The Tippecanoe Valley Theater Department will present “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” on Thursday, Nov. 9, and Friday, Nov. 11. Shown from left are Jacob Kiefer as Peter, Gabby Harter as Lucy and Anessa Stutzman as Susan.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

AKRON — Audience members will be transported to Narnia with the Tippecanoe Valley High School Theater Department’s fall play.

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” will be performed at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, and 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, in the TVHS Lecture Room. People may buy tickets for $8 each before each hour and a half show or at tvtheater.ludus.com.

Based on C.S. Lewis’ book, the play tells of siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy’s adventures in the land of Narnia, which they enter through a wardrobe. The kids encounter the evil White Witch and the heroic lion Aslan.

Director Thomas Boys said he chose the play “because of its continued popularity with middle and high school aged students, many of whom have enjoyed reading (Lewis’) Narnia series of books.”

He noted the play also worked well with “the number of students regularly involved with theater.”

“The cast size is not too large, but large enough to allow new members to join to ‘get their feet wet’ as background animal characters,” said Boys.

There are a little more than 20 cast members, with four stage crew members and six students handling lighting, sound and costumes.

Boys said he hoped the kids “acquire a deeper appreciation and develop that love of theater that many students already have and (that) is referred to as ‘catching the bug.'”

“I would love for each cast member to come away from this show feeling that sense of pride from being part of something amazing and (hope they) will feel a sense of accomplishment from overcoming whatever obstacles were encountered leading up to the show,” he continued.

“For the audience, we know they will be entertained by the diversity of the different characters, by the little bits of humor and (by) just (enjoying) watching the people they know,” Boys added. “The art in the background, created and overseen by TVHS art teacher Lisa Lynch, will give a splendid visual of new life, as the warmth found in the promise of a new life of freedom in Narnia gets closer and closer as the story moves along.”

“If some members of the audience are not familiar with the story, they will have a new and memorable experience!” said Boys.

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”

Cast List

Porter Rich, Jordan Strayer, Jacob Kiefer, Anessa Stutzman, Gabby Harter, Olliver Pettit, William Cunningham, Tessa Rich, Karlee Harshman, Hailee Norman, Kodiak Hillen, Guadalupe Jimenez-Baca, David Walker, Karis King, Macy Sweeny, Makenzie Brown, Paitynn Jobe, Cassie Rich, Sarah Farley, Caitlyn Farley, Lily Hyde, Evelin Jimenez-Baca, Bailey Senesac, Kaitlyn Eastgate

Stage Crew

Hope Blankenship, Kaitlyn Eastgate, Wyatt Clark, Shiye Coe

Porter Rich, left, as Aslan and Cassie Rich as the Centaur rehearse a scene from Tippecanoe Valley High School’s fall play ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

From left: Hailee Norman as Tumnus, Tessa Rich as Mrs. Beaver and William Cunningham as Mr. Beaver practice a scene from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” at Tippecanoe Valley High School.