BRAVO BUTLER'S LION KING!

 MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESENTS THE LION KING JR     by Barbara Biddison

The Wellsboro High School auditorium was packed with little kids and adults and big kids, and there was an excited buzz in the air on the night of February 10th.  It was Opening Night!!   Sixty-some names appear on the program as cast and ensemble as well as staff and crew and interns.  A few of this number are adults and high school interns, but the great majority represent the middle school. 

​This was an extraordinary opportunity for so many to participate in live theatre. Of course there were lots of lions.  But I think I was most enchanted by the girafes.  And this brings me to costume making which was clearly an important part of this show.  There is so much more than acting when a school puts on a production like this.

Parents  and school teachers and cooks and backstage and technical production staff, and I'm sure adults in charge of getting all these young people fed here and there along the way.  And making arrangements for rehearsal space, and figuring out all the technical aspects  It's a grand learning experience. 


Wellsboro schools have been good at trying to offer this experience over many years  In the
time between now and 32 years ago there was no Hamilton-Gibson to fill in and provide an even broader experience.  When the now Middle School was a Junior High, Pat Davis managed to produce THE WIZARD OF OZ with 7th through 9th graders.  And around the same time the same high school auditorium that we have now offered my older son the
opportunity to play Frank Butler in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and, a few years later, my younger son the role of Tevya  in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.


Now HG offers multiple theatre experiences for our area youth, including drama camps for the whole surrounding area.  And the Wellsboro schools continue, when they can, to offer theatre and chorus and band. and all those good fine arts activities.

KUDDOS to all those who make this happen right here where we all live!!!!