The cast of Madison-Plains High School’s production of “Bus Stop” includes: (at the table) Josh Warnock as Virgil and Bryce Boone as Will; (behind the counter) John Bollinger as Carl, Auburn Pierce as Grace, and Sara Hoop as Elma; (out front) Owen Phillips as Dr. Lyman, Ben Butz as Bo, and Amber Massie as Cherie.
(Posted Nov. 10, 2016)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Each spring, director Scott Spohler presents a handful of scripts to the seniors-to-be in Madison-Plains High School’s drama program. It’s their job to read the plays and pick one for the fall production.
Through this process, the students take ownership in what they do, and it’s evident in how they talk about it.
“This is the exact play we needed for this cast. It combines humor and drama. Reading it, I just kind of fell for it,” said Amber Massie.
Massie and fellow senior John Bollinger chose William Inge’s “Bus Stop,” a story in which a busload of people on their way to Topeka, Kansas, get snowed in at a diner.
“I like the feel of the play—a 1950s diner set in the middle of nowhere. It’s a nice atmosphere,” Bollinger said. “There’s a great love story and two other separate stories that are really interesting going on at the same time. It’s cool to watch it all play out.”
Last year, Madison-Plains staged a murder mystery and a collection of life-lesson vignettes. “Bus Stop” marks a return to the more serious side of drama. Cooped up together waiting for the weather to clear, the characters in the play get to no each other and themselves.
“I like the meaningful stuff. Theater is about expressing yourself, and comedy doesn’t do as good a job,” Bollinger said.
The ownership factor deepens with the fact that Spohler gets his seniors in on not only choosing the play, but also making other decisions about the production.
“I feel so happy because we help pick the cast, play, props, set, rehearsals—everything,” Massie said.
Senior Ben Butz credits Massie and Bollinger with convincing him to give acting a whirl. He makes his stage debut with “Bus Stop.”
“John and Amber hounded me,” Butz said. He’s glad they did. “It’s been a blast.”
Butz isn’t the only member of the eight-member cast who’s new to theater. Four others also are giving it a go for the first time.
“They’re doing a great job,” said Spohler. And about the cast as a whole, he added, “They really like the material. They’ve really grown into their characters.”
Massie said she and her castmates can’t help but buzz and hum about the show.
“We talk about it so in depth, we end up pushing off our excitement on other people,” she said.
Show times are 7 p.m. Nov. 17, 7 p.m. Nov. 19, and 2 p.m. Nov. 20. Tickets are available at the door and are $6 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens.
