Courtesy of Christopher Berry
The spirit of Julie Andrews and the sights and sounds of the Von Trapp family are coming alive at the Collins Center for The Performing Arts this fall, as students and the Andover High School drama and music departments take on Rogers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music."
"The process of choosing a show for each fall production can be a complicated one, but we thought it was time for a family show that everyone could come to and enjoy," said Susan Choquette, director of Andover High's musical productions since 2000.
Soon the cast will take to the stage and the technical crew will begin final rehearsals for the shows beginning Nov. 19.
For now, the workshop that adjoins the Collins Center backstage hums with the sounds of saws, hammers and students who are constructing, by hand, all the staircases, doors, interior and exterior backdrops meant to transport the audience to Austria in the time just prior to World War II.
Few people are aware of the work that goes into preparing for a show such as The Sound of Music. Each day, after school, the halls and rooms that surround the Collins Center stage are filled with students spread across the floor, studying lines, working on homework, or just chatting while they wait their turn to learn and practice their stage movements, or to join Jen D'Onifrio and practice their singing. Doug Halsted, producer, is a perennial figure in the background of these productions, and dozens of parents and volunteers donate their time to advertise, supervise, sell tickets and distribute posters.
Sound of Music
Presented by Andover High School
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Nov. 19, 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21 and 22 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $18 adults; $9 students and seniors (60+)
Box office: www.collins-center.com or 1-866-811-4111
