By JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
Tiger Media Network
It’s that time of year again – leaves are changing colors, pumpkin patches are earning revenue, scary movies are all the roar, and high school Fall Musicals are in seasonal session.
Travis Grizzell, an English teacher and the Drama director at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School, is gearing up for the TMP-Marian Fall Musical that is quickly approaching this weekend.
This year’s musical is “The Music Man.” This particular musical is described by Grizzell as a ‘classic of American Musical Theatre.’
“The Music Man” takes viewers to 1912 River City, Iowa where a con-man poses as a boys’ band organizer who plans to sell fake goods to the naive Midwestern townsfolk and skip town with the profits. However, a wrench is thrown in the thief’s plan when he is hoodwinked by falling in love with the local librarian and piano teacher.
Grizzell has been a vital part of the annual TMP-Marian Fall Musical for around 15 years and each year brings new artistic elements to the Hays area.
“I try to bring a good variety of shows over a four-year span and I also try to match the shows to our talent pool,” Grizzell said. “We have auditions at the beginning of the school year and we look for a combination of good auditions, best fit for the role, and availability.”
Grizzell goes on to explain that this year’s musical was the perfect fit for two students in particular.
“You can’t do this show without a talented, charismatic Harold Hill and we certainly have that in Nathan Stecklein,” he said. “The other lead roles are great as well and our young Winthrop is beyond his years (played by Carter Stephenson).”
As for the rest of the cast, the students that are involved in this production are all from the Hays Catholic Schools and range in age anywhere from six to eighteen.
Grizzell emphasizes why productions such as these are important not only for the students involved but also for the community as a whole.
“The arts bring us together as a community and help us to realize the diversity of talent in our town as well as what we can accomplish when we collaborate,” he said.
Grizzell wants to extend his extreme gratefulness for all of the support of the musical throughout this process.
“We very much appreciate the support of all those who help on the production as well as attend the performances.”
Community members can attend multiple showings of this year’s “The Music Man” this weekend. The show will run Thursday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $8.00 and will be available at the door or online at www.tmp-m.org.