Charlie Brown On The Big Stage
LHS Drama performs “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” musical.
The cast gets ready for a bow at the end of the play. – Zachary McGee
March 22, 2022
The lights are dimmed, the commons are filled with many parents, teachers, and students. Lights go out, the spotlight lands on the stage, and “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” has begun.
The Lakeland High School Drama department held its first performance of the year, with “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” based on the comic strip “Peanuts”.
The play was first shown during the 2nd and 3rd period on Thursday, March 17th, for local elementary school kids to attend and watch. It was then shown to the public at night on March 17th and 18th, and in the afternoon on March 19th.
Allison Knoll, the drama department teacher, started plans for the play in November. With many different factors affecting their choices, Knoll decided to pick “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” as the play to kick off the drama department’s performances throughout the year.
“Usually when we do a musical, people get really excited about it, until it comes time to sign up for it,” said Knoll.
The two-act play consisted of six main characters, with add ons coming after sign-ups were final. Iconic characters such as Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus Van Pelt, Schroeder, Snoopy, and Sally Brown were all part of the play.
Lakeland senior Luke Ferguson and Lakeland freshman Jade Lodoen both held big roles in the play, with Ferguson playing as Linus and Lodoen playing as Snoopy.
Ferguson grew up in a theater heavy family, and that push is what made him go into drama. Choosing the role of Linus plays a lot in Ferguson’s personality, relating a lot to the “smart aleck little kid with his own personal issues”. He was able to get deep into character and had fun with the role.
“Charlie Brown is a huge deal in our family, it has always been a dream of mine to be a part of,” Ferguson said.
Lodoen got her start in drama from her mom, hearing that it can help with social skills and not being as shy. Snoopy’s character is one that is iconic with breaking the fourth wall, and for Lodoen, was a fun character to be on stage.
“Even if we messed up in rehearsals, it didn’t really matter because we all would laugh,” Lodoen said about her favorite memory.
Lots of work was put into producing this play, a lot of it coming from Lakeland’s own stagecraft class. The Stagecraft class helped design all the sets and costumes for the play, which then allowed Knoll to work more on directing then constructing the sets.
Lakeland senior Savannah Spurgeon was cast as the stage manager and makeup technician for the play. She was a crucial part of producing the costumes for the play, with her four years in stagecraft, and previous experience at a Haunted House in middle school.
Spurgeon’s big priority was to make the foam feathers, headbands, and beaks for Woodstock and all the other tiny Woodstocks.
“Luckily I had two other girls (Izabelle Lowell and Elizabeth Duce) who were helping alongside me to get makeup done,” Spurgeon said about the process.
Rehearsals were held all week leading up to the first performance of the play. The actors and crew members spent countless hours after school perfecting their roles and making the show run smoothly.
“Seeing the kids come together as a family when one actor was nervous, the others would surround them and be positive and tell them that they can do it,” Knoll said.
Lakeland Drama department has three more plays coming up before the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
