Students find success in first production of ‘Somewhere Else Dreams’
October 20, 2008
Filed under A&E
The Lufkin drama department’s most recent production was the first ever performance of Somewhere Else Dreams. This play, a story about the trials and tribulations of four Jacksonville waitresses, was written especially for the Lufkin drama department by author, educator, and playwright, Jeffery Strausser, and Cay Billingsley, director of the drama department.
“I could not deny [her] students the privelage of performing a play that had never been produced, and the opportunity to visit with the playwright,” Billingsley said. “The play is cute, it takes place in East Texas, [and] it’s sheer Americana.”
Strausser’s play is a heartwarming story of love and ambition for Ashlee Martin, the lead character played by Senior Hannah Roberts. However, for the remaining three waitresses, the story is focused on jealousy and revenge.
Carla Sue Mason, played by senior Elisa McAdams, is a young single woman looking for love and a way to pay off her massive credit card debt.
As a solution, she schemes a plot to get Ashlee fired, whom she envies, and convinces Jackie Brown, played by Senior Sierra Page, a financially irresponsible, firm believer in the “get rich quick” lifestyle, and Jolene Walker, played by Senior Nyna Knox, a single mom whose family needs surpass her financial abilities. However, their mischievous plot does not go according to plan, and Ashlee ends up getting a new job opportunity and a loving husband, Earl Childers, played by Senior Derrick Malnar.
According to Billingsley, the drama department did a wonderful job in their performance.
“It was exactly how [Strausser] pictured it in his head,” Billingsley said. “He [even] sent [her]…and the cast a thank you note for a job well done.”
The audience’s reaction to the play offered additional proof of the play’s success.
“[The audience’s] applause and laughter are the best rewards [it] can give the cast,” Billingsley said. And it did just that, giving a standing ovation and the performance’s end.
However, the drama director refuses to dwell on the play’s success.
“Once a play is over, it is a pleasant memory, and we turn the page to begin on the next [one],” Billingsley said.
The casting for the drama department’s newest production, a musical titled How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, has been decided, and rehearsals have already begun.
The musical will be performed on November 20-21, and if Somewhere Else Dreams is any indicator of the drama department’s future performance, it will be just as brilliant.
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