Theatre class to take one-act play to competition
Posted on 09/24/2021
(SPS) -- The Sapulpa High School performance theatre class will face five other schools when they take their one-act play "The Revlon Girl" to the regional competition.

But before they take their show on the road, the public has an opportunity to see it on the stage.

"The Revlon Girl" will be performed at Shaw Auditorium at Sapulpa High School on Thursday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Material is not suitable for young children.

The competition takes place about a week later at Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City. Sapulpa's group of young actors will take the stage for the regional competition at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, October 9.

"I'm super excited to be able to travel with the kids and get them on stage with other actors. It's going to be a fantastic time," said Becky Braswell, speech, debate & theatre teacher at Sapulpa High School. 

Mrs. Braswell says last year, the students put on a virtual performance because of the pandemic. This year, the students are looking forward to flexing their acting chops in front of an in-person audience.

"That's part of the beauty of it, not just doing the show but the bonding that happens with the kids," said Mrs. Braswell. "As you work on a show, everybody gets close -- we share things together, we work together. And then to be able to get on a bus and go travel together, and rehearse the night before at the hotel, it's going to be a great opportunity for these kids."

The play, "The Revlon Girl," deals with difficult issues. It revolves around women who have endured loss and are going through the grieving process.

"The play is about a group of women in Wales who lost their children in an accident," said Ashlyn Bush, a senior who plays 'Sian' in the play. "And they invite a lady from Revlon, to try to put themselves back together and start healing."

The play is based on the aftermath of the deadly 1966 Aberfan mining disaster in Wales, in which a school was destroyed by an avalanche of coal.

Mrs. Braswell went through several plays before she found the right one for this particular group of actors. She says it has been an emotional undertaking, but one her students are prepared for.

"I knew that I had a class full of girls," she said. "I ordered several different shows with all-female casts. I was down to three different shows. This one was the heaviest, but it was also the best. It's got beautiful characters, a beautiful story, and it's based on an event that actually happened."

Students in the theatre class will also do the publicity for the play. And they designed the costumes and makeup, taking the 1960s time period into account.

"It was a lot of researching and looking up things," said theatre student Ashlynn Mathena, who designed the costumes along with Francia Zlata.

"We also took into account how different people would dress at the time, and how the trauma they'd experienced would reflect in how they would do their makeup or the clothes they'd wear, or how much effort they'd put into their appearance," said Zlata.

Be sure to catch Sapulpa High School's production of "The Revlon Girl" on Thursday, September 30, at Shaw Auditorium. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Cast & Crew of "The Revlon Girl"
Sian - Ashlyn Bush
(Acting Partner - Avery Johnson)

Revlon - Kalysta Jacobs
(Acting Partner - Ashlynn Mathena)

Marilyn - Bri Williams
(Acting Partner - Katie Waldrop)

Jean - Allyson Fielden
(Acting Partner - Francia Zlata)

Rona - Maggie Lawson
(Acting Partner - Jebediah Moss)

Stage Manager - Sarah Wideman

Sound - Katie Waldrop

Lights - Jebediah Moss

Costumes & Makeup - Ashlynn Mathena & Francia Zlata

Publicity - Avery Johnson & Katie Waldrop

Props Master - Jebediah Moss