Weeks of preparation has paid off for a group of Portage High School students who are participating in the annual Fall Play this weekend. This year’s play is Flowers for Algernon, which is based on the 1966 novel by Daniel Keyes.
The entire cast did a remarkable job of putting the performance together for the Portage community to enjoy. The play opened up on Friday night, continued Saturday night and is set to show one final time on Sunday afternoon in the PHS East Auditorium.
Auditorium Director Kevin Giese was in charge of directing the play. He worked with 39 talented performers, plus a top-notch technical crew. The crew was led by student director Bree Rutz, who took the stage to welcome the crowd before Saturday night’s performance.
The story of Charlie Gordon described Charlie’s journey of enlightenment. The goal is that after viewing the show, people will show a little more respect to those less fortunate than themselves.
Charlie was played by senior Mitch Rodriguez who participated in his first PHS production and burst onto the scene as the lead. Rodriguez decided to experience theatre in his final year at PHS. He is an active member of the community and has earned varsity letters in track and field and soccer.
Fellow senior Courtney Mason served the role of Alice, who was the female lead. Mason is a veteran of acting at PHS. She has been taking part in PHS productions since her freshmen year.
Senior Tyler Franklin (Dr. Strauss), senior Morgan Jackson (Charlie’s mother), junior Austin Hamang (Professor Nemur) and senior Jacob Cherry (Charlie’s father) were among the many others to play key roles in the play. All of them were able to play their respective characters with precision. Franklin also played in last year’s Spring Musical (Hairspray) and Hamang participated in last year’s Fall Play (Up the Down Staircase), while Cherry was included in the casts of both of those productions. Jackson brought a wealth of experience as she performed in her fourth PHS Production.
The ability of the students to put on such a remarkable and convincing performance is impressive. Spectators were in for a treat as great acting and production were combined with a heartwarming and gripping storyline. Many of the cast members from Flowers for Algernon will return to the stage in April for the Spring Musical.
Click here for a full photo gallery from Saturday night's performance!!!