Oxford High School Theater program has a big week ahead of them, including a play and a Haunted Hayride to fundraise for their next trip to the Fringe Festival.
The Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world, and the Oxford High School theater program was nominated to take a production to Scotland for the international festival this coming summer. A group of about 18 students are going on the trip, and they get to share their talents with people from all over the world. They range in ages from 16-18 which includes the actors and managers of the production.
The Oxford High School Theater program is performing “Scream Scenes” tonight, a community favorite. This is the fifth time the theater program has had a production of “Scream Scenes” since the first run in 2002.
Director John Davenport said, “I credit the theater program we have today to ‘Scream Scenes.’ The student body’s interest quickly gained after the first ‘Scream Scenes,’ it appealed to the students on a level of something fun and cool to be a part of.”
For those of you not familiar with “Scream Scenes,” it is a contemporary dance piece that pays tribute to iconic Hollywood horror films. Every scene is taken from iconic images or storylines from various horror films, and then put into a contemporary dance. For example, one of the scenes in the play is from the iconic scene in Jaws, the dancer is strapped up to her waist by a 20 x 20 piece of fabric and sways across the dance floor to the soundtrack from Jaws. The Jaws piece sparked the idea behind “Scream Scenes,” doing a whole show featuring iconic films.
The director refers to this upcoming scream scenes as a “redo;” they are taking the iconic scenes they did in 2002 and 2003 and giving them a fresh spin.
Davenport said, “I enjoy putting together one of these types of shows, it’s so creative and collaborative, and it gives the students an opportunity for ownership, to create something together that they can be proud of.”
Melinda Redding, a mother of an Oxford High student, said, “The Theater program doesn’t have clicks, some students are athletes, some are cheerleaders, some are on the debate team, and some don’t know where they belong. However, all find a place, and cross the theater threshold every now and then. That is why I love the program.”
The “Scream Scene” performance will be held tonight, Wednesday and Thursday nights, with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students, and tickets are also available online at https://squareup.com/store/ohs-theatre.
Join OHS theater students for two evenings of frightening FUN. The Oxford High School theater program will also host a Haunted Hayride on Sunday, Oct. 30 and Monday, Oct. 31.
The event will also benefit the OHS Theater students attending the international Fringe Festival in Scotland next year. Student actors promise to thrill you on a hayride in the woods.
The haunted hayride is $7 per ride. OHS theater will have other activities to keep you entertained such as hot chocolate, a bonfire, music and recreation. On Sunday, less scary rides will be offered beginning at 5 p.m. for little ones or those more faint-hearted.
Tax-deductible donations to the OHS Theatre program may be made through http://createfoundation.com.
Alex Kitchens is the social media editor for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at alex.kitchens@hottytoddy.com.