CULLMAN, Ala. – Wayne Cook, director of Cullman High School Theatre, took to social media Thursday to announce that the department’s production of Steve Martin’s “Bright Star,” scheduled for last spring but canceled due to the COVID shutdown, is on again and slated for the latter part of January.
Cook told The Tribune, “Our principal and our administration have consistently encouraged us to try to do things that would involve our kids. It’s been a real struggle across the board, but our fine arts teachers have been committed to do what we can, safely.
“We do everything safe. We’ve had to limit rehearsals; we’ve had to limit everything! It’s totally different from what we’re normally used to. But we’ve put together a plan based on the safety protocols, and the administration thought it was a good plan, and we’ve been implementing it since the beginning of the semester. We’ve scheduled this show; once we got into it and started working a little bit on it- of course, we were working on it last spring, but we had to recast it, redevelop it. We’ve had to socially distance the show, so we re-blocked it. We’ve got a lot of different things going on that we didn’t have in the spring; we don’t have live musicians, we’re going to be doing recorded music, things like that. Just a lot of things are different about it, but, you know, I’ve got some of the most talented kids that I have ever worked with in this show. Some of my seniors are some of the most talented kids I’ve ever had; I just hate for them not to go out with something strong. So we’re working on the show; we’re going to do it.”
Cook has set a tentative date in the third week of January, depending on circumstances at that time, though he said that the schedule must remain flexible for now.
“Our commitment is to try to at least get this show off the ground sometime this (school) year,” he said.
Audience seating for the show will be limited and socially distanced, and the event will be streamed for people to watch at home.
Cook concluded, “We have to have a goal. Kids have to have a goal; they have to have a plan. We can’t just wander around. You know, there are certain things we can do in class, but our kids are not motivated if they don’t have something to look forward to and plan for, so this is what we’ve been shooting for, and it seems to be working OK. We’re pleased with how it’s gone so far.”
Get involved!
On his social media post, Cook sent out this request:
It is a show that takes place in the 1920s and 1940s. There are two different decades. The setting is the mountains of North Carolina. It’s very rural and rustic (small town) with some scenes in larger cities and towns like Raleigh and Asheville.
I am looking for costumes and props from this time period to set the stage for this show. I am going to send a couple of pictures of hats and outfits out for you to analyze. If you think you have something that will match this show, and you do not mind parting with it – we would love to have you donate items to our department. We keep what we get and reuse it in future productions. We also try to share with other departments around the area who are looking for certain items. We will also borrow items if you need them back and would not mind us using them. Shout out to Vestavia Hills High School for allowing us to use some of their costumes and props for this show!
Greatest need:
Men’s suits, vest and blazers – double breasted if possible
Ties for men-plain
Hats for men and women- straw hats and dress hats
Dresses from the 20s rural and 40’s no rural- very conservative
Military dress outfit for a soldier returning from the war- tall slim guy
Leather looking suitcases
An older typewriter
Desk lamps that reflect the period
Books with older looking binding
Doctor’s office divider screen with cloth panels
Older office gadgets like a tape dispenser, stamp etc.
I’ll send updates for additional items!!!!!
Those interested in helping can contact Cook at Cullman High School at 256-734-3923 or visit www.facebook.com/cullmanhighschool or www.cullmancats.net.
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