Chesterton High School’s latest family theatre production, Haphazardly Ever After, has produced one of the theatre department’s greatest turnouts yet. Haphazardly Ever After is written by Jeff Fluhartly and is performed by a multitude of high schools across the country.
This play features a family of six: King Barnabas (Eric Zhong), Queen Mildred (Carley Lowe), Prince Slacker (Sawyer Hallas), Price Hairgel (Jacob Williger), Princess Cinnamon (Natalie Iatarola), and Princess Peppermint (Victoria Hooten), as they navigate their way through the typical ups and downs of a royal family. Barnabas and Mildred use a book of Disney fairy tales to try and tame their obnoxious, bratty children and end up with a lot more than they bargained for.
The Chesterton High School theatre department has been producing plays thrice a year for over 40 years. The fall and winter plays are directed by English teacher Anne Sharp whereas the spring play is directed by Kristin Morris as a musical. The spring musical features the talents of the Chesterton High School Sandpipers and Drifters.
The Sandpipers and Drifters are the most select mixed and women's choral groups at Chesterton High School. For nearly forty years, the Sandpipers have served as a musical ambassador for the town of Chesterton and the Duneland community. Each year, both groups present a wide variety of programming: three choral performances, a madrigal dinner, choreographed show choir events, and repertoire for the ISSMA Organizational festival in the spring. Members of these groups are recognized as leaders in student government, maintain a high overall grade point average, and actively participate in other extracurricular groups at CHS.
“All of the students involved are really good kids,” Morris states. “They always know to come in with their game face on, and that’s what has helped us over the years.”
The Sandpipers and Drifters perform at several competitions throughout the Midwest each spring. Over the years, the groups have developed a reputation for creative and innovative programming. The Sandpipers have been awarded Grand Champion honors in six states, earning caption awards for Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Instrumentals, Best Crew, and Best Soloist. Numerous students have advanced to the finals and earned championship honors in solo competitions as well. In addition, the Sandpipers is also known for quality presentations of traditional choral repertoire. Each December, the Sandpipers present the annual CHS Madrigal Dinner, a Duneland-area holiday tradition which is now in its forty-first year. Seussical: The Musical and Grease are just a few of the performances done by Chesterton High School’s show choirs in the past few years. This year’s musical is set to be a reenactment of The Addam’s Family Values and is expected to be a big hit.
On the other hand, the fall and winter plays are more traditional performances. The fall play is typically the more serious of the two, as the winter play is targeted towards younger audiences and promotes a more family-friendly atmosphere. Last year’s family theatre production was The Princess Who had No Name by Brian D. Taylor.
“My favorite part about being involved in theatre is seeing the final outcome,” Carley Lowe, who played the no-name princess in last year’s production, explains. “Working so hard for so long, then performing in front of your friends and family and hearing them laugh at the right parts and applaud at the end is incredibly satisfying.”
Performances for the fall play include acts such as The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus and Twain by the Tale.
“It’s always great seeing students passionate about theatre,” director Anne Sharp says. “I’ve seen so many kids come through at the start of their freshman year absolutely terrified of self-expression. By the end of their junior or senior year, they are confident and totally sure of themselves. It is astonishing to see that transition occur in such a short time span.