LHS drama to debut Seussical the Musical as first production in new Performing Arts Center

The Lennox High School Drama Department will open the doors of the newly constructed Lennox Performing Arts Center with its first-ever production in the facility—Seussical the Musical. Performances are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. Admission will once again be offered through a free-will donation.

The production is based on the book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, with music by Flaherty and lyrics by Ahrens. The show was co-conceived by Ahrens, Flaherty, and Eric Idle and is inspired by the classic works of Dr. Seuss. All authorized performance materials are provided by Music Theatre International (MTI).

Director Christi Sayler said choosing Seussical as the inaugural performance in the new Performing Arts Center felt like the perfect fit.

“I remember sitting down with then Superintendent Chad Conaway when we first talked about a bond issue for a PAC and he said, you will have to make the first show something big, bold, and family friendly and Suessical instantly came to mind. It has been on my bucket list to direct for awhile and it will showcase all the new PAC has to offer,” Sayler said.

Sayler hopes audiences connect deeply with the musical’s messages. “Kindness costs nothing and ‘A Persons a Person no matter how small’,” she said. “I think we are living in an age where we have become so self focused that we don’t stop to think about who we might hurt or step on in our desire to have our needs met. Horton the Elephant teaches us that kindness costs us nothing and reminds us that everyone is important in this world. The other big message is just how important imagination is and how we need to be creative and explore new thoughts. Again we live in world where entertainment is constant and we don’t have to think for ourselves because we have all this social media thinking for us. The musical brings Dr. Seuss’s books to life and will hopefully draw us back in to reading good stories and exploring new thoughts.”

The production’s visual style is exactly what one might expect from Dr. Seuss. “Color, Chaos, Intensity, Fun! It’s Dr. Seuss so the sky is the limit,” Sayler said.

While excitement for the new facility is high, Sayler acknowledged the challenges that came with the delayed construction timeline.

“That’s a loaded question!” she said about how the PAC has affected rehearsals. “It has definitely presented a lot of stress and challenges this year because it wasn’t done on schedule. We should have been in there rehearsing and building set, etc. from the start of this process but weren’t able to move in until Nov. 1.” 

As of the end of last week they still didn’t have curtains and all the lighting done.

She explained that the set build had to be reworked several times due to the delay. 

“In a normal year, I try to have the set built by the end of September so we can rehearse on it early on. We didn’t start building until near the end of September because we wanted to wait for the PAC. When it began to be obvious that we wouldn’t be in there in time, we started to build it on the current stage but in a such a way that we could move it when necessary. However, the current stage is 8 feet smaller than the new stage so trying to compensate for the differences meant we had to adjust and make some additional set pieces. The students also had to work out some spacing and blocking issues that arose once we transferred spaces but they are such amazing kids and adapted so quickly. However, now that we have started rehearsing in there the PAC is drawing out better performances in the students and we are so grateful for the opportunity to perform in such an amazing facility,” Sayler said. 

Bringing Seuss’s whimsical world to life also proved to be a rewarding challenge.

“Teaching students how to not act like humans,” Sayler said. “None of the characters are people, they are animals or imaginary beings. It is really hard to get students to move like an animal or take on the characteristics of a literary creature because it is out of our normal comfort zone. But that’s the neat things about theater it teaches us to see the world from someone else’s perspective.”

Set and costume creation also required substantial effort. 

“We are thankful to both Brandon Valley Theater and West Central Band for loaning us some costumes and set pieces. It saved us a lot of time and work. We still spent a lot of late nights and long Saturdays getting all the little details done,” added Sayler. 

Music rehearsals also took time. 

“This show is 95% music with few spoken lines,” Sayler said. She noted this was a stark contrast to their last production, requiring extensive work in the choir room with LHS Choir Director, Mr. Covey.

Through all the challenges, Sayler said the most rewarding moments come when students truly embrace their roles. 

“I think the moment it clicks for them. I can say in notes, over and over, you need to move like this or your character wouldn’t feel that or why would your character do that? But until the character becomes real to them its simply going through motions. When the character finally makes sense to them and their performance takes that turn, its so magical and I live for those moments.”

Sayler also extended her gratitude to the many parents who have supported the production behind the scenes. 

“I seriously would be lost without my amazing parents who have gone above and beyond giving their time to the set and costumes and moving us into the PAC. They have literally been my calm in the storm this year.”

Cast List for Seussical the Musical is as follows: 

The Cat in the Hat: Isaak Booker

Jojo: Izzy Gerdes

Horton the Elephant: Isaiah Sayler

Gertrude McFuzz: Lily Kezar

Mayzie La Bird: Sophie Sanchez

Sour Kangaroo: Isabelle Smith

Young Kangaroo: Gretchyn DeBerg

General Gengus Khan Schmitz: Karson Iken

Wickersham Brothers: Emersen Lee, Elijah Johnson, Duncan Johnson

Bird Girls: Ariana Poppens, Maddigan Van Sickle, Lucy Sanchez

Yertle the Turtle: Madix Oltmans

Mayor: Riley Nelson

Mrs. Mayor: Miriam Welch

Grinch: Lincoln Allie

Things: Kaydence Gerry, Alexia Johanson

Who Chorus: Karissa Iken, Ainsley Calhoon, Leo Aesoph, Sophie Wood, Sawyer Johnson, Olivia Johnson, Liz Hanisch, Gracie Wood, Harper Lee, Lucy Carlson, Briar Lee

Jungle Citizens: Alissa Johanson, MollyAnn Ford, James Hermanson, Allison Schulz

Stage Crew: Isabel Gerry, Kamille Schmidt, Olivia Niederbaumer, Andie Brende, Alaina Klenner

Tech Crew: Jacob Carlson, Kellan Lin, Chase Hazuka

The opening weekend will also feature special touches to celebrate the new Performing Arts Center. 

“The boosters are having a raffle with some fun Seussical baskets as well as some other baskets. We are also raffling some of our handmade props like our Seuss fish. We will have some fun photo booths set up as well,” Sayler shared.