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HN to present ‘Curtains’

Members of the Huntington North High School musical receive direction from choir director Aaron Childress during rehearsals on Wednesday, May 5.
Members of the Huntington North High School musical receive direction from choir director Aaron Childress during rehearsals on Wednesday, May 5. Photo by Katelynn Farley

For the first time this school year, Huntington North High School will be able to put on a show for the community of Huntington.

Presenting their spring musical “Curtains” on Friday, May 14, through Sunday, May 16, Huntington North students and staff are doing their best to rehearse while also taking the proper COVID-19 safety precautions.

On Wednesday, May 5, orchestra and theatrical members gathered together at the HNHS auditorium to rehearse the full first act as a group. Gentry Tharp-Trimble, a new English and Theater teacher at HNHS, along with band director Michael Petek and vocal music teacher Aaron Childress, have been working with the students on a shortened timeframe in order to pull off the musical.

According to Childress, students started rehearsing for the musical after coming back from spring break, giving the group just four weeks instead of the typical eight-week window to learn lines, songs and choreography.

“We’ve got a great group of kids and they’ve been doing their homework,” Childress said. “It’s been really positive.”

Emilie Garcia, a junior at HNHS, will play the part of Carmen Bernstein, the show’s “bossy and bold” producer. Garcia has been in choir since she was in elementary school and also takes part in the HNHS show choirs. Her background in musicals started during her seventh grade year.

“I’m really excited for this show because it’s coming along so nicely and it really is a good show with good comedic timing,” Garcia said. “I think myself and the other actors are doing great with it.”

The current plan is that the students will be able to perform without wearing masks, though Childress says that if specifics change at a later date, they will change their plan.

“We’ve got a smaller cast, and we’ll also be fairly spread out,” Childress said. “Since it’s so much about facial expressions and all of that other stuff, we want to make sure that the audience can see all of that.”

The audience, however, will still be required to stay masked. Even those who have been fully vaccinated are asked to stay masked in order to meet certain safety precautions.

The venue capacity is still at 50 percent and pre-sale tickets are currently available for purchase. Community members who would like to purchase a ticket may do so by contacting a student in the show or by calling HNHS at 356-6104 and leaving a message for Tharp-Tremble.

Tharp-Tremble says that, since this is his first production as a teacher, he is a “little nervous” to see how it goes, but there is also excitement along with that. Childress echoes that excitement.

“We’ve had everything on the calendar this year but we’ve had to cancel at the last minute,” Childress said. “It’s been more than a year since they’ve gotten to do any of the theater and drama and they’re hungry for it. I’m hungry for it!”

Childress also expresses his appreciation for the patience of the community this year.

“It’s been a difficult year for everybody and we want to be out there and offering performances . . . it just hasn’t worked out at any other point this year,” Childress said. “We want our fans to stick with us and come out and support us.”

Show times are on Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15, at 7 p.m. The Sunday showing will take place at 2:30 p.m.