VALDOSTA — Toni Jarvis has run a theatrical marathon these past few weeks.
First, she and her Valdosta Middle School Players students presented “Spell of Sleeping Beauty.” Then, she led her students to the school’s first regional one-act competition, winning a spot in state competition with “Dracula: The Death of Nosferatu.”
This week, she opened playwright Joseph Robinette’s stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia tale, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.” The performances continue Thursday night.
And this is VMS Players’ big show, too. The majority of the cast features VMS Players’ eighth-graders, but it also includes seventh- and sixth-graders, and three parents, too.
Jarvis and her husband, Paul Jarvis, have choreographed a massive battle scene with the Narnian war raging on stage and in the aisles of the Valdosta High School Performing Arts Center.
With Lewis’ beloved book being adapted into a popular movie a few years ago, Jarvis must also deal with both her students’ and audiences’ expectations of the play being like the movie.
The play is neither the movie nor the book. It is designed to stand on its own, with respect to the spirit of Lewis’ work.
“Some of the students have said this is not the way it happened in the movie,” Jarvis says. “I tell them not to worry about what happened in the movie. This is different. Something we can make or own.”
The VMS Players synopsis: “This new dramatization of C.S. Lewis’ classic, set in the land of Narnia, faithfully recreates the magic and mystery of Aslan, the great lion, his struggle with the White Witch, and the adventures of four children who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, never-to-be-forgotten Narnia. The intense action features chases, duels and escapes as the witch is determined to keep Narnia in her possession and to end the reign of Aslan. All the memorable episodes from the story are represented in this exciting dramatization: the temptation of Edmund by the witch, the slaying of the evil wolf by Peter, the witnessing of Aslan’s resurrection by Susan and Lucy, the crowning of the four new rulers of Narnia, and more. The supporting characters are also here: the unicorn, the centaur and other forest animals, along with Father Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and Tumnus the Faun. This story of love, faith, courage and giving, with its triumph of good over evil, is a true celebration of life.”
And once Toni Jarvis wraps this production Thursday night, she spends next week readying “Dracula” for state competition. The marathon continues.
THE CAST: John Michael Haddin Jr., Mychael Holmes, Hannah Findlay, Zachary Goddard, Haylee Johnson, Reed Bailey, Jaquavian Walker, Khushbu Patel, Church Barnas, Sarah Peterson, Nadine Fares, Danova Martinez, Torri Thomas, Kaleb Snyder, Jaylene Eddy, Jordan Flemming, Gloria Gennaro, Celina Valles, Courtney Boone, Kamri Brown, Brittany Johnson, Courtney Moore, Abby Warren, Emily Rozier, Jade Murray, Jamaya Cheatum, Shelby Stacey, Lily Gillespie, Raja Sadarangani, Jamesha House, Tatyanna McKinnon, Kayla Jordan, Chandris Foster, Kara Snyder, Christine Miller, Rebecca Campbell, Cecilia Carroll, Bailey Raffield, Rachel Patelski, Cheyenne Redditt.
DIRECTION, CREW: Toni Jarvis, director; Alan Michael Bennett, sound, lights; Zachary Goddard, program manager; Paul Jarvis, fight coordinator; VHS Art Club, artwork; Lea Bode, archery instructor; Cali Swift, Parker Campiglia, Emily Hogan, understudies, stage hands; Tiffany Hicks, Whitney Crews, sixth-grade captains; Kaitlyn Green, Dannisha Forbes, Maria Gonzalez, stage hands.
Showtime
Valdosta Middle School Players present “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.”
When: 7 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Valdosta High School Performing Arts Center, off North Forrest Street.
Local News
Related Photos
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The White Witch, played by Mychael Holmes, center, lures Edmund, left, played by Zachary Goddard, into her court in Valdosta Middle School Players’ ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ playing this week.
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Aslan the Lion, left, played by John Michael Haddin Jr., greets the family of English youngsters and animals of Narnia in Valdosta Middle School Players’ ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ playing this week.
Discussion
School’s theatre marathon continues
VMS presents 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe'
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