1456 Pine St., Silverton
Performances Feb. 18, 19, 20,
21, 25, 26, 27 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m. matinee
Tickets are available by calling
the high school: 503-873-6331,
ext. 3778 or at the door
By Tanner Russ
Silverton High School junior Alina Stratton feels a little like the character she plays in the school’s upcoming musical.
Just as Cinderella was a bit amazed at all the happenings in her life, Stratton was surprised to learn she had been chosen for the leading role.
“I was pretty shocked when I saw the cast list because the entire cast is really talented people, and I wasn’t expecting much so when I saw my name, it was really amazing to see,” Stratton said.
Silverton High School’s theater department will perform Cinderella, a musical, at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 – 21 and Feb. 25 – 27. There is a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 21.
SHS theater teacher and director Doug Ousterhout has wanted his students to perform Cinderella for a long time.
“Everyone knows the story, of course, but I was waiting to find a fresh idea to the classic story,” Ousterhout said. “I knew there was a new Broadway version, so I waited until I could get the script. This turned out to be what I was waiting for. Great characters, great music and a new twist. I am also looking forward to working with Jennifer Kercher, vocal music director, and Frank Petrik, orchestra conductor, again.”
The cast are excited about the upcoming performances as well, for a myriad of reasons.
There are a few tweaks to the script to modernize the characters in this version of the play. One of the changes is that Cinderella is no longer a passive person, something Stratton identifies with. “I definitely relate to it more because it’s not the old, ‘Guy saves girl,’ and I find I can connect to it more this way,” she said.
Senior Naylee Scharer, who plays the fairy godmother, had high praise for Stratton.
“I was really happy for Alina, she’s going to do amazing,” Scharer said. “I mean it would have been an amazing experience [to play Cinderella], but I think Alina is going to do fantastic at it.”
Others are excited mainly to do different things and express their passions. Senior Kate Allanach was cast as the step-mother.
“I’ve played a lot of the good characters before. I think at this point, because it’s my last year in high school, it’s more fun and interesting to play more of a dramatic character. It’s going to give me more of a chance to go over the top on stage,” Allanach said.
Alex Canfield will play Jean-Michele. He set out to join the play because it intrigued him.
“I’ve always really liked older stuff, like medieval times and knights. I always thought it was really fascinating, and I really wanted to be a part of this play because I really like singing,” Canfield said.
For Ousterhout, having so many students who are enthusiastic about the production makes all the hours rehearsing more enjoyable.
“Casting is always the most difficult part of any show and this was no exception. We had five or six girls that would have done an amazing job as Cinderella, but we could only choose one. That makes the show even better because as you will see, SHS is loaded with talent and I have the pleasure of displaying that wonderful talent to the public,” Ousterhout said.
