Under the direction of Ms. K.T. Peterson, the new theater and drama teacher, the children’s play this year will be “The Wizard of Oz,” the fall play “The Clumsy Custard Horror Show” and the spring musical “Ride the Cyclone.”:

With auditions finished for the fall productions and the full castings released to the actors, rehearsals have begun. The first read through for “The Wizard of Oz” was Aug. 30. Senior Ashelyn Lucas is acting as student director for the play. Peterson said of the fall play, “I’m kind of here just to make it happen. If there’s a squeak I’ve got to run in with some oil and try to be really hands off. It’s (Lucas’s) baby, and it’s really cool that Cathedral lets her do that.” 

“The Wizard of Oz” will close Oct. 3, at which point rehearsals for the fall play, “The Clumsy Custard Horror Show,” will begin. Peterson, who chose the play, said, “Not a lot of people know it. I’ve been telling people it’s very Monty Python-esque but physical comedy — it’s so fun. I think it will make people very happy.” The cast for “The Clumsy Custard Horror Show” has been informed of their roles. 

Although it has not been casted yet, Peterson has chosen the spring musical. “Ride The Cyclone” is another comedy. Peterson chose “Ride the Cyclone” last summer, but found that there wasn’t a school version. She then contacted the writers of the 2008 musical. “So we worked together, and it took a long time, but we landed on a school version. So we will be the first high school ever to do the show,” Peterson said. 

The two comedies will be the first since the school put on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the fall of 2018. Peterson said, “When I chose this season, it was really about joy, I just wanted to bring joy.” She added, “I put a lot of work into choosing shows that people will connect with. I think that’s important right now, especially in the next few years. Not that there’s anything wrong with classics — I love them — I’ll probably do them down the line. But for right now, it’s to get people involved, feel a bit like a family and like they have some skin in the game.

“It matters that we’re all telling stories to each other because we need each other right now. That’s why I chose the selection that I did. And Ashlyn with her selection of ‘Oz’ is a beautiful start to that: feeling home, finding home, recognizing home, feeling your own power, all those things are good and keep us going.”