Back in March of 2020, Dara Slater, director of that year's play at Gerald G. Huesken Middle School, "Hurricane Smith and the Garden of the Golden Monkey" by Tim Kelly, was in the final stages of rehearsal. "The set was finished, and the props were ready," said Slater, whose hopes for the show were dashed when school was closed on March 13, 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions. "We put it all away."
The props, costumes, and set remained in storage until early this year, when Slater held auditions for the 2022 spring show. After two years without a theater program at the middle school, Slater was apprehensive, but the students who tried out for the show impressed her. "We had a fantastic group of kids audition. They are very enthusiastic about theater," she said. She did change a few roles from male to female, which she noted is allowed by the playwright.
"Hurricane Smith," which will be staged at the school, 500 Mount Sidney Road, Lancaster, on Friday, March 25, and Saturday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. each evening, has graced the school stage at least twice before - in 1999 and again in 2008. Slater chose to present the story again because she enjoys the humor and nostalgia associated with the Indiana Jones-style comedy. A special show for Conestoga Valley School District-area senior citizens will be presented free on Thursday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m.
The play-within-a-play story of Hurricane Smith takes place on a movie set where a film director, Edie Diamond, played by Amanda Stoltzfoos, is finishing up production of a flick. Gloria Daily, a student and aspiring writer, played by Larissa Burkholder, arrives with her school drama club in tow and her original script under her arm. Daily's story involves the orphaned Hurricane Smith, a famous explorer, played by Gwenyth Unruh, whose parents reportedly died in the Amazon while she was still a child. Her father disappeared while searching for the Garden of the Golden Monkey. When Hurricane is given a golden monkey by a mysterious foreigner, she sets out to discover the fate of her parents with photojournalist Linda Zest, played by Anabelle Hershey. The duo encounters adventure including plane crashes, parachute jumps, and they meet the Cobra People, led by Cobra Woman, played by Camryn Kmieczak.
Due to the skills and efforts of the cast of 19, Slater has given a few students more than one part. "It's working because the kids are dedicated, and they are talented and flexible enough that they manage to pull off these roles very well," said Slater. "Hurricane Smith" is a larger-than-life swashbuckler that includes a few silly moments, according to Slater. "You don't take any of your characters too seriously in this show," she said. "The students are having fun."
The production is especially important to Slater because it might be the last for the age group. Students will be moving to a new middle school, which will not have a theater facility. The present building will be closed for renovations before it becomes Smoketown Elementary.
Tickets for the show may be purchased from any cast member, by searching for "Hurricane Smith and the Garden of the Golden Monkey" at http://www.showtix4u.com, or at the door prior to the show. Tickets will be discounted for students.
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