After months of practice, the performing arts students of Ringgold High School graced the stage last week to finally present the show they have worked on for weeks - The Sound of Music. Written by musical legends Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Sound of Music follows the story of a free-spirited postulant Maria Reiner who ends up caring for the children of a strict Austrian general Captain Vonn Trapp. The two ultimately fall in love, but their relationship is later tested with the oncoming danger of World War II and the invasion of the Nazi Army.
The high school arts department welcomed some familiar faces this year with a new musical production team. Melanie Sandrock, choir teacher for Finley Middle School, has been the main woman behind the middle school’s musicals for the past ten years. Together with her crew, she has produced various musicals for Finley including Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, Annie, and High School Musical. This year, she took on the task of producing the high school’s musical with her team consisting of director Carl Kelley, choreographer Barbara Rudar, music teacher Cindy Demarest, and set builders George Lyons and Kathy Petrosky. The team has been working together for a total of 32 years, and all of the members hold distinguished backgrounds in their respective fields. Ringgold band director Mr. Steele also joined the team this year running the Pit Band for the musical, which consisted of high school students, adult musicians, and teachers. The high school tech/stage crew also contributed to building sets for the show.
The Sound of Music marked Sandrock’s first high school musical production. On her choice this year, Sandrock said, “This year is the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music, and it just seemed appropriate to perform the show. It’s wonderful for young people. It’s classic, and it’s quality.” The show featured 3 casts which each performed on separate nights starting on Thursday and running through to Saturday. Junior Jake Tolliver is one cast member who has enjoyed his time working on the show. He portrayed the part of Rolf – a young teenager involved with Von Trapp’s daughter Liesl. His character ultimately gets sucked into the Nazi Regime and joins the invading army. Tolliver said, “It was easy for me to identify with my character. Because we’re so close in age, he wasn’t much different from myself. I really enjoyed being able to show everyone what I could do with this role. It’s not huge, but it’s just enough for everyone to see.” The most difficult part of production seemed to lie with memorizing lines for the show. Junior Mary Fakner, playing the lead of Maria, said, “I would lock myself in my bedroom and read lines over and over again until I got each scene down. As I was learning, it helped me to visualize myself on stage and form that image in my head.”
Despite the hard work, the cast members remain proud of the musical and its enchanting story. Fakner said, “I like the show because it revolves around Maria’s story. It shows her struggles in choosing love over the abbey. It’s great to see her overcome so many physical and mental obstacles. The show also puts into perspective what it was like at this time period for people living in Germany, and it helps you to understand everything they went through.” Sandrock also talks of the musical with much pride. “My favorite part of this musical would have to be just working with the kids. There is so much talent at Ringgold and not just in music. Whether its arts, sports, or academics, our kids prove they got talent.”