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Students (from left) Heidi Lange, Shaylie White, Tyler Truman and Asher Lefto rehearse a scene from “Leaving Iowa." Performances will be April 16 and 17.

Live on stage again
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: April 22, 2021

Students to perform ‘Leaving Iowa' in front of live audience

Megan Upton-Tyner will believe you if you tell her there's a smile on your face behind the mask you're wearing.

She's been smiling a lot lately, too.

The Valley Center High School drama teacher and her students finally get to put on a live staged performance and they're doing it with a heartwarming comedy, "Leaving Iowa."

"I was looking for something that was charming, heartwarming, but most of all, hopeful. And this story is," Upton-Tyner said. "The last year has been incredibly difficult for all of us, and I wanted something to celebrate the human spirit."

The play, the first live indoor performance with an audience since the pandemic started last March, will be April 16 and 17 in the Valley Center High School auditorium. There will be limited seating, and masks will be required.

"When we moved to remote learning last spring, we didn't really get the chance to say goodbye, and I was devastated," Upton-Tyner said. "I really needed that closure. These students are my kids. They're my family. So not saying goodbye was awful. At the same time, I was able to spend more time with own family at home and I realized how lucky I am." 

The play reflects those feelings. The story is an homage of sorts to the classic family road trip.

Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, returns home and decides to finally take his father's ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma's house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa in search of a proper resting place for his father, for whom he didn't have much time as an adult.

The father-and-son road trip switches between the past and the present as Don remembers the often-horrible vacations of his childhood.

"Don finds closure by finally saying goodbye to his father, and he comes to realize how important his family is," Upton-Tyner said. "Ultimately, this show is a celebration of family — the ones we are born into and all the friends we find along the way."

Upton-Tyner said she is proud of how resilient and hardworking her students have been.

"I have to say, this is one of the best shows we've done in a while," she said. "It's the first one to be on stage with an audience, and we're staging quite the comeback. The cast is amazing, the script is hilarious and the set is fantastic as well. I'm so proud of the student effort for this and I think audiences will leave with a smile on their face and a renewed appreciation for family."

Senior Tyler Truman, who plays the lead role of Don, said he was surprised when he learned that the theater department was putting on a spring play.

"I remember walking down the hallway going to (Upton-Tyner's) classroom to TA and I saw the posters and I was like, I had no idea we were doing this," said Truman, who will be attending Butler Community College on a theater scholarship. "I was like, well, my plans have changed."

Senior Alexis Driscoll, who is stage manager, said finishing her high school career is bittersweet. She wasn't sure she would be able to work on another performance in front of a live audience this year.

"I was super worried. I didn't want to get my hopes up at all. … But being able to do it now, I'm extremely grateful," said Driscoll, who will go to Hesston College to study theater education.

To allow for social distancing, there are a limited number of tickets available. Pre-purchasing is encouraged. Audience will be required to wear masks and be seated in family units.

Performances are 7 p.m. April 16 and 17 in the high school auditorium. Cost is $7 for students and $9 for adults. Tickets can be purchased online at https://vchs.booktix.com/ or at the door (if available).

"Leaving Iowa"

Cast

Don Browning — Tyler Truman; Dad —Asher Lefto; Mom — Shaylie White; Sis — Heidi Lange; Aunt Phyllis, Hotel Clerk — Nevaeh Castilo; Shopping Lady, Jessie — Olivia Hill; Cart Chaser, Museum Assistant, Drunk Lady — Jordan Pryor; Grandma, Amish Lady, Jamie — Cambree Ricks; Judy, Amish Lady — Lily Wilson; Grandpa, Civil War Guy, Fred — Collin Sears; Fruit Cart Guy, Uncle Phil, Wayne — Aidan Smith; Bob, Joe Hoefinger, Jack Singer — Kaleb Waller.

Crew

Alexis Driscoll (stage manager), Brock Brown (sound design), Dominic Santiago (lighting design).

Stage crew

Carmen Thomsen, Isabel House, Natalee Delgado, Raquel Lara, Sarah Hanson.





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