CHS Presents a “Dastardly Delicious” Experience

By Misty Cryer

Students at Carlsbad High School (CHS) are sharing their talent— on stage, behind the scenes, in the kitchen, and in the dining room—in a dinner theater production. With CHS Mummers performing “Spaghetti Western Or…Mission Im-Pasta-ble,” a melodrama written by Tracy Wells, and a culinary crew serving up a “made from scratch” meal, it is sure to be an enjoyable time.

Performances will start at 6 p.m. in the Little Theater, which is adjacent to the CHS Cafeteria located at 3000 W. Church St., with dinner served between acts on Friday, August 28, and Saturday, August 29. Tickets are $25 each and will be sold at the door.

Set in the days of the Wild West at the restaurant of the Hoot ‘n’ Holler Hotel, Phillus McCup (Caydence Marshall) is a barkeep while also serving as emcee. By following her lead, the audience will know what to do, along with who to boo and who to cheer for.

Duke Dreadful (Elizabeth Gonzalez) is the villain in this story, teaming up with Saucy Sally (Amelia Marksteiner) as an accomplice. Gonzalez is a junior in her third year of theater, previously performing as Dave in “Almost, Maine” and as the Duchess and the March Hare in “Alice in Wonderland.” In this play, Gonzalez said what she likes most about Duke Dreadful is that he is funny and interesting to play around with.

While the whole town is vulnerable to the villain’s schemes, Grannie Smith (Sydney “Val” Tanner) and her granddaughter and heroine of the play, Petunia Pearl (Amirrah Sutton), directly experience hardship. Tanner is a senior in her third year of theater, previously performing in “Almost, Maine” and as Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland.” When asked what she likes most about this play, Tanner said she likes melodramas and the characters. “The line deliveries are so funny.”

Sheriff Kirk Ketchum (Ryan Ottman) is the hero of the story, often accompanied by Harriet Holdem (Kambria Onsurez) in the heroic shenanigans. Ottman is a senior in his third year in theater. He’s performed in the ensemble for “Guys and Dolls Jr.,” as Father in “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” as Nino in “Death by Dessert,” as Businessman in “Tracks,” and in the ensemble for “Little Shop of Horrors.” What he likes most about acting, Ottman said, is being able to become different characters, adding that he likes the people.

Other cast members who help to bring the plot to life include a group of outlaws, the “Bad Bunch” made up of Annie Chokely (Lea Ponce), Wyatt Burp (Angel Sing), Doc Pepper (Julian Villegas), Bill Droolin (Hayden Atwell), Slim Pickins (Stephanie Aaron), and Big Mouth George (Jacob Lujan). Also adding to the entertainment are the townsfolk Dusty Britches (Jesus Apodaca), Mosey OnOverThere (Ella Wilkinson), Miss Behavin (Zoey Bramblett), Daisy Chain (Madelynn Johnson), Lily Livered (Gianna Duran), Rose Thorn (Andrea Yee), One-Eyed Joe (Zayne Grayson), Four-Eyed Joey (Christopher Culbertson), and Bonnie Voyage (Elianna Britton).

Crews behind the scenes contribute much to successful performances. The Set Crew is made up of Aidan Riley, Noah Lopez, and Amelia Marksteiner. Wyatt Cummings, Zoey Bramblett, and Hayden Atwell serve as the Lighting Crew, with Kambria Onsurez on the Sound Crew. The Props Crew consists of Evan Thomas and Josephine Lopez, with Sydney “Val” Tanner on the Costume Crew. Caydence Marshall, Elizabeth Gonzalez, Amirrah Sutton, and Ryan Ottman are on the Make-Up and Hair Crew, with Gianna Duran and Christopher Culbertson handling publicity.

A senior at CHS in the fourth year of theater, Wyatt Cummings said that he acted during his freshman year, explaining that they did their own thing at that time. “We wrote a play about writing a play.” He said he has done lighting and stage settings, which he equally enjoys, mentioning “Tracks” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Adding that they worked on the setting for “Alice in Wonderland” all year, he said, “I definitely like lights and building stuff.”

Mr. Zink, a CHS culinary teacher, said that students with an interest are helping in different capacities with the culinary competition team, which is preparing to serve 170 people each night. The menu consists of ciabatta bread served with olive oil, Caesar salad, penne bolognaise, and steamed broccoli. Vanilla bean cheesecake with chocolate sauce will be served for dessert. Under the leadership of Mrs. Middleton and Ms. Hale, the collaboration of the two student organizations made an event of this magnitude possible.