Gordon Forgey

Tonight is the opening night for the Colfax High School. The play is South Pacific, an American classic by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The annual plays at CHS have become a tradition for both the public and students.

It is no mean feat to line up a cast of high school, and sometimes grade school, students to stage a broadway play, especially a musical familiar to nearly every American.

Yet, drama teacher Cary Cammack is able to put on a show every year.

Productions such as this are important in schools. Many area schools put on plays. They give students a stage and a talent showcase. They give them discipline and exposure to being in front of others. They can also introduce them to things they would not otherwise experience.

Putting on a production can be demanding. Current budgets and current trends make such programs very special.

The extra work and preparation involved in such presentations make them all the more special.

Cammack does not take the easy route. He double and triple casts his players. That is not to have stand-ins. It is to give more opportunity to those who want to participate.

Double and triple casting makes for more work, more difficulties and more rehearsals, but it also gives more students more opportunity to be on stage.

Cammack is doing the best for the students by taking on more kids and giving as many as possible a role. Such opportunities do not exist in sports. The best players are fielded. The rest sit on the bench or do not make the team. It does not exist in academics. Everybody does not get an “A.”

Cammack deserves high praise for giving so many kids a chance to show off their talents and be in the spotlight.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher