Spaghetti Western
Jones County High School’s Drama Department recently presented Spaghetti Western: Or... Mission Im-Pasta-ble, a dinner theater performance in place of their annual spring production.
The students performed in the high school cafeteria due to ongoing construction and renovations in the JCHS Auditorium.
Director and Drama Teacher Sarah Weese shared her thoughts on her students’ perseverance in performing while lacking a traditional theater space. “Our students could not be deterred by a lack of venue. We decided a dinner theater show was just the ticket. Salad, spaghetti, and dessert were served during this three-act show,” she said.
Weese also discussed the production’s engaging and comedic plot.
“A grandmother and granddaughter run the Hoot ‘n’ Holler Hotel in the Wild West. When the villainous Duke Dreadful attempts to buy the hotel out from under them, Grannie and Petunia must enter a spaghetti sauce contest to earn the money to keep their hotel,” she said.
She added that the dinner show was a significant success.
“A melodrama full of puns and stock characters, Spaghetti Western had the audience cheering the hero, booing the villain, and laughing in between. Special thanks to so many faculty and staff who helped in various ways, big and small,” Weese said.
Drama seniors Lizzie Merritt and Nick Cain, both actors in the production, shared their experiences from the show.
Cain reflected on how the first dinner show in JCHS history went off without a hitch.
“The cast and crew were all very adaptable to the challenge of performing without a set space. I am so grateful I got to perform with this group for my final show, and I am excited about the future of JCHS theater,” Cain said.
Merritt noted that Spaghetti Western was different from any other show she had participated in at JCHS, and she found it to be an essential part of her theater journey.
“The show was funny and over-the-top, allowing us to perform in ways we had never done before,” she said.
She also talked about the strong bond that developed among the cast and the show’s positive impact on the students.
“We all had so much fun and grew really close. Although it is not a well-known musical on the big stage, this charming melodrama dinner theater experience was just as impactful,” Merritt said.
