"Little Women" Opens Friday In R.P. Hibbs Auditorium

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA["Little Women" Opens Friday In R.P. Hibbs Auditorium

By John H. Croessman

Managing Editor

Du Quoin High School

For decades, the book "Little Women" was sort of the "comfort food" for adolescent readers.

Based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, it focuses on the four March sisters - feisty, tomboyish, aspiring author Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and kind-hearted Beth - and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Massachusetts while the family patriarch is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. Intercut with the vignettes in which their lives unfold are several recreations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio.

After seven weeks of rehearsals, the musical version comes to the high school stage with certain stars on the R.P. Hibbs walk of fame for producer Lisa Coleman & Company and musical director Denise Smith.

In short, there is nothing little about the effort or the commitment. From the musical debut of football Indians quarterback Matt Gossett to the moving oceanside scenes of one of the March family daughters stricken by Scarlet Fever to an appearance during a dreamy theatrical respite from the main story line by "The Trolls" and "The Hags" it's the best weekend ticket in Du Quoin.

"Little Women" will be performed on Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, April 11 during a 3 p.m. matinee.

The play has a cast of 25 high school students and will include an additional eight to ten fifth and sixth graders as trolls. The cast includes Linnea Cheek, Hannah Ebersohl, Molly Miller, Lauren Tenant, Sydney Heumann, Kailah Kelly, Kate Stephens, Jenna Doerr, Kaylee Ridgeway, Neil Patel, Noah Coleman, Tony Burke, Matt Gossett, Ryan Brown, Grace Hill, Trystan Stanley, and chorus members Blair Hester, Emily Edwards, Hannah Hamburger, Brittney Heatherly, Rehana Wilson, Paige Holland, Rebecca Dunson, Tyler Stowers, Shelby Stowers, Brittany McKinnies, Kristin Kellerman, and Melissa Rogers.

Working behind the scenes are several DHS students. Hannah Ebersohl will be stage manager and in charge of fundraising, Kate Stephens will assist with directing, and several chorus members will be assisting backstage.

Former DHS student and SIU vocal performance major, Lydia Dunmyer, has worked with students on vocal technique. SIU vocal and theatre performance major, Tim Wessell, helped block the choreography the musical numbers at the outset..