EHS production prepares to wow with fall play

The Eaton High School Production groups are preparing for their upcoming fall play, a melodrama guaranteed to bring tears of laughter. Dates have been set for the play Glimpsed Through The Sawdust on Nov. 15, 16, and 17. The production class has been hard at work blocking and memorizing lines for the play that brings in Colorado’s mining culture and background. This hilarious melodrama features characters like Jack “Toulouse” Goodhart, a love-struck painter played by Eaton High School’s Evan Messmer (20), and Madeline Mockingbird, a singer with little talent and big ambition played by Janae Jarnagin (19).

The production class is an audition theatre class, and students must recite a monologue in order to be considered for the class. The whole class had to perform yet another monologue to cast the play, which meant that the students were given their first, and very daunting, assignment in the first week of school, all the way back in August. Since then, the class has received roles for the play, and the production class continues to work almost every day on blocking and memorization, even opting for after-school rehearsals that often last from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Lili Lara (20), a stage manager, said, “The practices are time-consuming and sometimes hard to sit through. We have to run scenes over and over sometimes. It will be worth it, though. Practice makes perfect.” Lara will also be performing as the role of Fatima, a ditzy former performer who is conned by the villain. “It’s so interesting how there is a part for everyone in our class. It’s almost like they are meant to be,” Lara says.

The play, Glimpsed Through the Sawdust, is about a mining town and the people who interact there. It is a melodrama, so it is over exaggerated and sure to make everyone laugh. Most interesting of all is that its setting really exists- and is here in our home state. The play incorporates the Central City opera house, a real building still standing in Central City, Colorado and the Teller House and its famous bar. The Teller House bar is the main setting for the play, featuring a picture drawn on the floor which is still there and is still open for tourism. Not only does Glimpsed Through the Sawdust provide entertainment, but also a history lesson. Lara says, “We hope lots of people will come. We work really hard and we want everyone to see our work. We are aiming for a full house.” As the performance dates come closer and closer, the Production class will continue to work tirelessly.