By Marit Gookin
Staff Writer
Pehton Truempler as D’Artagnan, Alex Mills as Porthos, Braxton Mills as Aramis, and Addy King as Athos in Shoshoni High School’s production of “The Three Musketeers.” (submitted photo)
Theater teacher Drew Peregoy has a swashbuckling adventure planned for Shoshoni’s high school play this year: Max Bush’s stage adaptation of “The Three Musketeers.”
“You’ve got to love the sword fights,” he remarked. “The atmosphere of all of them is so different.”
Students have been hard at work rehearsing for the play since March; some of the students in the play are also on the track team, and Peregoy noted that the track coach has been good about working with him to let students do both activities.
“I very much believe that theater is something that everybody should be allowed to participate in,” he said.
The spring play is an annual fundraising event for both the theater department and Shoshoni’s wrestling team, of which Peregoy was previously the coach. Before the play begins, the wrestling team provides dinner to attendees, usually featuring a dish related to the play in some way. This year, the main dish will be chicken cordon bleu.
Both Shoshoni’s theater program and the fundraising event have grown significantly over the past decade. Peregoy said that when he started, there were seven kids who participated in the spring play; more recent years have usually seen 20-30 kids. Not all of the students participating in the play are actors, however, as many students choose to instead learn about managing box office sales, set design and building, and other important aspects of making a theatrical production happen.
Using funds raised in previous years, the theater department was able to purchase 12 foils for students to use in this year’s play. Peregoy, who received stage fight training in college, said that he took students through a two-week intensive stage-fighting bootcamp in order to teach them how to use the foils. Once the students had the basics down, he said that the stage-fight choreography became a collaborative process, with students making suggestions based on their understanding of scenes and their characters while Peregoy’s role was to make sure that things were done in a safe manner.
Peregoy said that the support of the community, parents and school administrators have been key aspects of making sure that the spring play is a success. “It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort,” he observed.
The play promises to be a good time for both students and audience members alike, with its exciting, beloved storyline and a lot of enthusiasm and work put in by the students. Tickets cost $20 per person for both admission and dinner, and may be purchased at https://onthestage.tickets/fcsd24. The play will run from April 27-29; doors open at 5:30 p.m. every night.