Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp
Produced by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
This production follows guidelines set forth by Pearland ISD and the University Interscholastic League.
Directed By
John Grimmett
Cody Edgar
Choreography
Mikayla Hoffman*
Arianna Damian*
Music Direction
Roxan Silva
Katie McCravy
Ann Moss
Lighting Design
Peyton Rucker*
Sound Design
Lauren Furr*
Production Design
Edgar Alanis
Michael Savage
Wayne Gibson
Stephen Bennett
Costume Design
Doris Bowes
Amy Petersen
Amanda Hayes
Michelle Kloesel
*Denotes Dawson HS Student
Director’s Note
All of us have a connection to THE SOUND OF MUSIC, whether we realize it or not. For me, it was one of the first musical films my parents ever shared with me, and it goes a generation deeper, to the richly stained Baldwin piano that my grandfather purchased for my grandmother for their tenth wedding anniversary. Known for constantly remodeling her home, my grandmother gave my mother the piano when I was five or six years old, which still sits in my childhood home today, with the hopes that I would learn to play piano.
Unfortunately, my first piano teacher was a frightening woman, and I dropped piano and picked up the trombone. Though I picked up piano lessons in high school and through a career as a musical director prior to coming to Dawson, it remains my only regret in life that I did not study piano as a young child.
After my grandmother’s sudden death from a heart attack when I was seven, I spent much of my adolescence rummaging through old scores and music books – Chopin, Debussy, hit songs of the 1930s like “Autumn in New York,” and even the hit song from the film Doctor Zhivago starring Omar Sharif. My grandmother was the first person in my life I ever lost, and in hindsight, I believe I was trying to learn more about her by playing through some of her favorite songs.
One day, I stumbled along this unassuming score that shall forever remain etched in my memory: an animated Julie Andrews joyfully tossing her guitar case; a black and white saddle bag; children in yellow clothing sprinting up a mountainside and being watched carefully by a disapproving Christopher Plummer in a brown smoking jacket.
The song was Edelweiss, and I loved it so much so that I convinced my junior high band director to allow me to arrange the piece for my eighth grade spring concert. As a writer and director, I have often reflected back on what brought me to the ridiculous notion of seeing the world through musical theatre: yet, it has been right in front of me all this time. It was through Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s unforgettable score that I first recognized my own love and capacity for theatre music. And the rest is history.
The students in Ovation have endured a lot since the beginning of this school year already, none of it possible without the countless parent volunteers and school personnel who have supported our students without hesitation. When we produced CHICAGO in September, we had over 70 students involved – with this production, another 50 students joined us. At the Texas Thespians Festival, we walked away with nine National Qualifying students in performance and technical events who are eligible to perform at the International Thespian Festival, and two of our seniors – Paige Miller and Zaccai Campos – were recognized by Texas Thespians as scholarship winners in a highly competitive selection. Not to mention, all four students obtaining spots in the 2022 Texas All-State Choir have been a part of an Ovation production. After THE SOUND OF MUSIC, we begin with UIL One Act Play on the heels of a rollercoaster ride last year that ended up with Dawson’s fourth appearance at the UIL One Act Play State Meet, one of only eight programs to achieve such an honor in classification 6A.
But for many of the students you will see onstage tonight, this will be their first musical production with Ovation Theatre and, for some, their first production ever. It will be a fundamental dive into the optimism and hope that typified the golden era of musical theatre ushered into being by Rodgers and Hammerstein, a vision for a more promising future. What a joy and a privilege to have watched them these many months become aware of themselves, their abilities, their collective confidence. Like the first time I opened up the bench to my grandmother’s Baldwin piano and touched the worn yellow pages of beloved music, these students have discovered something that transcends time: music, and the gift it gives to us as human beings.
So we find ourselves at another beginning in a world not terribly unlike the Von Trapps in Austria, 1938. Fascism still holds a weapon pointed at democracy around the world. Authoritarians still scheme with the notion that power is absolute instead of abstract. Americans today are worn and tired by death, poverty, and a troublesome economy, the same conditions that allowed Hitler to take power in Germany. Yet, our students choose to be the symbols for love and light in the darkness. This is what we teach every day in our program.
Tonight, we offer you the gift to which so many of us are connected, whether it is a worn musical score from a grandmother’s piano bench or a way to connect with loved ones through a common experience or – more simply – sharing the idea of what life should be like should we allow ourselves to be instructed by it. That is the gift of theatre and the sound of music, the outcome of which is never the ends but always the means.
John Grimmett
Director, Ovation Theatre
Our students are some of the best and brightest in the state of Texas. Consider donating to our program today. Together, we can move the future of Ovation Theatre forward by helping our students reach new heights.
Musical Numbers
ACT I
ACT II
There will be a brief intermission (15 minutes) between acts. The total running time for this show is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Cast
MARIA
Jessica Reed
MOTHER ABBESS
Cameron Marshall
SISTER BERTHE
Gwenivere Moodie
SISTER MARGARETTA
Isabel Fabrega
SISTER SOPHIA
Meredith Clarke
CAPTAIN GEORG VON TRAPP
Zaccai Campos
LIESL
Katrina Samuelson
FRIEDRICH
Andrew Bennett
LOUISA
Phoenix Walwyn
BRIGITTA
Amadea Barsan
KURT
Zaire Walwyn
MARTA
Alexis Baum
GRETL
Ariana Walwyn
ROLF
Joshua Ross
FRAU SCHMIDT
Ashley McKay
FRANZ
Gideon Lancaster
MAX
Camden Howell
ELSA
Christina Payne
URSULA
Milo Christner
ADMIRAL VON SCHREIBER
Ben Cummings
HERR ZELLER
Max Kloesel
BARON ELBERFELD
Nick Pham
BARONESS ELBERFELD
Abby Gibson
NEW POSTULANT
Amber Schaefer
THE NUNS OF NONNBERG ABBEY
Sarah Abraham, Sindhu Akunuri
Evelyn Baum, Grace Brown
Carissa Campos, Taylor Cavazos
Hannah Forney, Kaitlynne Garcia
Nora Hayes, Sophia Hoffler
Catherine John, Sofia Lemma
Kyra Loyd, Cate Mercado
Olivia Moeller, Kha Di Nguyen
Isabella NovoGradac, Halle Peterson
Sarah Reed, Julianna Revilla
Arielle Sanchez, Emmy Spradling
Bella Soares, Lauren Teel
Avery Tuffly, Samantha Walker
THE CITIZENS OF SALZBERG
Brigitta Acosta, Drew Allen
Sherry Azar, Ana Biczynski
Landry Comeaux, MJ del Rosario
Arianna Damian, Savannah Demus
Delaney Frament, Carly Fricke
Abby Gibson, Kaitlyn Gilbreath
Hadiyah Henderson, Taylor Hinton
Mikayla Hoffman, Amanda Hopfe
Jeniyah Howard, Addison Howell
Catherine John, Sydney Larmond
Kennedy Leyva, Sophia Lin
Emma Lundberg, Andrea Macioch
Nia McFarlane, Sydney Neilon
Elaine Osborne, Kaia Rogers
Olivia Rodriguez, Mia Sanchez
Becca Sommer, Savannah Snell
Saba Scott, Flora Tewolde Gebremedhin
STORMTROOPERS
Cergio Batang, Stirling Baum
Kyle Daquioag, James Frazier
Channing Grace, Jack Holden
Luke Holden, Rafael Jimenez
Joe Ledet, Camden Loyless
Imani Mueti, Cole Ripple
Sora Srivastava, Michael Soares
Riley Toner
Crew
Stage Managers
Paige Miller
Peyton Rucker
Assistant Stage Managers
Lauren Furr
Kyle Bennett
Natalie Yeatts
Lighting
Crew Head: Peyton Rucker
Matthew Petersen
Pitchapa Tongsit
Spotlight
Crew Head: Dunya Bhuiyan
Marissa Jackson
Saie Joshi
Mariana Roa
Fly
Crew Head: Kyle Bennett
Abby Strachota
Ray Poggemoeller
Kyler Sonnier-Gant
Madyson Campbell
Sound
Crew Head: Lauren Furr
Bryce Burrow
Taliyah Harris
Props
Crew Head: Alyssa Salazar
Kristen Witte
Stacey Joseph
Meena Muthurman
Costumes, Hair, and Makeup
Crew Head: Kimaya Savargaonkar
Elizabeth Eapen
Abigail Larkin
Anna Larkin
Maddie Parker
Ava Allen
Emily Kopetz
Vivian Pen
Running Crew
Crew Heads: Paige Miller
Marley Dobson
Jenna’ Grier
Marin Monigan
Aaliyah Winn
Morgan Wheeler
Be sure to join us for our public performance of this year’s One Act Play production, “My Friend the Octopus” by John Grimmett.
March 6, 2022 at 6:00pm.
Company
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Orchestra
The following musicians were contracted by BL Music.
Harp
Hope Cowan
Violin
Jisu Shin, Lindsey Baggett, Emilio Arredondo, Zachary Montasser
Viola
Katie Carrington, Elisabeth Hope
Cello
Kristin Logan, Meredith Bryant
Bass
Curry Duffy
Flute
Graham Tobin, *Allison Lew
Oboe/English Horn
Season Summers
Clarinet
Chester Rowell, *Stephen Mao
Bassoon
Frank Chambers
Trumpet
Phil Scoles, *Anthony Gibson
French Horn
Erin Steinke, *Ethan Montes
Trombone
Brian Logan, *Josh Chen, *Will Gundlach
Bass Trombone
*Michael Meng
Tuba
Ali Jackson
Percussion
Megan Keener
*Dawson High School Student
Special Thanks
Carla Breaux
Dawson Diamonds
Dawson Eagle Band
Dawson Ovation Booster Club
Encore Choir
Pearland ISD Business Office
Tonya Schepis
Sarah Tuffly
Chris Irwin
Teri Zuteck
Sponsors
Christner Strategies
Club Pilates
Mike Fox Photography
Natasha Newman
Michael and Michelle Kloesel
Mike Doleski and Cara Campbell
Rosemary Eapen
Stephanie Leyva
Laura Schoonover
Michelle White-Gilbreath
Parent Volunteers
We could not do this show without the countless parent volunteers who gave so selflessly of their time during this production. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Costumes
Janet Andrews
Melisa Bennett, Amy Bryson
Jennifer Darcey, Rose Eapen
Linda Fessenden
Katherine Frazier, Lisa Furr
Lindsey Hoffman, Shannon Holden
Kristi Hopfe, Sara Hopkins
Lara Gibson, Rachel Grimmett
Michelle Kloesel, Michelle Kopetz
Stephanie Leyva, Amanda McKay
Jason Moodie, Amy Petersen
Evelyn Samuelson, Rita Schack
Cathy Schaefer, Laura Schoonover
Jackie Snell, Jennifer Strachota
Michelle White-Gilbreath
Set Construction
Stephen Bennett, Wayne Gibson
Donnie Reed, Michael Savage
Eric Schaefer, Nick Strachota
Cesar Rodriguez, Steven Ruth
FUNDRAISER SUPPORTERS (339)
A
Elizabeth Abraham, Sumer Abulhassan, Thomas Ainsworth, Jessy Akkara, Rebecca Albe, Lynn Alexander, Jesus Alvarado, Oluseyi Amele, Lina Anderson, Andre Appeltants, Hadrien Appeltants, Dawn Arbogast, Mamie Arbuckle, Mario Arcari, Lisa Austin, Laura Aya, Kimberly Azar, Tamara Azar, Rosalyn Azar
B
Sherry Balsamo, Midge Banchik, Naji Barnes-McFarlane, Christelle Barrier, Troy Barry, Santosh Bawisakr, April Bayham, Elizabeth Belmont, DeAnna Bennett, Latoya Benford, Kimberly Benoit, Eugenemar Benzon, Donna Bierwirth, Beth Blyskal, Sandra Blitch, Mary Ann Biczynski, Gene Bird, Kathy Boeding, Kenith Booker, Teresa Booker, John Philip Boudreaux, Judy Bowers, S. L. Brantly, Jacqueline Bronicki, Susan Brown, Thomas Brown, Joy Buck, Judge Robert N . Burdette, Susan Burdette, Jenealeow Burren, Paul Byers, Vicky Byrne
C
Amelia Calderon, Kari Callegari, Jeffrey Calog, William Calog, Crystal Carbone, Rebecca Carbone, Charlie Carter, Kathy Casey, Brian Castille, Oscar Cavazos, Kashun Chan, Amanda Chapa, Tom Chang, Angela Cherry, Jennifer Cherubini, Donna Clark, Scott Harvey Colvert, Dawn Comeaux, Dee Commissariat, Jennifer Conley, Charlotte Coonce, William Coston, Terry Craig, Edraline Cruz, Stephen Cummings
D
Pengcheng Dai, Tuanh Dang, Diana Davidson, Adam Dehamnia, Meredith del Rosario, Cleopatra Dewey, Dawn Dobson, Tara Dobson, Nicholas Doluisio, Mary Dragoset, Katrina Drake
E-F
Katie Eapen, Rosemary Eapen, Stanley Eapen, Susan Eapen, Florence Weiss Edelman, Celestine Edwards, Marla Eovaldi, Darren Evans, Vicki Evans, Antonia Fabrega, Miguel Fabrega, Sheila Fischer, Tammy Fitzmartin, Michael Andrew Frament, Thomas Frament, Alicia Fricke, Lisa Furr
G
Tomika Monique Gamble, Kaytilyn Gant, Patricia Gant, Amparo Garcia, Joel Garcia, Kimberley Garcia, Rosa Garcia, James Garland, Joann Garland, Kibreab Gebremedhin, Tracy Georges, Abby Gibson, Daryl Gibson, Don Gilbreath, Kirk Gilbreath, Carrie Giokas, Maria Gonzalez, Mark Grady, Justyna Grot-Hatfield, Michael Grosser, Adrian Guerrero, Ashish Gugnani, Michelle Guillory, Shanda Guidry
H
Kelly Hackworth, Shelley Haggerty, Heidi Harms, Peggy Hartnett, Teri Haskins, John Hayes, Sarah Hendricks, Bryan Hershberger, Greg Hill, W. and K. Hobbs, Edward Hoffler, Erika Hoffler, Richard Hoffler Jr., Mary Hoffman, Kristi Hopfe, Sharon Howey, Karen Elizabeth Hurst
I-J
Nelda Iles, Katherine Jackman, Topsy James, Janice Jerrells, Nelly Jimenez, Valeria Jimenez, Yesenia Jimenez, Sunil John, Amy Johnson, Gregory Johnson, Karen Jones, Ron Jones, Reni Jose, Anand Joshi
K
Kari Kaiser, Julie Kaplow, Kira Kennedy, Jadesola Kelani, David Kelling, Lorene Kelling, Jacqueline Kemper, Bridget Kennis, Carole Kloesel, Michael and Michelle Kloesel, Morgan Kloesel, Sandra Kline, Wallace Koenning, Vivek Koshy, Lindsey Kriska-Paradis, Lavona Kuzniar
L
Gideon Lancaster, Laura Larkin, Patrick Larkin, Judy Lavery, Kelly Le, Arely Leal, Eliana Leal, Jesse Leal, Roman Leal, Mengistu Lemma, Jason Leyva, Stephanie Leyva, Baiyang Liu, Dong Liu, Jennifer Loyless
M
Dianne Macmillan, Phuc Mai, Zane May, Shannon Marshall, Karen McGhee, Amanda McKay, Lara McPhail, David Meek, Kristen Melass, Antonio Mercado, Trina Mercado, Karen Miller, Gene Moeller, Jason Mohr, Evelyn Moore, Genene Morris, Linda Mulholand, John Murphey III, Alexus Myers, Hilary Myers, Martha Myers, Randy Myers
N-O
Jennifer Neilon, Janice Nguyen, Jessica Nguyen, Nathalie Nguyen, Vuong Nguyen, Hipolito Nieto, Jaime Nieto, William Niksch, Mary Norwood, Nancy Ogden, Dario Olivares, Elizabeth Olivares-Reed, Patricia Oliver, Sara Orsi, Deanna Osborne, Jason Osborne
P
Brandy Parker, Lynn Parks, Laura Pascali, Sandy Patterson, Chantelle Payne, Dexter Payne, Helen Payne, Edith Perrone, Bryan Peterson, Anne Peterson, Mary Jane Peterson, Katherine Pfeifer, Maureen Pflugfelder, Cindy Pham, Son Pham, Cassie Raftis-Parker
Q-R
Xiaojie Quan, Maria Randall, Joan Rao, Timothy Riley, Lindsey Rodriguez, C. Dwayne Rogers, Dianne Rogers, Kim Ross, Jamie Rosin, Don Reed II, Julie Ruffino, John Rushing
S
Catalina Salazar, Maria Salazar, Vicente Salazar III, Julia Samuel, Evelyn Samuelson, Rebecca Samuelson, Namely Sanchez, Nilesh Savargaonkar, Jenn Sewell-Rust, Cathy Schaefer, Jessica Schaefer, Terrie Schaefer, Heather Schneider, Kyle Schoonover, Dimitrios Sellountos, Elizabeth Senior, Rodney Seto, Hui Shan, Douglas Shanda, Vishakha Shembekar, Susanna Sipes, Dennis Slimmer, Joelle Slimmer, Lisa Slimmer, Kathleen Smallwood, Stephanie Smith, Beverly Snell, Murrell Snell, Mario Soares, Rebekah Soares, Evelyn Song, Tim Stafford, Bryan Steele, Esther Stetenfeld, Shane Stewart, Katelyn Stiles, Elizabeth Stivers, Jennifer Strachota, Lindsey Strachota, Marjorie Strachota, Paul Strachota, Florence Suen, Tammy Suen
T
Emeline Tayag, Kidane Tesengne, Courtney Titus, Erin Todd, Janine Toner, J.C. Thompson, Elisa Thompson, Sharra Thompson, Van Tran, Nicole Truc Le, Trang Truong, Mario Turcios, Suzie Tyson, T. Tewolde Gebremedhin
U-Z
Sade Udoetuk, Krystle Ulhaq, Mary Upton, Ann Uy, James Vanness Jr., Graciela Victor, Han Vo, Heather Watts, Leslie Waycott, Thomas Weiland, Betty Weldon, Reagan Welham, Michelle White, Holli Widdowson, Candice Williams, Michelle Witte, Zemeda Woldemariam, Candace Woodard, T. Maxine Woods-McMillan, Barbara Wren, Joyce Wyatt, Crystal Renea Wyndon, Jason Yang, Lucrecia Yap, Carroll Yeatts, Yong Zhang
Pearland ISD Administration
Dr. John Kelly, Superintendent
David Moody, Deputy Superintendent
Dr. Nyla Watson, Chief Academic Officer
Jorgannie Carter, Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Brenda Waters, Senior Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education
Larry Berger, Assistant Superintendent for Support Services
Dr. Lisa Nixon, Assistant Superintendent for Special Programs
Dr. Sundie Dahlkamp, Executive Director for Human Resource Services
Dr. LaKesha Henson-Vaughn, Executive Director of Intermediate Schools
Kim Hocott, Executive Director of Communications
Kelly Holt, Executive Director of High Schools
Jon-Paul Estes, Chief Technology Officer
Tom Bell, Director of Fine Arts
Victor Raygoza, Fine Arts Coordinator for Theatre
Stacy Rabago, Administrative Assistant
Board of Trustees
Sean Murphy, President
Jeff Barry, Vice President
Rebecca Decker, Secretary
Toni Carter
Dr. Kristoffer Schoeffler
Crystal Carbone
Lance Botkin
Dawson High School Administration
Erin Hamann, Principal
Carla Breaux, Secretary to the Principal
Jason Karim, Associate Principal
Shelly Black, Assistant Principal
Brandon Childers, Assistant Principal
John Hinton, Assistant Principal
Autumn Maddox, Assistant Principal
Rodney McFarland, Assistant Principal
Gerri Roberts, Assistant Principal
Kori Spruce, Head Counselor
Christopher Daniel
Bob Paluszak
Dr. Prestal Malloy
Brittanee Morris
Jessica Sellers
Dr. Shara Schlitzberger