Strathmore high performance sure to keep crowd laughing

Times Reporter

 

When someone dies, or is seriously ill, there can be a two different types of relatives who come out of the woodwork. The caring, supportive family members, and… the vultures. 

Strathmore High School (SHS) drama students are currently rehearsing for their upcoming performance, ‘Daddy’s Dyin’…who’s got the will?’   

“It was just a play I came across. I always read a lot of plays over summer so that I have sort of a handful to choose from and then I see what the class is like, and that’s how I kind of decide what play we’ll do,” said drama teacher Paula Richardson. 

The scene is set in 1986 in Lowake, Texas where a family is preparing for the death of the father. The mother had died a few years earlier, and the children have come because they know dad doesn’t have much time left. 

The vultures, who have also come home, heard that the father’s will had recently been changed, and they are trying to find it before he passes away in hopes of changing it if they don’t agree with it.

“It is a hilarious show it really is. Even though it has that other sentimental side to it, it has wonderfully funny moments,” said Richardson.

“It’s funny, one of the comments most of the students made when we first read the play was, ‘I have family members like this’, it had that element to it where they could all relate to some part of it.”

The play is sure to get a lot of laughs, but is not appropriate for children under 12, said Richardson. 

Richardson has also had student teacher Debbie Wilson from the University of Calgary doing her practicum at SHS, who she says has been invaluable to her. The actors themselves are full of energy, and excited about the play. 

“They are extremely excited about it, they really like it. They like the fact that they get to use accents and the cool thing about this play is it’s written with the accent,” said Richardson.

“The payoff for a teacher, and I say this so often, is just having the kids buy in, having them invest in it, having them take these huge risks. 

“They are stepping so far out of their comfort zone, and they’re going through, or creating characters that they never thought they could create so that’s very exciting.”

The show runs nightly June 3 to 5 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door or can be ordered in advance by calling the school at 403-934-3135.