The musical comedy play Once Upon a Mattress is in rehearsals now at West Seattle High School and will debut May 20th. It is a popular choice for High School drama programs. West Seattle High School Drama Club advisor and director Andrew Finley points out, this is because it involves singing, dancing, choreography, costumes and set construction so it's extremely inclusive. "Students are involved in every layer of the production," he said.

CLICK THE PHOTO TO SEE MORE IMAGES

Finley, who has been teaching English and been active in theater "since I was six" does a great deal with a limited budget. Other schools with larger budgets may have it easier but he said, "When you have a large budget it's like filet mignon, it's easier to get something good. For us it's more like chuck steak. We marinate it, we work it, we massage it until we create something really really good." The school drama club gets no grants and has no outside support. The plays presented there are dependent solely on the money from ticket sales.

Finley literally grew up in the theater. "Some kids had television as a babysitter. I had rehearsal." He likes his cast and said that every year some of his actors go on to college drama programs. It's clearly a source of great pride. He's hoping "to reenergize the program this year with this musical."

The young actors are having fun with the elaborate costumes and are enjoying the experience. "This is my third play," said Matt Carlson who plays The Wizard," It's my second musical, it's really fun. It's 'fun-eee' so it's really fun to watch and act."
One of the lead roles, Queen Aggravain is played by Kailey Pearce who said, "It's all my favorite things put into one thing and I got, in my opinion the best character, the best costume and it's the most fun to play....my favorite moments in High School are the ones in the theater."

Here's the play synopsis:
A love-sick nobleman seeking to marry his sweetheart does his best to find his ruling prince a suitable bride so that he himself may wed. No one in Prince Dauntless's kingdom is permitted to marry until the prince himself exchanges vows -- a problem hindered by the fact that the prince's overprotective mother, Queen Aggravain, has thus far thwarted all efforts to marry her son. This does not sit well with the honorable Sir Harry, a man whose heart longs to wed the fair Lady Larkin, and after a long and arduous journey specifically designed to find the prince a bride, Sir Harry returns to his kingdom to present Princess Winnifred of the swamps. Immediately smitten by the princess, Prince Dauntless sets into motion plans for a lavish wedding as his scheming mother cooks up a test that's sure to send his marital plans awry.

Ticket Info for Once Upon A Mattress:
* $10 @ the Door
* $5 with Reservation
* Children under 12 are 1/2 price with a paying adult
* Make a reservation for 6 tickets and only pay for 5!

The play is presented May 20, 21, 22 and the following weekend May 27, 28, 29 at 7:30 PM

For reservations call 206-252-8834

CAST
Ryan Berry ~ Sir Harry
Matt Bohl ~ Knight
Lisa Broadstone ~ Princess Winnifred
Matt Carlson ~ The Wizard
Chris DeVore ~ Prince Dauntless
Ian Hicks ~ King Sextimus
Russell Iverson ~ Sir Luce
Mackenzie Jennings ~ Lady in Waiting
Mat Jensen ~ Sir Harold
Genneva Machmiller ~ Lady Larkin
Simone Machmiller ~ The Jester
Nikita Mighell ~ Princess #12
Kailey Pearce ~ Queen Aggravain
David Ramirez ~ The Minstrel
Emily Savidge ~ Lady Beatrice
Arissa Sims ~ Lady Rowena
Alex Soustek ~ Sir Studley
Jaimi Tapia ~ Lady Mabelle
Miles Thornton ~ Knight
Corinne Wahchumwah ~ Lady in Waiting

BAND
CJ Abe (Bass Guitar)
Julia Bryson (Flute)
Brittany Chambers (Piano)
Ian Currier (Tenor Saxophone)
Kyle Edwards (Trumpet)
Patrick Gordon (Baritone Saxophone)
Ryan Henson (Percusion)
Matthew Howell (Guitar)
Allan Jones (Flute)
Addison Khim (Alto Saxophone)
Stephen Kirk (Persussion)
Zak Knutson (French Horn)
Jullianea Plummer (Clarinet)
Bazel Rivera (Flute)
Antonio Rodriguez (Trumpet)
Roger Rodriguez (Clarinet)
Natcha Srivichien (Clarinet)
Micheal Swanson (Trombone)
Sara Trotter (Clarinet)
Rebecca Van-Den-Ende (Trumpet)
Brando Westhoff (Trumpet)