Columbus East High School - Altis Yearbook (Columbus, IN)

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Assuming the role of Cecelia Sheep. Kim Howard, junior, applies make- up before a performance of “Acsops Falables. Darin Mitchncr, senior, picnics with the girl-next-door. Tammie Estes, junior, on his living room floor dur- ing a production of “Butterflies Are Free.” After much arguing. Darin Mitchncr. senior, and Amy Holmes, sophomore, realize they must re- spect what the other needs. Butterflies rates funny clever, and uplifting adult. Senior David Williams, who plays the part of Ralph Austin, added to the problem. Working with a small cast required more concentration because their were not as many characters to play off of. The smaller cast provided for more intense relationships between the characters, Holmes said. Getting into character was a fairly easy process for Estes. Estes and her character, Jill, proved to have much in common. She ate constantly, was very outgoing, young and could not wait to get out on her own. That's very like me, said Estes. Holmes character, on the other hand, required a little more research into how the character would act. A most difficult part of the play for me was relating to the ties a mother feels for her child, said Holmes. by Kinsey Katchka Although the cast of Butterflies Are Free performed for small audiences, the people who did attend enjoyed the clever dialogue and a humorous portrayal of everyday life. Funny, light and uplifting this play added variety to the other plays this season, said Ray LeBlanc, director. Butterflies Are Free , a comedy set in present-day Greenwich Village, depicted the events taking place in the life of Don Baker, Senior Daren Mitchner. In the process of growing up, Don faced obstacles presented by blindness and an over protective mother, portrayed by Sophomore Amy Holmes. Mrs. Baker had trouble accepting Don's friends-- primarily Jill Tanner; the aspiring young actress portrayed by Junior Tammie Estes, trusting his judgement, and simply accepting him as an Butterflies Are Free Student Life 25

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THE MOfES Children’s eyes sparkle for ‘Aesops Falables’ Eager eyes lifted up as the 'big kids' began to perform. Full of color and action, Aesops Falables , a children’s musical, proved to be just the thing for entertaining elementary school students. A spinoff on old Aesop stories, the musical included several well known fable characters with slightly different twists. The Tortoise and the Hare incorporated tricycles and rollerskates into their race while the big, bad wolf spent his time picketing to 'stop unfair treatment to the lonely wolf. The cast of sixteen students performed for two well-attended matinees, with autographs afterwards. They also toured to four local elementary schools during the school day. We were treated like movie stars, said Tracy McCreary, sophomore, who played the part of Amelia Eagle. Some of the kids would come up to me and say, Tm going to do that when I grow up' or others would just say 'I love you'. Interaction between the cast and audience was crucial to the success of the musical. To bring the audience closer to the action, Nancy Kessler, director, decided to place the children right on stage. I saw great interaction. It was so much fun watching the cast relate to the kids and in essence they became children again, Kessler said Most of the cast members would agree their strongest memory to be that of laughter and applause. The children feel free to respond more openly than an audience of adults, said Cori Davis, who played the part of Jack-in-the-Box. They are not afraid to react aloud, boo or applaud, at something funny. It really makes a difference! by Rebecca Schuyler Nichol BiniwcU Nivhrtl Bird ell ‘Psychedelic Cits' is only one of the songs the cast of “Aesops Falables energetically perform for an audi- ence. Molly Sullivan, senior, along with Juniors Cori Davis and Kinsey Katchka dance to the boat of the 60’s style music. Excited to have won the race against Horace Hare. Jim Frakes. junior, accepts the applause of his fans. Ju- niors Sonya Ledbetter and Kinsey Katchka: Sally Carter, senior. Me- lanie Younger, freshman; and Mol- ly Sullivan, senior, cheer for the Tortoise. Ntch ) Birdfccll 24 Student Life Aesop's Falables

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THE ji MOVES Comedy, drama unite with success in Exit the Body On the first day at the quaint New England house, a body is found hanging mysteriously in the closet. Then, in the middle of the night, ten people all somehow indirectly involved with one another sneak around with flashlights, desperately trying to find lost diamonds. Sound like a Sunday night episode of Murder, She Wrote? Actually, the drama production of Exit the Body is a comedy in which the characters are not really who they claim to be. The cast consisted of Juniors Kinsey Katchka, Jim Frakes, Stacy Whipker; Sophomores Tracy McCreary, Stephen Conway, Libby Webster; and Freshmen Stephanie Sharp, Eric Bippen, Sam Harvey, and Eric Moore. Performed in March, the comedy successfully drew laughs from those who attended. For example, the ditzy maid turned out to be a sly undercover agent, and four people claimed to be the same person. These misconceptions along with a sarcastic secretary and an author of murder mysteries combine to produce extremely humorous situations and a complicated plot. Unknown to the audiences, however, a considerable amount of comedy took place back stage and during rehearsals. For example, Katchka who portrayed the role of Crane, once skipped five pages of the script during a dress rehearsal. To make matters worse, reporters from The Republic were in the audience to write an article on the comedy that night. I didn't realize what I had done until I got off stage. Fortunately, the rest of the cast caught on quickly and went on as if nothing had happened, said Katchka. Another example of humor during rehearsals involved the lighting crew and the cast. The light switches on the set were operated by the crew, and the actors pretended to turn them on. Sometimes during practice a cast member would accidently turn on the wrong light, only to see the right one mysteriously turn on across the room. Comical rehearsals were not the only thing that made the play fun to produce, but also the humorous personalities of the actors themselves. When Bippen, who was the real Mr. Hammond, was asked why the production was unique from others he had been in, he curtly responded, I Speakink byMaryHou Arguing with a nosey telephone op- erator is only one of many problems novelist Kinsey Katchka. junior, had to deal with during a weekend at her New England retreat. Stephen Conway, sophomore, holds a gun to Eric Moore, sophomore, as Libby Webster, sophomore. Fresh- men Sam Harvey and Eric Bippen and Juniors Staci Whipker and Jim Frakes look on. 26 Exit the Body