Herndon senior Annie Taylor, who will be using stilts in her role of the White Witch, rehearses for the December production of the “Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” There will be 16 tech students working on technical aspects of the production which will be produced at Herndon High. Photo by Ryan Dunn.
Since September, students at Herndon High School Theatre have been preparing an action-packed presentation of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” This dramatization will delight audiences young and old with a story of love, courage and faith. It is also the school’s first production directed by Herndon High’s new drama teacher, Morganne Davis. Davis replaces theatre director Zoë Dillard, who has retired. “I think Ms. Davis has brought a new element to the production,” said senior Melanie Simpson, who plays the Unicorn.
Davis has a background as a professional actor and theatre artist. “I am thrilled to have found a community as vibrant as Herndon High School (HHS). I am overwhelmed by the support and excitement from the parents, students, fellow faculty and staff members, administrators and the community at large…
My goals for the program are to give students a safe and welcoming space in which they can discover themselves as theater artists. I aim to continue to expand and question their idea of what theater is, as well as enrich the Herndon High School community by providing meaningful and relevant theatrical experiences,” said Davis.
“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is a fantasy novel published in 1950. It was the first of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia and one of C.S. Lewis’ best known books. Most of the novel is set in Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythical creatures. “This is one the more tech heavy shows I have been in,” said senior Annie Taylor, who will be using stilts in her role of the White Witch. There will be 16 tech students working on technical aspects of the production. Although the production has many elements including duels and narrow escapes, it will not be entered into the Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) competition.
HHS senior Nathan Burns who last year portrayed Peter Pan plays Peter Pevensie, eldest of four siblings who journey into Narnia. “We miss Ms. Dillard, but now we are exploring new acting techniques such as American realism and method acting… I think it is going to be an awesome show,” said Burns. “Ms. Davis has been a big help, be prepared for a lot of surprises,” said senior Robin McGrath, who has the role of Lucy Pevensie. Playing Susan Pevensie is Jessie Jorgensen, and cast as Edmund is Ryan Muha.
PARENTS AND FAMILIES can look forward to seeing how the Narnia world will be brought to life. “One of the hardest things was getting some of the physical motion down for animal characters,” said sophomore Hannah Overton, who plays the White Stag. The play features fight scenes, sound effects, as well as a puppet for the character Aslan, voiced by senior Thomas Phelps. Three guest artists from the professional D.C. theater scene have worked on this production with the students: Rachel Hynes was the movement coach; Joshua Rosenblum led the students in puppet design and construction; and Megan Behm choreographed the battle scenes. Construction team leader Chris Overton and other volunteers helped prepare the sets for the production.
Davis has supported partnering the Herndon Theatre program with community programs. The first partnership is with local nonprofit Cornerstones.
“We are bringing their after school programs to see Lion Witch Wardrobe to expose those students to the theater-going experience and will be partnering with them on their winter Talent Show,” said Davis.
“For my first show, I wanted to choose a show that is family-friendly and that fits our season theme of Self-Discovery,” said Davis. Through their experiences in Narnia, the Pevensie children become mature and responsible leaders. “Our production contains a lot of exciting elements such as puppetry, stilt walking, exciting stage combat, but it is strongly rooted in this idea of discovering and living up to our full potential,” said Davis.
Ticket prices are $10 for reserved tickets and $12 for tickets sold at the door and not on the reservation list. Shows will be Dec. 3 through Dec. 6 at Herndon High.
OTHER UPCOMING Herndon High events include the Saturday, Dec. 5 Herndon Tree Lighting at downtown Herndon which is open to the public, and the Dec. 14 winter performance of the HHS Choir program at the school auditorium. Herndon High School will have a Holiday Vendor Sale on Saturday, Dec. 12, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The event will be a morning of shopping, and a silent auction. For more information on Herndon High Drama visit www.herndondrama.org.