Fresta Valley’s drama club, which meets after school on Wednesdays, is open to all students in the seventh through twelfth grades, and uses elementary students depending on the needs of a production. Its goal is to reclaim the performing arts for God’s glory by staging both secular and religious works with positive themes in an edifying fashion. Performing popular, well-written, and time-honored pieces gives students the opportunity to exercise their dramatic talents while gaining appreciation for the creative talents God has given both Christians and non-Christian playwrights and composers.  

  The club offers two shows each year. The fall show (third weekend in November), a comedy, drama, or mystery, is limited to the number of characters in the cast and a small production staff. This performance usually involves about fifteen to twenty students. However, the spring musical (third weekend in May) is open to all students (with leads going to those who audition), the advanced orchestra, a stage crew and a technical staff resulting in a cast and crew totally about seventy-five members. A musical is a tremendous undertaking that can only be accomplished with many willing hands. Seamstresses for costumes, woodwind and brass musicians to enhance the string orchestra, and assistants to help with choreography are just a few areas where adult family members and friends can serve and be blessed.

The club began in the fall of 2004 with the comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, followed by the musical Fiddler on the Roof. Fiddler marked a dream come true for the two senior leads, Will Powell (Tevye) and Natalie Beals (Golde). These students had been praying for a drama club since they had come to Fresta Valley. For Natalie, that was a long time since she began attending Fresta in kindergarten. The club’s second year offered Belles on Their Toes, the sequel to Cheaper By the Dozen, and The Sound of Music with Elisabeth Robinson as Maria.

The drama club enjoyed an entertaining ‘06-‘07 season with Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s You Can’t Take It With You and Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. God provided all the brass and woodwind players we needed to fill out the orchestra for this delightful musical which featured our very own barbershop quartet (Tim Hickling, Matt Patti, Matt Rosenbaum and Josh Orndorff), Jessica Hickling as the lovable Mrs. Paroo, Becky King as Marian the Librarian and Jordan Hickling as the memorable music man, Harold Hill. This cast was our largest at fifty-nine on stage (including 15 elementary students) with fifteen student orchestra members!

Our fourth season featured two musicals! You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was held in mid-November. This charming show brought the Peanuts characters to ife. It starred Matt Patti as Charlie Brown, Amanda Hickling as Lucy, Tim Hickling as Snoopy, Chris Wickert as Schroeder, Daniel Patti as Linus and Gabby Beals as Sally. Elliot Powell, Emily Tolley, Meaghan Carrick, Liz Rosenbaum, Evy Papadoupolus, Victoria Phares, Amber Phares, Hannah Fitzpatrick and Brittany Worsham filled ensemble roles. This show promises to remain a favorite in the hearts and minds of cast and audience members alike.

Our spring ’08 production of The Wiz, was a lively adaptation of The Wizard of Oz without the focus on the witches’ magic! There were many surprises such as singing corn, dancing trees and talking crows. Ten elementary students were used as munchkins with junior and senior high students filling out a cast of forty. The four friends were Gabby Beals as Dorothy, Tim Hickling as the Scarecrow, Daniel Patti as the Tin Man and Chris Wickert as the Lion. Matt Patti played the title role of The Wiz, with Amanda Hickling portraying the wicked witch, Evilene. The two good witches, Addaperle and Glinda, were played by Evy Papadopoulos and Liz Rosenbaum. This was a production that allowed individual talents to shine while providing plenty of opportunity to train up those new to the theater department.

Our fifth season delighted audiences with Papa was a Preacher and Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Last fall, we enjoyed Matthew Fusaro as the featured lead in the comedy about life in a pastor’s family. Spring ’09 brought us Gabby Beals as Cinderella and Shawn Sumrall as the Prince. The eccentric stepfamily included Evy and Leah Papadopoulos and Emily Tolley. The king and queen were played by Sarah Buckley and Elliot Powell. Amber Phares, in her first lead role, demonstrated her tremendous vocal ability as the fairy godmother. The energetic ensemble included many first timers who learned the gavotte and the waltz which they used in their role as ball guests.

Fall ’09 brought audiences Neil Simon’s Fools, a two act comedy about a school teacher who arrives in a little Russian town to discover it is his job to break a 200 year old curse of stupidity. CBS called it "The brightest, freshest, funniest, wittiest, warmest and happiest ‘to do’ on Broadway in many a day." Our spring ’10 production was Hello, Dolly! based on the play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder. Seniors Evy Papadopoulos and Elliot Powell filled the lead roles of Dolly Levi and Horace Vandergelder. New to the Fresta Valley stage was Jake Malony in the role of Cornelius Hackle. His sidekick, Barnaby, was played by David Abell. Veteran actresses Gabby Beals and Leah Papadopoulos portrayed Mrs. Irene Malloy and her assistant Minnie Faye.

Questions, concerns, and comments are welcomed by the director, Mrs. Diane King, by phone (540)364-1929, ext. 106 or email (dking@frestavalley.org).

For an information sheet about the Drama Club please click here.