Page 162 - 1980

Instant

nostalgia

gainst the background of mid­
A nineteenth century Siam unfolded
the fall production “The King and I”,
the story of an English school teacher
and a “barbarous” king set in his
traditional ways.
The cast of this year’s play was
different from previous casts. This was
the first time Ralston had opened its
auditions to people other than high
school students. Thirteen of the kids,
ranging from ages 5-13, who tried out
made the cast. Each school in Ralston
Public school system was represented
by the children.
“It was fun working with the children
and teaching them their characters,”
said senior Leanne Kullenberg.
The children were asked to do
various things for tryouts. They were
asked to sing, bow, act like trees and
clouds, and were asked to walk like
Siamese children.
Although the cast put in many hours
of hard work, they weren’t the only
ones who spent many late nights at
school working. Mr. Daniels and his
crew deserved some credit, too. They
worked very hard getting the exotic
background ready for the first
performance.
The setting and exotic costumes
created an instant oriental atmosphere,
transporting the audience a hundred
years back in time and traditions.

Enchanted by the song ‘Hello Young Lovers” , two of the
king’s wives (seniors Shelly Drost and Laura Stodola) listen to
Anna sing about her husband Tom. Laura Stodola, stage
manager, and Shelly Drost, assistant stage manager, contributed a
lot of work coordinating this production.
Learning about geography and snow. Prince Chululonghorn
(eighth grader Jon Stodola) and some wives (sophomore Sharon
Manahan and seniors Debbie Meehan, Mary Gabriel and Shelly
Drost) listen to Anna teach them the American ways of life.

Blaine Welliver
Gina Werre
) Everett White
Tim White
Julie Wieczorek
Michelle Wiedel
Sharon Williams
Tracy Williams
Sue Wilson
Phil Wiseman
Jenny Wolf
Jim Wood
Cory Woods