What I did during my summer vacation

By: Aimee Jack

When you think of summer vacation, what do you think of? Remember that the operative word here is vacation. The words summer vacation bring to my mind pictures of lying on the beach, reading books in hammocks under shady trees, watching the stars on a moonlit night, (notice a general trend of non-movement, general spontaneity). However, my summer along with a few other LHS students was completely the opposite of what one would expect a summer vacation to be like. Starting in early June, myself, my sister, Elise Jack, Scott Robitaille, Shawn Robitaille, Angela Roy, Jesica Todd-Brown, Ashley Gagnon, Alyssa Projansky, Johanna Mathieu, Doug Castonguay, Heather Mackenzie, and Amy Parker began having rehearsals for Community Little Theater's production of Oklahoma! This was before school even ended, and once the end of June rolled around rehearsals started to get more and more frequent for longer periods of time. "What?" you may say, "Are these people crazy?" Would anyone in their right minds go to rehearsals every Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., and Sun., thus annulling any semblance of a social life? Well, yes, Virginia, there is in fact a whole bunch of other people all around the twin cities who did the same thing. Students from EL, St. Dom's, Leavitt, and other high schools and colleges converged this summer to make new friends and do what they love best- perform onstage.

Oklahoma!, for those of you unfamiliar with the works of Rogers and Hammerstein, is a musical about farmers and cowboys in the lovely state of, you guessed it, Oklahoma. The show is filled with rousing dance and song numbers, with titles such as: "The Farmer and the Cowman should be Friends," "Many a New Day," "I Can't Say No," and the ever popular "Oklahoma." The aforementioned students performed these songs in the midst of those lovely heat spells we had, while also wearing petticoats, tights, dresses, hats, and shawls.

Even though you may still be thinking that we are the craziest bunch of people to ever walk the face of the planet, let me assure you, that the thrill you get from performing in front of 300 people every night is comparable to playing a state championship game of basketball or hockey. LHS students played an intricate role in Oklahoma. Shawn Robitaille played the male lead, Curly, while Elise Jack, Scott Robitaille, Angela Roy, Jescia Todd-Brown and I were featured chorus members. Ashley Gagnon had the job of Co-Stage Manager and the rest of the involved students, Alyssa Projansky, Johanna Mathieu, Heather Mackenzie, Doug Castonguay, and Amy Parker all made up the fabulous stage crew that took charge of the monstrous set.

Look for more of the dramatic arts at LHS throughout the year with the LHS drama club, Center Stage Ensemble!