“A school play is more than just a performance; it’s a journey where students discover confidence, creativity, and the magic of storytelling”-Romeo Edwards.
There is a new play happening at school this year: “A Trip to the Moon.”
Now personally I’m one of the actors in the play and that’s why I wanted to do this. I also wanted to bring more attention to the school play. I interviewed the director of the play, Sarah Barthel. I asked her what we can expect from the trip to the moon, and this is what she said:
“Set in the transformative summer of 1969, “A Trip to the Moon” tells the story of people reaching for their dreams … dreams of love, dreams of equality, dreams of the stars. Told around the time of the moon landing, the play is comprised of 16 scenes, each named after an iconic song from 1969. From a girl trying to convince her parent to let her go to Woodstock in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” to a woman trying to get a job at NASA in “Bad Moon Rising,” to a soldier giving the new guy a reality check in “Fortunate Son,” to a group of protestors showing a girl how to fight for what’s right in “Come Together,” these scenes and more use humor and heart to teach us about who we once were and reflect on who we could be and remind us that to achieve the impossible, we must reach for the stars”.
Also, according to Ms. Barthel, ‘” A Trip to the Moon” has been an interesting challenge for Lompoc High Theatre Arts this year. This is because the show contains so many scenes, there are a lot of characters, and therefore a lot of opportunities to showcase veteran actors as well as introduce actors new to LHS. It’s fun, but also challenging, to have such a large cast. We have had excellent student leadership emerging both in the technical work and on the acting side. Students in theater classes during the day have been working on set pieces, costumes, specialty props, lighting, and sound. During rehearsals in the evenings, we put everything together, watching students from various levels of theater classes as well as students from Drama Club working together both onstage and off.”’
Now that sounds like a lot, but it’s going to be worth the watch and very exciting. I also asked her why she thinks theater can help kids at LHS or anywhere in fact. This is what she said,
“Beyond just this production, I love my job as the theater director because I get to choose productions that I think will challenge our company (actors and technicians) as well as our audiences. Students learn to work together in so many ways: from teamwork to complete technical tasks to the teamwork that it takes to put on a good scene, students are always learning and growing. Many graduates of the theater program have told me that theater made them more confident in life, helping them get jobs and even be more confident in their interpersonal relationships. Theatre requires dedication, creativity, an open mind, and a willingness to try something! Stepping into the shoes of another person as you become a character can open your mind to what others experience in life. No matter what your career goals are, I truly believe that theater experiences help make you a better person.”
Now that is the reason why I wanted to act and I personally think Sarah Barthel is a great teacher and my favorite teacher at Lompoc High School
“A trip to the moon” has tickets out right now for 10$ at https://lompochighperformingarts.ludus.com/index.php, but if you are a student you can get it for 5$ in person, just go ask sarah Barthel and she will tell you. You can go see a trip to the moon on October 3-5, Thursday-Saturday, and I hope to see you there!
