Drama clubs team up for "Little, Scrooge"

Rehearsals for the holiday play, "Little, Scrooge" 
 
By CHS Journalism Staff

Cloverleaf High School Drama Club is working with the Cloverleaf Middle School Drama Club to put together an updated, kid-friendly version of the holiday favorite, “A Christmas Carol.” “Little, Scrooge” is written by Patricia Barry Rumble and is the perfect show for this union of the drama clubs.

The show is about 50 minutes in length and will be performed for the general public at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16 (Cast B) and at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 17  (Cast A) on the Cloverleaf Elementary School Stage. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to cover the costs of stage materials, scripts and royalties.

The one act is being directed by CHS Drama Director John Carmigiano, CMS Drama Director Mary Augustus, CMS Staff Assistant Melissa Henderson, and student-directed by CHS freshman Bella Polen.

“We wanted to find a way to work jointly with the CHS and CMS students in a collaborative effort on a show,” Carmigiano said. “Mrs. Augustus had made us aware that there was an abundance of students interested in theater at the middle school, so we decided to try a holiday show together to try and grow the theater program at Cloverleaf.”

As it turned out, 31 CMS students came to the tryout, and that is when Carmigiano and Augustus decided to use just the middle school kids for casting and most of the crew work to get them more experience.

“The play is an opportunity for middle school students to experience and be part of a production,” Augustus said. “Students share every aspect of the production and they gain confidence in being able to perform in front of an audience. The students show tremendous growth between starting the production and the end product.”

The Cast A stars Lane Stafinski (Eben Scrooge), Jasmine Shimko (Bobbie Cratchitt), Taylor Jordan (Tiny Tim), Cael Gasper (Freddy), Skylar Hustick (The Mirror), Addie Leonard (Child Caroler), Ethan Vaughn (Mr. Fuzziwig), Aubrie Hayhurst (Isabella), Isaac Hall (Ghost of Christmas Past), Annabelle Lormeau (Ghost of Christmas Present), and Allison Whitacre (Ghost of Christmas Future.

The Cast B stars Stafinski, Jordan, Gasper, and Vaughn, along with Grace Goldsberry (Bobbie Cratchitt), Emily Donofrio (The Mirror), Briana Walkuski (Child Caroler), Hailey Donohue (Isabella), Clare Vaughn (Ghost of Christmas Past), Mailley Bohan (Ghost of Christmas Present), and Rosalin Hoff (Ghost of Christmas Future).

The stage manager is Brooke Gucker, and the crew includes Kate Tackett, Lauren Zelenka, Jewel Yanke, Abagale Gray, Kenna Waggamon, Lucille Roush, Cameron Woyma, Lauren Jensch, Isabel Kirby, Lydia Fike, McKenna Mackey, Hayley Villoni, and Arron Fry.
The set pieces were constructed by Cloverleaf community member Eric Martin, while some of the base painting was done by the CMS crew. CHS art students Mariel Leatherman and Diana Rice also used their painting skills to bring to life some of the scenery panels.

The show also will be performed for Cloverleaf Elementary School students on Dec. 19.

“It is always nice when we do a kid-oriented show that can be shared with the younger students in our district,” Carmigiano said. “This will be a nice treat for everyone before the holidays.”

Cloverleaf Elementary School is located at 8337 Friendsville Road in Westfield Township.

In the photos:

(From left) Lane Stafinski (Eben Scrooge) practices with Jasmine Shimko (Bobbie Cratchitt) in “Little, Scrooge,” a kid-friendly take on the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol.”

(From left) Grace Goldsberry (Bobbie Cratchitt) rehearses "Deck the Halls" with Cael Gasper (Freddy Johnson) for the combined CMS and CHS drama club production of “Little, Scrooge.”

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