PCA Hosts Annual Katie Belle Jarriel Dinner Theater
By: Brayden Gravley, PCA sophomore
The Pinewood Christian Academy (PCA) one act team recently performed their annual Katie Belle Jarriel Dinner Theater production. During this event, students, their families, and other patrons enjoyed an evening of dinner and theater. Students served herb crusted chicken along with desserts at 7:00, then everyone turned their attention to the stage for this year’s one act play production. This year, the play was Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” directed by Mrs. Jenna Watkins and Mrs. Brooke Smith. The audience was teleported to a world of music and excitement, feeling as though they were the ones waiting for the Wells Fargo Wagon! “The Music Man” is a musical comedy centered around the character Professor Harold Hill, played by Aaron Lyons. Professor Hill is a con artist traveling around the country to start boy bands in small towns, but it is pretty clear that he is an unwelcome visitor in River City. The people of Iowa sure are stubborn!
“River City next stop!” the conductor (Korbett MacGregor) yells. This signals the beginning of the show. Several salesmen (Timothy Stoner, Cade Beecher, Benjamin Bradley, and Jonah Rogers) are curious about the outsider, Harold Hill. He doesn’t even know the territory! It’s quite clear that Charlie Cowell (Kennon Bell) isn’t too happy about the news of this rotten crook. By the end of the song, they figure out that they’ve been singing about the Professor while he’s on the train!
The train reaches the station and Harold begins his journey in Iowa, causing trouble in the tranquil town by riling up the townspeople over a pool table. Marcellus Washburn (Joshua Murray) is an old friend of Harold’s who’s been residing in River City. He mentions that he found himself a girlfriend, Ethel Toffelmier (Peighton White), and warns Harold of Marian Paroo (Elizabeth McCooey) right off the bat, knowing that she’ll cause him trouble sooner or later. The Paroo family consists of Marian, her mother (Anabelle Brannen), and her brother, Winthrop (Timothy Stoner). Winthrop is revealed to be self-conscious due to a lisp. So much so that he is embarrassed to talk to his mother’s piano student, Amaryllis (Hannah Rice), about her party.
The next scene takes place in the middle of a Fourth of July celebration. Mayor Shinn (Jesse Rogers) announces that his wife, Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (Sydney Anne Strickland), will be performing with her singing group, the Wa Tan Ye Girls (Emily Thompson, Carsen Kennedy, Gracie Hodges, and Brayden Gravley), who are interrupted when Tommy Djilas (Aden Williams) throws a book on the ground. It shocks the performers and the mayor’s wife faints, thinking she’s been shot. Harold causes more trouble during the celebration but, in the end, sets up Tommy Djilas with his love interest, Zaneeta Shinn (Anna Scott).
The search continues as the townspeople try to figure out who the mysterious Harold Hill is, all while he is focused on getting this boy band together. Things are at a standstill until the band instruments arrive. “Papa, the Wells Fargo Wagon is coming up the depot! It could be the band instruments!” Gracie Shinn (Olivia Durrence) announces loudly. An upbeat song welcoming the wagon starts up and all the townsfolk tell what they’ve received from its previous visits. And just like that, the boy’s band (Aden Williams, Timothy Stoner, Charles Burkhalter, Colt Bragg, Tanner Brinkley, and Smith Dekle) has its instruments.
The final scene of this musical ends happily when the boy band comes together and people of Iowa come to realize that accepting outsiders isn’t always so bad after all.
The PCA one act team is excited to be performing at region competition on Friday, November 2nd at Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia. Students will also be hosting an encore performance and dessert buffet at Pinewood on Thursday, November 8th.
