A High School Theatre Performance with Small-Town Charm

On Friday, April 14, 2017, the Perry High School Theatre for Performing Arts department performed a rendition of DreamWorks’s “Madagascar” entitled “Madagascar: A Musical Adventure.”

The performance was funny and exciting, and the Perry High School students left the Perry community with another joyful performance. They even had a special Snapchat filter for the audience to share its experience with friends.

Patrice Colbert has been going to these performances for years.

“I always enjoy going, even though I don’t have any high school students anymore. The students are such fantastic actors and actresses. They make the performance enjoyable.”

Last year the senior actors and actresses performed Aladdin. Colbert says it was just as wonderful as this year’s performance.

This year, a whole new set of actors and actresses performed in the play. Colbert says their performances were quite refreshing.

“The students from last year had been doing these performances for four years. I had never seen these new students. I imagine they rehearse year-round to get this good,” she says.

The role of Marty the Zebra was played by Trayjan Clayton, who was energetic and had some smooth dancing and singing skills. He was especially good at lending a “cool factor” to his role.

The role of Alex the Lion was played by Carter Whiddon, who had one of the most notable performances, as the sassy king of New York City.

The role of Melman the Giraffe was played by Julian Briola, who did a wonderful job walking on stilts and delivering panicky lines about his health.

The role of Gloria the Hippo was played by Jessica Arreguin, who gave the character a great maternal and charming feel.

There were also the penguins, which were just as hilarious as they were in the original movie.

Some of the funniest and most notable moments from the play happened thanks to the random audience members who good naturedly participated in; jokes, impromptu interviews, and funny questions.

High school theatre departments are an important aspect of emotional learning for young teens, as it is the best way to facilitate such an environment, according to a paper, “Emotional Development in Adolescence: What can be Learned from a High School Theatre Program,” written by Reed Larson and Jane Brown.

Brown and Larson also discovered that participating in theatre programs helped students to recognize and experience emotions without negative consequences, which improved their emotional health significantly.

According to Andrew Martin, Michael Anderson, and Ricci-Jane Adams, in a paper entitled “What Determines Young People’s Engagement with Performing Arts Events,” “Performing arts attendance and participation leads to academic success and psychological adjustments which leads to improved health and wellbeing.”

Attending the annual performance is also another way that Perry residents can get involved with the rest of the community.

As a small town, it is important for locals to attend and support events and activities such as the Perry High annual play.

According to Robert Wuthnow, in his book, “Small-Town America: Finding Community, Shaping the Future,” small-town residents often think of high school plays as the “cultural highlight[s] of the year.”

The women from the local women’s shelter, Grace Village Women’s Restoration Center, also attended the performance, and most stated that they enjoyed it.

The Perry High school theatre performance is always a great end-of school-year event to start the summer.

For more information about the Perry High School theatre department, visit their Facebook page. On that page, you can also check out photos from the “Madagascar” performance.

For more information about events coming up in Perry, Georgia, check out the events calendar on the Perry website or the Perry Chamber of Commerce.