If you attended a school play or musical this year at Andale High School you quickly know your time was well spent! From the lighting to the costumes and performances by students it was simply top notch performances. Some drama departments at high schools can be overlooked, or not as thought out as some. At Renwick that’s simply (and far from) not the case. The Drama Department led by Joshua Hall have been raising eyebrows at the success of the plays ever since he landed foot at AHS.

In the school year 2022-2023 Andale has had a total of 3 performances. “Seussical the Musical”, a musical comedy based on the children’s novels written by Dr. Seuss. Other plays included “The Lighting Thief” and “Murder on the Orient Express”. 

This year’s plays and musicals at Andale all fit within a theme. Mr. Hall, Andale’s play director, said “This year’s plays focus more on a theme, the theme being literature.” Starting off in the Fall was “Seussical the Musical” being centered around children novels. Then in the winter came “Percy Jackson and The Lighting Thief”, a novel centered around an older audience. Finally there was Murder on the Orient Express to conclude the season, a novel that students at Andale read for their literature in the English and Social Studies departments.

When asked what sets AHS Drama Department apart Hall stated. “The kids work really hard; they are spending roughly 200 hours with rehearsal and set building.” “What ultimately makes the plays so unique and special is the kids’ effort and time they spend outside of school hours practicing”. One actor in particular that stood out to Hall was Patrick Ragatz. “He (Patrick) was good on and off the stage, always helping out and putting in the extra work”. 

We’d like to congratulate the Andale Drama Department on a fantastic and successful school performances. We look forward to many more talented students and performances!