GVHS Theatre Presents Sister Act November 15-17

High energy musical and dance gospel numbers and a comedic story about the power of friendship will entertain audiences next weekend when Grain Valley High School (GVHS) Theatre presents Sister Act as its fall musical November 15th – 17th at the Jerry Mueller Performing Arts Center. The show begins each evening at 7:00pm. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $5 for students and $8 for adults. Based on the popular comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act introduces the audience to disco diva Deloris Van Cartier. Deloris witnesses a murder and is placed in protective custody in one place where the cops know she will not be found – a convent. Deloris is disguised as a nun and finds herself at odds with the Mother Superior and her new lifestyle. Seeing an opportunity to breathe new life into the convent’s choir by incorporating her singing talent and dance moves, Deloris endears herself to the sisters and the community, but blows her cover. John O’Neil, Theatre teacher and Show Director is impressed with his students’ work on this complicated production. “We have been in rehearsals for almost 2 months and the students have a done a really stellar job. I have had a couple of kids take charge of some of the choreography of the show, and they’ve come up with some really creative movement for our actors. In addition to the actors, everything you see on stage has been created by the students. We have over 30 in cast, and another 30 backstage creating costumes, sets, running lights, and creating our publicity materials,” O’Neil said. In addition to the usual challenges of creating sets, obtaining costumes, and mastering the script, O’Neil said this musical has been particularly challenging in that the full chorus is involved and on stage in a good portion of the show. “There are five pretty intense dance numbers in this show. Making sure all the choreography is really polished and crisp has probably been the most challenging part of the production,” O’Neil said. Breunna Franklin, a senior at GVHS, is playing the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier in the production. Franklin, who has acted in several GVHS musicals and plays, has enjoyed playing a character much different than those she has played in the past. “In all the productions I’ve been in, I’ve always played a sweet, innocent character. And in this performance, I get to play a sassy character, and it’s a really big challenge. I love being challenged, so it has been a lot of fun to play this role,” Franklin said. As Franklin looks beyond graduation, she is hoping to study acting and is looking at opportunities in Chicago and St. Louis. Her goal is to be a film actor for television and commercials. Jarrett Dietz, a junior at GVHS, plays Joey, one of the thugs after Deloris. This is his fourth show as an actor and his fifth working on the tech crew. Dietz has put his artistic talents to use in developing the show’s publicity materials, including the show’s poster, t-shirt, and programs. Dietz said he has enjoyed stepping into the bad-guy role of Joey. “Joey is kind of a sleazeball. He flirts with a lot of girls. It’s fun to play someone who is kind of sleazy. He puts on this tough persona, but he’s really meek. There’s also a lot of physical comedy, which is fun to do,” Dietz said. Dietz is interested in studying art, music, or theatre after high school and has recently been thinking about teaching as a career. He has been involved in theatre since middle school and said he would encourage younger students to audition and become involved when the time comes. “I would tell them to go for it. I’m really into it because of the people. You meet a lot of great people in theatre and get to share a lot of inside jokes,” Dietz said. Dietz said the ensemble is excited to perform for an audience. “We have a lot of fun rehearsing, but it’s a whole other thing having an audience. I want to thank my mom and dad for always supporting me by coming to our shows,” Dietz said. Tickets for each performance will be sold in the lobby of the theatre prior to each performance and all seats are general admission. Doors open approximately 30 minutes prior to the performance.

Breunna Franklin, a senior at GVHS, is playing the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier in GVHS’s production of Sister Act, which opens November 15th.