On Friday, April 8th, the Theater Community at Midlothian High School eagerly gathered in the auditorium to hear the thrilling news about the play schedule for next year. Ryan Gallagher and Katherine Baugher have led the theatre department for numerous years and have created a prestigious reputation around the community to their superior plays. Typically, they announce the plays toward the end of the year at Center Stage Company inductions, an honor society for theater, but due to excitement throughout the department, Baugher and Gallagher released them early. Every year Butch Eudailey creates a brilliant video presentation to build the ante before unveiling the title of the shows. Surprisingly, four students were chosen to direct the upcoming plays for next year’s season. Usually there are only three plays per year, but due to the winter show’s small cast list, the department heads came up with the grand idea to compose a traveling show.  The four upcoming senior directors are: Sophia Trout, Emily Peachee, Mikaela Gray, and Sean Q. Dudley.

Throughout Sophia Trout’s time here at Midlo, she has been in numerous productions including: Grease, The Secret in the Wings, Charlotte’s Web, Mary Poppins, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Chicago. Her breathtaking talent will truly shine continuously during her next adventure: directing. She will direct the fall play, Peter and the Starcatchers, based on a novel written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, then later adapted into a play by Rick Elice. This extravagant play provides a magical backstory for the adventurous character we’ve all come to love, Peter Pan. This epic tale is filled with mermaids, pirates, and gangs. There is no doubt that Sophia Trout and Midlo’s Theater Department will leave the audience’s hearts soaring with joy. Trout states, ¨Peter Pan was the first show that I ever saw and having the opportunity to direct it my senior year makes it feel like everything has come to a complete circle.”

After the magical production of Peter and the Starcatchers, the department will head out to the Wild West. The winter show will be directed by a well known member of the department, Emily Peachee. She started her theater career off her sophomore year by starring in Romeo and Juliet, then continued her passion her junior year through The Secret in the Wings and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Department members could hardly contain their excitement when it was revealed that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance will be the mainstage production during the winter season. Peachee says,¨this play is genuinely the most captivating play I have ever read, and I am so unbelievably lucky to have the opportunity to direct it.¨ This rustic tale, adapted by Jethro Compton in 2014, tells the story of a young Lawyer, Foster, who finds himself trapped in a small town due to his love for a breathtakingly hard-core saloon owner named Hallie. Foster finds himself stuck between staying for the girl he loves or having to battle against the town rebel, Liberty Valance. The play has many twists and turns that will leave the audience begging for more. Everyone longs to see how Katherine Baugher and Emily Peachee will adapt their styles to this outstanding legend.

Midlo Theatre brought a special twist into the department this year by doing an additional play that will travel to middle schools across the county. Mikaela Gray will add her unique style to the second winter show, 21 Chump Street, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, known for the current Broadway hit Hamilton. The play is fifteen minutes long and tells the story of high school senior who falls in love with an undercover police officer. In an attempt to impress his newfound love, he sells drugs to the officer, initiating the conflict of this rap-infused musical. During Gray’s time here at Midlo, she has performed in To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, Charlotte’s Web, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Chicago. When asked about her thoughts on the Theater Department, she exclaimed, “The plays here a lot of fun and give me a lot of chances to meet people I wouldn’t normally. 21 Chump Street is from the same guy who did Hamilton but is an interesting story around a high school with a R&B hip-hop flair.”  Midlo last did four plays during the 2012-13 season. The Odyssey was the main play that year, and the traveling play was Treasure Island. Midlo Theater fans can hardly wait to see how the department succeeds once again in their four production extravaganza.

Mrs. Baugher and Mr. Gallagher decided to bring Midlo back in time to do a play that thoroughly enjoyed by the community six years ago. Directed by Sean Q. Dudley, Midlo Theater will perform the world famous musical, Les Miserables. The future director explains, “It’s a very singing-intensive show, and there isn’t a lot of dialogue, so it’ll be challenging. However, I know this is the prime time to do it because we have a talented set of actors that I know will put the time and effort in to make this phenomenal.” Dudley has participated in many plays himself, including: To Kill a Mockingbird, Grease, Romeo and Juliet, Charlotte’s Web, Mary Poppins, Secret in the Wings, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Chicago. Les Miserables has won more than 100 major awards over the years, and was loved by everyone when Midlo first put it on stage. It is a perfect choice to bring this beloved play back into the our theater once again, and Sean Dudley will help create a show more powerful than the first. Overall, the impressive schedule for next year will definitely be one to remember.