St. Thomas presents ‘Sound of Music’
BY YANNA LANTZ
The Wood River Valley will come alive with “The Sound of Music” Oct. 20-23. As part of St. Thomas Playhouse’s Family Main Stage project, a large ensemble of all ages will grace the stage at nexStage Theatre in Ketchum to bring this historic piece of theatre to life.
Many in the show’s creative team remember their first encounter with the 1965 film.
“When ‘The Sound of Music’ first came out, my aunt and my sister went to the movies every Saturday for three months to see it because it was that amazing,” chuckled director R.L. Rowsey.
“Growing up in an age when there weren’t a lot of movies coming out that were family friendly, musical theatre events were huge when they were on TV,” choreographer Sara Gorby explained. “Once a year they would have ‘The Sound of Music’ or ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on TV and you’d sit down as a family, and it was very much about gathering to enjoy the experience as a group.”
“My mother taught elementary school music and one of her first classes would be her sitting with a guitar singing ‘Do-Re-Mi’ with the children,” smiled Meredith Skillman, who plays Maria.
The classic story has touched the hearts of countless individuals worldwide through its unforgettable songs, characters and themes. Set in Austria during World War II, the musical follows a young woman studying to become a nun who is assigned to be a governess to seven precocious children. As the world around them changes, the characters must find a way to survive the loss of their homeland through courage and hope.
“I think the heart of the piece is about making sacrifices,” Gorby said. “These people chose to do something really hard and chose to do what was right, in a time when that wasn’t easy. They knew there were other places in the world where they could have the life that they wanted to have, and knew that home was where their family was, not where their house was.”
“The mountains are such a force for everyone in the play, and I think they’re representative of the great challenge each character must face,” Skillman said. “There’s a great quote from a mountaineer that asks, ‘Why climb a mountain in the first place?’ And he says, ‘Because when you have gone up top, you can see what is below.’”
Working with such a wide array of ages and community members on this piece has been rewarding for Rowsey.
“One of the biggest gifts for me has been working with the children in the cast–their instincts are amazing and they bring such honesty to their work,” he said. “The piece affirms to me that there is always hope and that love can win, and that’s a great thing to have for our country right now.”
Gorby hopes that the youth of the community, in particular, will take advantage of seeing the show.
“Coming out to the theatre is a really special gift for a child, especially this musical,” she said. “You’ll hardly ever get to see ‘The Sound of Music’ live, so don’t miss the opportunity to see such a beautiful production.”
Tickets for “The Sound of Music” are $25 for adults and $15 for kids. Performances run Oct. 20-23 at 7 p.m., with additional performances Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. Reserve seats and learn more at stthomasplayhouse.org.