show overall was a huge success, with members of the community even explaining it was the best show to come from West Branch in years! The drama program was extremely grateful for how the show turned out. Student Choreographer and Drama Club President Carrie Fuller explains “[The show] went really well!! So many people from the community came out to support us and I’m so happy that these younger kids got to experience this!” The upperclassmen in the show were great leaders to the younger students. The Performing Arts have a lot to be proud of regarding the show, as it was fantastic. Director Dee Coudient expressed her gratitude for the cast “You guys were amazing! I was so proud to tell people how fortunate I was to work with such talented students.” Congratulations to these students on their successes.
After Sunday’s performance, the program held its senior recognition. The six graduating seniors are Vesta Brickly, Noah Fry, Carrie Fuller, Jonathan Hoover, Ashley Warner, and Brenden Zetts. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors!
The cast of The Addams Family will be attending The Isaacs on May 29th at the Mishler Theatre in Altoona PA. They will perform “When You’re an Addams” and will find out if any students are receiving an award.
