A Little Theater of Horrors: The Drama Department’s Fall Performance

Every year, the Palisade drama department brings in a full house to their production, creating memories on stage. This year, the performance landed on the weekend of Halloween, which meant it only made sense to perform a classic filled with laughter, song, and of course horror. Little Shop of Horrors was performed for three nights and brought in a large crowd for every showing. The story follows a broke flower shop on Skid Row where the shop’s assistant, Seymour, finds an unusual plant that eventually revives the shop and launches him to fame. But behind every success is a secret: the plant feeds off of human blood. The audience follows Seymour and his journey to keep the plant’s secret hidden, while attempting to maintain his friendships, but more importantly his mind. “Feed me Seymour,” the killer plant from outer space sang on the stage throughout the night, “feed me!” Evan Edwards (senior) was the iconic voice behind this plant and perfectly brought his deep vocals to light. Blake Larson, a senior who has been involved with Palisade’s drama department since his freshman year, played the one and only Seymour. As the main character, Larson perfectly showcased Seymour’s conflicts and originality, drawing the audience into his likeness. “I think overall it was very good, the energy in the cast was very hype and very exciting.” says Larson, “My favorite song was when the plant came to life because it’s very high energy and it’s different from all the other songs.” His co-star, Regyn Coolbaugh (junior), played his love interest, Audrey with passion and feeling. The performance was a success, with the entire cast enveloping the audience into the theatrical story. Behind the scenes, these actors and actresses have spent multiple hours everyday after school and sometimes even over weekends to perfect their craft. “This year, the week leading up to the show wasn’t as stressful as previous years,” Larson remarks, “We were more relaxed this year. It was draining vocally, but it worked out in the end.” Larson’s advice for any freshman looking to pursue acting and get to where he is now (the main character) is: “You got to work for it. It’s consistency, it’s dedication but it’s also important to be a nice person.” The musical was a thrilling start to the Halloween weekend, thank you to the cast and crew for the brilliant performance! Palisade theater’s next performance will be You Can’t Get There From Here in the spring so make sure not to miss it. And lastly, remember to not feed the plants!