‘Elf The Musical Jr.’ performs this week

The Red Oak Junior/Senior High School will be bringing some Christmas cheer to the auditorium this week.
“Elf The Musical Jr.” will be performed for audiences on Dec. 1-2. Director Terra Marsden said the show is based off the 2003 film which starred comedian Will Ferrell.
“It’s a musical about Buddy the Elf, who finds out he’s human and living in the North Pole with a bunch of real elves and he goes to seek his real dad in New York City, and mayhem ensues, as his dad is on Santa’s naughty list,” Marsden said.
Marsden said the show features plenty of humor and will make the audiences laugh.
“There’s lots of humor, and lots of the great one-liners in the movie that Buddy has are in the musical. It follows the film, but it’s a shortened version. This version is about one hour and five minutes. The full musical came out around 2015 and it was given a short performance on Broadway,” advised Marsden. “It was so popular that they brought it back, and then they adapted it into a shorter version for junior high kids, cutting out some scenes and songs just to make it easier for kids to perform. Doing the full two and a half hour version of a show can be quite a bit for young actors”
Marsden picked the show based on a couple of factors, including the acting talent she had available.
“I picked it because I knew what kids I had and I thought they would really fit the parts well. I also had a lot of options as far as casting. It’s a show I’ve been looking at for the past couple of years, and the timing of the musical being in December also fit the Christmas theme of the musical,” Marsden explained. “I think the junior high kids do really well with a show that incorporates humor, and the show is contemporary, so they relate better to those kinds of shows as actors. I think it’s easier for them to grasp on to shows that have current plots. It’s up to their speed.”
Marsden added she’s also excited to be able to implement kids in this show that are making their first foray into acting.
“I think probably 40% or 50% of the cast has never done a show before. We have about six sixth graders from Inman Elementary and for most of them this is the first show they’ve ever done. I’ve also got a handful of seventh graders that took a chance, and a couple of eighth graders that never did shows with me and wanted to try it and see what it was like,” commented Marsden.  
Marsden praised the group of kids that have banded together to bring the show to life.
“Buddy the Elf is played by Will Pollock. He had a good role last year but this is a big role for him. He’s a good actor and singer. Jovie, Buddy’s love interest, is played by Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fowler. She’s also doing a great job, and this is a first really big role for her. She showed me she can do big stuff, so it was time for her to have a big part. The role of Walter, the dad, is being played by Ben Pendegraft, who’s doing a great job with that,” said Marsden. “Michael, the human son, is played by Masen Jackson. It was time for him to have a bigger part as well. And Emily, the wife of Walter, is being played by Letty Leuschen. She had some small parts in the musical last year and has stepped up into a bigger part as well. We have about 35 performers in the show, and around seven backstage hands from junior high to sophomores who are helping with lights. We’ve been busy. I’ve been teaching the inexperienced kids stage etiquette and things like that. We’re getting a good show together.”
Other members of the cast include: Kennedy Adams, Sophia Adams, Niveya Armstrong, Aidan Aulet, Ella Blackman, Kaylee Blackman, Lilian Carlson, Vivian Carlson, Anna Chaillie, D.J. DeCesare, Kai Douthit, Katelynn Griffin, Domanick Kaufman, Bella Kling, Addison Lowrance, Madelyn Mills, Cole Myers, Cate Schonert, Rosalee Schonert, Betsy Smith, Ethan Strunk, Audrie Troxell, and Riley VanHoose.
Marsden felt it was very important for theater programs to keep offering their special type of escape for kids.
“For my show, I don’t really get a budget. Whatever money we have is based off of the prior year’s ticket sales or money from fundraisers I do during the year, so I put a lot of care into using those funds for these shows because I think they’re great for self-esteem, they build character, and they learn responsibilities. Having to memorize lines is difficult, and it also builds their confidence to be in front of people and be public speakers, and leaders on-stage and off-stage. They even learn responsibility in taking care of their costumes and putting things away. It teaches them so much about the things they’ll do in life.”
Performing, Marsden said, also gives the youth actors a chance to develop and relate to characters.
“We talk a lot about character development, and who the characters are. Thinking deeper about themselves is one of the things I think the theater program does a great job at. It teaches kids to reach deeper into themselves. We push technology on kids a lot, and they’re very technologically bound which gives them short bursts of information,” Marsden advised. “Learning lines, and rehearsing a show like this over the long term and building towards the goal of a performance teaches them the patience and perseverance that comes from doing that, as well as sticking with it. I’ve had kids quit the shows in the past because of the longevity of putting the shows together. They don’t really see the goal coming, and they’re not patient enough to get there. I love what theater teaches kids and I think it makes them better persons. They relate to one another, work together, and trust each other, as well as behave with kindness and relating well with one another. We’ve spent hours together working through problems. It teaches them to work with each other and not through a device.”
Another positive for the kids is the opportunity to step out and be someone else for the entertainment of the audience.
“It lets them be someone they’re not, and take the audience somewhere else. We’re telling them a story. It’s our job for an hour to make them laugh, make them cry, and make them part of our story. There’s a lot of power in that, and they’ll really realize it once they get our first audience,” stated Marsden. “It really makes a difference when that buzz from the audience is here. “
Marsden also praised her husband, Tim Marsden, for all the help he’s been giving her during the show.
“All the pieces I’m not as good at he’s really good at. He sees things sometimes that I don’t see, and can make suggestions of things I haven’t tried before. He also helps me with the lights, and he’ll run the sound for the show and help me out back stage. Also, neither of us are very crafty, but he’s really inventive with making set pieces work and making it look nice for the kids. We want a good production for the kids. I tell them all the time that we do this because they’re worth it, and they deserve to have a good production,” Marsden explained.
For Marsden, the most rewarding thing about doing shows is watching the kids grow.
“I love seeing them grow as actors and actresses and maturing through the process. The opening few scenes have already wowed me. I also love watching them go through the process and shine when they perform and have their parents be so proud of them. The best part is when they feel they’ve been rewarded by the audience reaction to the show,” Marsden commented.
The show takes place at 7 p.m. Dec. 1-2 at the junior high/high school auditorium. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students. Credit or debit cards are preferred, but exact payment can be made with cash or check. The show is general admission, so anyone wishing to attend can simply show up at the door.