Nimitz Theater Troupe Produces ‘Little Shop of Horrors’
The high school will enter the musical in the 2016 Tommy Tune Awards competition.
Pedro Naranjo and Raneisha Morris play the roles of “Seymour” and “Audrey.” The production is double cast. Leon Green and Abby Gail Trino also take on the lead roles.
[dropcap color=”#888″ type=”square”]T[/dropcap]he performing arts students at [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Nimitz High School are going GREEN. The theater troupe is taking on the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors.
Little Shop of Horrors is a comedy horror rock musical. It’s about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a giant man-eating plant. The musical is by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman. They based the musical on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors. The movie was directed by Roger Corman.
Menken composed the music in the style of early 1960s rock and roll and early Motown. It includes several well-known tunes like”Skid Row (Downtown),” “Somewhere That’s Green,” and “Suddenly, Seymour.”
The musical premiered off Broadway in 1982. It moved to the Orpheum Theatre Off-Broadway, where it had a five-year run. It later received many productions in the U.S. and abroad. The musical also has a Broadway production. In 1986, director Frank Oz made a film of the musical.
The retro-chic adaptation has become a mainstay of musical theater.
Students involved in drama outperform peers. [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]They outscored non-arts students on the SAT in the verbal and math components.
It’s with this production that [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Nimitz‘s theater is making a comeback in the high school musical competition. Ken Bahn is quick to point out that the campus won a Tommy Tune Award in 2007. The troupe took home the Best Costumes Award for its production of Godspell. Bahn is the fine arts department chair at Nimitz.
“The campus took a brief hiatus from competing in the Tommy Tune Awards,” said Bahn. “But all I can say is, ‘We’re Back!’ The department is expanding. Clayton Younkin joined our group last year as a theater arts instructor. He has helped our program grow tremendously.“
Abby Gail Trino and Leon Green.
Bahn isn’t kidding. The troupe has been busy this school year. Little Shop of Horrors is the troupe’s fourth production this season. The department produced the children’s show The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf this fall. The thespians also developed a Musical Theater Student Showcase. Recently, the students performed Hello Shakespeare at the Texas Renaissance Festival.
“Little Shop of Horrors” Show Dates & Times
[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Jan. 21 @ Nimitz HS @ 7 p.m.[/li] [li]Jan. 22 @ Nimitz HS @ 7 p.m.[/li][/ul]
[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Jan. 23 @ Nimitz HS @ 7 p.m.[/li][/ul]
[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Tickets are $3.00 for students and $5.00 for adults.[/li][/ul]
The Nimitz campus will be among the 45 competing in the 2016 Tommy Tune Award season. [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Carver High School is also competing in a joint production with The Kinkaid School.
Younkin hopes to see the theater program continue to grow. The students get to compete and obtain stage experience. Students also gain many other benefits from taking part in theater.
“The theater is a great way for students to express themselves,” said Younkin. “It doesn’t matter if a student is a natural extrovert or an introvert. Drama helps build students’ self-esteem and confidence. Studies show that the performing arts also help students improve their academic performance. Drama activities improve reading comprehension as well as verbal and non-verbal communication skills. This also transfers over into increased math and science comprehension.
“Studies also show that drama helps students understand the material better. Students who get to ‘act out’ scenes relate to the topic and remember content. This is perfect for ‘active learners.’ Teachers are also using the arts in cross-curricular teaching. They note that drama enhances the learning experience.“
Pedro Naranjo, Leon Green, Raneisha Morris, Abby Gail Trino, Antonio Leos Jr. III, Kamala Hill, Kenric Eames, Thomas McCleary, Kirsten Scott, Logan Flournoy, Ollionah Higginbotham, Diamond Scott, Tyra White, Chundra Hampton, Destinee Pierson, Majesty Flores, Emily Quan, Naaman Wells, Taylor Jones, and Vanessa Abrego comprise the stage production cast.
Óscar Pérez, Arkisha Lawrence, Christian Kuna, Devonte Emmitt, Guadalupe Villarreal, Tionna Taylor, Chance Treviño, Bianka Matta, Serenity Fobbs, Nicole Jiménez, Jade García, Makayla Howard, Emely Molina, Valerie Reyes, Esmerelda Alvarado, Jordan Trottie, Tarik Taylor, Kiamii Harvey, Bryan García-Cruz, Jala Jacobs, and María García comprise the stage crew.
Ken Bahn, Clayton Younkin, and Lori Shownes head the production team. Bahn is co-director and technical director while Shownes is the musical director. Younkin is the primary director of the show and is also over choreography.
Broadway Image — A scene with Audrey II and Seymour.
Younkin invites the community to attend the performances in January.
“We hope the community comes out to support our students,” said Younkin. “The theater production class is constructing the Audrey II, the large man-eating green pod. Everyone is working hard. It takes a large crew on stage and behind the scenes to put on a show. This is going to be a fun, entertaining experience.“
About the Author: Leticia Fehling
