Having a fall play at Oakdale is a relatively new addition, it was only introduced last year. This particular play will be performed on October 13th through the 15th, but it’s a smaller production, overshadowed by the large spring musical. So, let’s give the fall play a moment to shine!

Mr. Copen, the theater teacher at Oakdale, described, “It’s based on the children’s book called Elephant and Piggie, by Mo Willems. It’s called Elephant and Piggie’s We are in a Play and it’s intended for very young audiences: Pre-K through 2nd or even 3rd grade.”

Since the play is not directed towards high schoolers, the play would be perfect for their younger siblings or neighbors. 

Piggie, one of the lead characters, is played by Sienna English and Kaitlyn Rytter. Separately, they both stated that they will play Piggie on different dates. Rytter describes how she will play the role: “Piggie is an energetic little pig and she is so me. I’m always energetic and she’s always positive and I love it so much ‘cause I can see her through the book. I can see how they put her in the play and I just think that the kids are going to love her and I think she will be released to them.”

That being said, the fall play is very different from the main production. English, one of the two Piggies, claims: “The fall play is a lot shorter than the musical because Elephant and Piggie is only one act, whereas Chicago, our upcoming musical, has two acts.” On top of that, she assumes that there will be 40 – 50 people or so in the cast of the spring musical, as opposed to the 10 people in the cast of the fall play.

Aside from having fun with a different style of theater, English also joined the fall play to earn points with the Thespian Society, which is a national society for theater kids. English explained, “You join the Thespian Society by just being really involved in theater. It’s like a national student society. We’re going to be doing community service.”

The two plays that will happen during the 2023-2024 school year are very different. The spring play is always the main production, with a larger cast, and a greater time requirement. This year’s fall play is meant for young kids, although it offers a very different and fun experience from the main production.