Scrappy PaliHi Theater Students Putting On New Play
By Laurel Busby
News & Information Editor
Without a school theater, Palisades Charter High School students first were loaned SamoHi’s theater for their spring musical, then they put on a small production at Rustic Canyon Park, and now they’ve rented Lincoln Middle School for their newest endeavor, The Diviners, which premieres tonight.
The students are hoping to recoup some of the expensive theater rental cost through ticket sales, according to parent Kerry Bennassar. Shows will be at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6, 8, 13, 14, and 15 with an additional matinee at 2 p.m. on Nov. 15.
“Please come and support these actors to help recoup some of the costs, but more importantly to see their thoughtful and talented work,” Bennassar said.
The production will offer a more traditional setting than their May 10 show, which occurred outdoors under the big tree near the tennis courts at Rustic Canyon Park. For that show, which the students wrote and put together with little budget, they hung a chandelier from the tree, and the audience sat in beach chairs or on blankets to hear a tale about the Uplifters, the Palisades Fire, and the local community. Their drama teacher, Nancy Fracchiolla, is one of the many people who lost a home in the fire.
While SamoHi loaned the students a theater for their spring musical, the program needed to find another option for the fall drama, The Diviners, so they rented Lincoln Middle School’s theater, Bennassar said.
The new show, which is set in a small, mythical Indiana town in the early 1930s, portrays the bond between mentally challenged and severely aquaphobic Buddy Layman and disenchanted preacher C.C. Showers. Themes of religion, community, family, and loss intertwine during a collective push to rebuild the church.
The promo trailer is here. Tickets are $10 for students, $18 for the general public, and $25 for VIPs. For a small additional fee, tickets can be purchased online at Gofan.co by typing in Palisades Charter High School. The theater is at 1501 California Ave.
