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CCA's play centers on a group of high school students in the 50s, but uses the original Shakespearean language. (Photos by Steven Calhoun)

The school's version of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” includes musical breaks to keep things exciting.

Students dance on a platform in the massive set, which was created by CCA students.

Orsino, played by Walker Powell, speaks with Viola, played by Hannah Bolton.

Olivia, played by Hannah Hemphill, speaks with Sir Andrew Aguecheek, played by Nevin Todd.

By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

Chilton Christian Academy will put on its seventh annual end-of-school play on May 11-12 at 7 p.m. each night. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $7 each.

This year’s play is a 90-minute rendition of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” set in the 1950s. The performance will include plenty of dancing and doo-wop music.

“The whole high school – 63 kids – are involved. They manage their own crews and everything,” director Charlotte Johnson said. “It’s an amazing opportunity for them to get out of their comfort zones … [some] kids have an opportunity to really excel and shine in a way that they couldn’t just in a classroom environment.”

Johnson said the students learn about more than just theater in the process of putting on the production. There are crew chiefs assigned to each crew, and everyone does peer reviews of each other to track how they are handling their responsibilities. This structure teaches the students teamwork, problem solving, how to meet deadlines and how to stay on a budget.

Students built the set in three days the week before the first performance and spent the week of the play practicing, according to Johnson. The high school students focused their school days on the play during this time.

The play’s set spans one side of the school’s gymnasium. Chairs and bleachers are set up to accommodate a few hundred people each night. Johnson said past years have had an attendance of about 600 people across two nights.

The play’s characters include a football team, a cheer squad, geeks and other groups from a typical high school setting. The cast is made up of students from a variety of backgrounds, and many of them have never done theater before, according to Johnson.

“We’re super excited about the show. I’m super proud of the kids, they’ve worked very hard,” Johnson said. “They have to really put aside themselves and step out of their comfort zones and do something completely foreign.”

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