‘Little Shop of Horrors’ coming to Fairview High
Published 5:15 am Tuesday, February 25, 2020
- With just more than a month to go before the curtain rises on this year’s countywide production of "Little Shop of Horrors," high school students with a flair for drama (and comedy, of course) are busy rehearsing three days a week to get ready. Pictured rehearsing Sunday for the upcoming play are students Lydia Baker (Vinemont), Emily Smith (Fairview), and Allison Frost (Fairview).
FAIRVIEW — There’s still more than month to go before high school students from across Cullman County lift the curtain on this year’s multi-school production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” but Fairview High School — ground zero for all the preparations — is already attracting local dramatic talent like a Venus fly trap.
Hosting a cast of 25 students drawn from nearly every county school, the auditorium at Fairview is ground zero for all the rehearsals and choreography unfolding three times weekly ahead of this year’s performance. Counting the handful of additional students working behind the scenes as set artists and crew members, the play involves the participation of 32 local students, according to Fairview English teacher and play director Mark Dobbs.
As with last year’s production of “Sleeping Beauty,” staging a play that brings students together from the far corners of the entire county school system isn’t an easy feat. Fairview Theatre Works, the school’s drama department, enlists the help of an all-volunteer ensemble of both students and teachers to make it happen each year.
“Justin Miller, our Agriscience teacher, builds all of our sets and does a phenomenal job,” said Dobbs. “Additionally, Hannah Crider, our vocal coach and choreographer, does a fantastic job as well.”
To get even more buzz going ahead of the play’s April 13 debut, organizers are staging a contest open to all county high school students to come up with the winning art piece to grace the cover of this year’s playbill. The winner, who must submit an original hand-created work that fits an 8.5’’ x 11’’ format, will dance away with a $100 prize. The contest is open from now until March 6.
Dobbs also says the production is actively seeking sponsorship from local businesses and organizations, with Playbill ads still available ranging from $25 to $100. The show still needs to fill out a couple of stage props, too, so anyone who has a pair of rotary telephones or, by chance, and “old-fashioned cash register” of 1950s vintage is encouraged to reach out.
To submit entries for the cover art contest, or to loan out your phone or cash register for a stage prop, contact Dobbs via email at mdobbs@ccboe.org.
For more information about Cullman County Schools’ production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” search Facebook for Fairview Theatre Works.
