Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic 

After sticking to more serious themes in recent years, high school students opt for family-friendly show based on 'The Ugly Duckling'

After sticking to more serious themes in recent years, the Newberg High School theater troupe opted for family-friendly musical this fall.

And while most children know Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fable “The Ugly Duckling,” or will be able to follow the story easily even if they don’t, don’t think that the high school’s upcoming production of “Honk” is only for kids.

Much like blockbuster animated films that produce laughs from young and old alike, the troupe believes everyone will be able to connect when the show opens with 7 p.m. shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Drea Ferguson Auditorium.

“We haven’t had kids so much in the audience before and kids are great,” junior Tess Hartley said. “That’s definitely going to be fantastic. We’re hoping to get lots of laughs and a lot of energy from them.”

Led by student director Amy Lowe, the troupe has elected to take a more human approach to depicting the animals in the story, as opposed to a more literal or cartoonish approach, especially when it comes to costumes.

“You don’t see a lot of feathers on stage, just a few,” said Hartley, who is portraying the Cat who lures the lead character, Ugly, away from the watchful eye of his mother. “The audience will also know the characters because it’s a classic story.

Visually, color in the costumes will help convey each character’s animal species, enhanced by each performer’s physicality.

“The ability to be human but also incorporate the animal aspects is tough to balance,” Lowe said. “Oftentimes, teenagers have a hard time playing characters based on physicality because you’re playing an older character and you may not know how, but this is completely different with the animal aspect.”

Lowe said she has been especially pleased at the level of choreography in the show after recent George Fox graduate and Chehalem Valley Dance Academy instructor Liz O’Donnell was brought aboard to work with the actors.

“In the past we tended not to have as much choreography because a lot of our actors are not dancers,” Lowe said. “It’s been incredible to watch them do the dancing in this show.”

The troupe has been a bit pressed for time after moving up its show dates a full week from their regular dates on the first two weekends in November, but Hartley noted it has given everyone a glimpse into the faster pace at which professional theaters operate.

The trend of elaborate sets, which began last year when drama teacher Mike McConaughey took over for long-time instructor Drea Ferguson, continues under the eye of technical directors Abby Mortenson and Nicholas Broce. The set features a two-level revolving piece, which, among other things, helps depict the changing of seasons.

“It’s a huge set piece and we can actually act on it,” Hartley said. “So it’s been fun to learn how to do that because it’s different.”

This fall’s show also represents a new approach to casting, with a handful of parts — senior Braden Dredge as Ugly, junior Braedon Sonnes as the Bullfrong, and junior Kendelyn Thomas (Dot) and sophomore Matt Goodbaudy (Greylag) as the leaders of the Geese squad — played by single actors to help balance the show from performance to performance.

Other roles, like the Cat (Hartley and senior Hannah Sapitan), the mother Ida (senior Tatiana Lessaos and junior Molly Cox) and the father Drake (seniors Christian Jones and Sammy Duffin), were double cast to provide more acting opportunities for students.

Dredge, who is playing the lead role of Ugly, said the troupe has continued to build on its developing relationship with the school’s choir department, and has benefitted from a new rehearsal technique with the band.

Each time they reach a song during rehearsal, the band now performs it twice instead of once to help the actors and musicians build some chemistry.

“The good thing is that most of the actors are in choir,” Dredge said. “Some of us can sight read, so we became the leaders when we were learning the music. Learning the musical can be a struggle, even with the leaders, but at this point we’re really getting the notes down. I’m really hearing the harmonies.”

A second set of shows are scheduled for Nov. 3-5. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors.