By Julie Slama | [email protected]

This year’s Corner Canyon High theater season is “All Shook Up.” 

Not only will that be their fall musical, but instead of a serious play with a strong undertone, this season will be plays and musicals, each with their own message, said director Phaidra Atkinson. 

“We’ve done some serious material every year, so we needed to switch it up and come up with something lighter,” she said. “We are really excited about doing some new things this year. We listened to what the students wanted to do and let the theater officers pick the theme for the year, which fits our season.” 

Corner Canyon’s theme, “Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, Look to the Future,” encompasses their lineup of the Elvis-based musical “All Shook Up” in the past; the Tony award-winning musical “Once on This Island” for the present; and “Peter and Wendy” (also known as “Peter Pan” or “The Boy Who Would Never Grow Up”) for the future. 

The season lineup begins with the school’s Shakespeare team preparing “Henry VI” to compete at the annual Shakespeare competition, hosted by the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Southern Utah University, Sept. 27 through Sept. 29 in Cedar City. Before the students depart, a showcase, which will include dance and choir participants, will be performed for the school community. 

“We realized we needed a girl-power play and have the cast of females who could play Joan of Arc,” said Atkinson, who, herself, leads as a strong female role model having been nominated by former student McKay Crockett for the Inspiring Brilliance Award, which she received with 19 others from across the country this summer. 

While the 28 students in the cast take part in sword fighting (“kids have fun with that,” she said), the choir was planning to perform with them, singing almost a cadence-style in the background. 

“It’s the first time we’ve taken the choir and they’re freaking awesome,” Atkinson said.

The tech theater students also were planning to compete as well individuals and small groups in monologues and scenes. She said 80 students were to take part in the Shakespeare competition.

At the same time students were working on their Shakespearean lines, they were learning their parts for “All Shook Up,” which will be performed at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15 through Saturday, Nov. 17 and again, Monday, Nov. 19 in the school auditorium, 12943 South 700 East. Tickets are $8 at our.show/cornercanyon or $10 at the door. 

“It’s all about Elvis and his music set to ‘Twelfth Night’ storyline. We’re able to use some of our props and costumes from ‘Happy Days’ we did last spring and the kids are all excited about the rock ‘n’ roll music. Some of the boys can really sing and dance like Elvis. It’s just a darling musical that is great for the whole family,” Atkinson said. 

“Peter and Wendy” will be on stage at Corner Canyon at 7 p.m., Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16, 2019. Tickets are $5. 

“We haven’t done fantasy before, so this play gives them something new to learn and it fits our kids’ talents,” she said. 

The students also will be competing at their regional competition March 22–23, 2019. State one-act plays will be hosted one month later by Corner Canyon April 18–19, and individual acts April 20 at Cottonwood High. 

Their final performance this season will be “Once on This Island,” which was named best revival musical at the 2018 Tony Awards. 

“It’s a story where we’ll explore rich versus poor families and why she can’t be with him because of social status and wealth. It’s a very fun story, but it does have a serious tone,” Atkinson said. 

The performances will be at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 15 through Saturday, May 18, 2019. There also will be a 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday.

Corner Canyon’s drama club isn’t limited to just plays and musicals, Atkinson said.

“Drama club is a more inviting, welcoming atmosphere, where students have a place to belong, hang out, eat with others, be safe,” Atkinson said. “We do activities every month and field trips to Pioneer Memorial Theatre.” 

This summer, the club participated in the Draper Days parade and this winter, they will take part in “Broadway Backwards,” where “students are invited to sing anything they wouldn’t be cast in” to help raise funds for the Chargers for Charity, she said. The show will be at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 6 in the Little Theatre. Admission is $5.