KYLE — When picturing a flower shop, one may envision a rose or a tulip; a lily or a daffodil, but inside the Lehman High School Theater lies a man-eating plant that feeds on human blood — and it’s headed straight for the 2024 Heller Awards for Young Artists (HAYA).
PHOTO COURTESY OF OWEN TAYLOR
Jonas Taylor (Orin), left, and Seth Rivas (Seymour) in the dentist scene, singing “Now (It’s Just the Gas).”[/caption]
HAYA is like “the Oscars for High School Musical Theatre,” said theatre director Mary Fournier. Held each year at the Long Center in downtown Austin, the competition “boosts visibility for high school musical theatre programs and produces a community-building event, while celebrating the talent and discipline of thousands of students and educators.”
Schools record their performances to submit and judges also visit to see the musical for themselves on various nights of the show. From then, schools are nominated for various categories, such as lead performer — male, lead performer — female, ensemble, costume design, lighting design and more.
Fournier is the newest theatre director at Lehman High School and coming off of seven years teaching at other schools, she knew that she wanted to have a successful start.
“I actually talked to my [theatre] officers because I was new to the school; I wasn’t sure who I had and what they were interested in doing. So, we kind of had a brainstorming session at the beginning of the school year with me,” she said when discussing how the musical — “Little Shop of Horrors” — was chosen.
The musical is an adaptation of the 1960 film of “The Little Shop of Horrors” by Charles B. Griffith and follows an unlucky floral shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on humans.
Two of the students on the team of officers are Zoe Zuniga, president, and Seth Rivas, vice president, both of whom had roles in the musical that ran from Jan. 11-14, 2024, with Rivas occupying the lead role as Seymour.
“It is [a] very dark [concept], but a lot of the music and the way the characters are written is very campy and funny. I think that they kind of balance each other out,” said Rivas. “I think it makes the people in the audience feel more connected to the story. There are a lot of emotional moments that, I heard reviews of, that people felt so into it and like part of the story with us.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF OWEN TAYLOR
Brooke Sterling (Audrey), left, and Rivas (Seymour) profess their love in “Suddenly Seymour.”[/caption]
“I think it’s just a popular one that a lot of people know. A lot of our patrons that came to watch the performance were like, ‘Oh! I did this in school,’” said Fournier. “I think, really, any show could stand out. I think it just depends on the kids and the production team working together to make it the best show that it can be … We had a really strong team. It wasn’t just me either. [LHS Choir Director Leo] Garcia was our vocal director … He was phenomenal working with the kids and spending extra time on specific songs with individual students that needed help and as a whole ensemble. Then, we had Rachel Carnegie, who is our middle school [choir] teacher at Simon, who came in to direct and each student kind of played a role in different ways on building, design properties, lighting, design sound and acting.”
Rivas was stumped when asked what his favorite part of performing this show was. Between the great plot elements, the multitude of songs and overall fun, it was difficult to decide. Ultimately, he stated that it felt as though the musical gave him the opportunity to shine, as he sings and dances more than he acts, "All the songs are just so fun to sing. It's fantastic," he explained.
“The most exciting part was definitely the finale because I loved all of the energy that was on stage,” beamed Zuniga. “I’m more of a singer and a dancer, too, so it [had] more singing in it. It was also a lot of character work because it was a lot of, ‘Oh! We’re dying!’ It was just dramatic.”
Although the performers had memorable moments on stage, it wasn’t all fun and games. The actors noted that, beginning in September 2023, there were approximately nine hours a week spent on rehearsing, building props, painting and memorizing lines outside of school hours. This is because the musical is not a part of the curriculum, as anyone, including those not in the theatre class, can audition.
The two agreed that nominations, alone, allow the schools in their area to know that they are seriously in the game and are striving to break the stigma that has been attributed to the school: “We’re like the underdogs,” said Zuniga.
Zuniga’s eyes lit up when she brought up the possibility of winning best musical: “I think winning would just really show how much hard work we put in because we’ve never gotten nominated or won for that category before.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF OWEN TAYLOR
From left, Zoe Zuniga (Chiffon), Madison Hernandez (Crystal), Julia Major (Ronnette) and Izzy Zelazny (featured dancer/ensemble), behind, perform during the prologue of “Little Shop of Horrors.”[/caption]
Previously, the LHS theatre department has been nominated for best costume design, best lighting design, best orchestra, best technical execution and best direction and has taken home 10 awards since 2017, including best featured performer, best actor in a leading role, best actor in a supporting role, best lead and best supporting.
“I’ve tried not to focus on the contest itself. I just want them to feel proud of what they’re doing [and] I think that they kind of emulate that in a sense. They really just are here to have a great time working together with their friends and create art on stage,” said Fournier.
“I think just receiving any kind of accolades will kind of show our community that my students are working hard. I think that's the most important thing is just giving them recognition for all the hard work that they're doing,” she continued. “But the main focus is being able to get that recognition and continue to build the program to make it even better.”
Both officers are hoping to continue their acting career following high school, with Rivas majoring in theatre and minoring in music and dance and Zuniga majoring in musical theatre.
Nominations will be announced in early March and students will attend HAYA at the Long Center on Wednesday, April 17. Until then, community members can support the LHS Theatre Department by attending the UIL One Act Play, “Fahrenheit 451,” by Ray Bradbury, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit .
