PHOTO CREDITS: JULISSA OROZCO
Cooper City High School’s drama department presented their first performance of the year, Hair, on January 29th, 30th, and 31st. Set in New York City, this psychedelic rock musical follows a group of long-haired hippies led by Claude (Sophomore Alec de Jesus) and his best friend, Berger (Senior Peter Pera) and their fight against conscription into the Vietnam War during the 1960s.
“It was a lot of hard work, but I really enjoyed working with such a motivated and passionate group,”Junior Margaret McVay said.&ndsp;
While focusing around Claude as he struggles with the decision to accept his military draft or follow his free-spirited heart that longs for peace, not war, the musical gives audiences a look into the ‘60s. CCHS’s drama department put a lot of work into capturing the “far out” era through costumes and songs.
“Hair is really a beautiful show all about peace and love,” Junior Julissa Orozco said.
Although the musical turned out well, it was not an easy journey. There were many obstacles to putting on the production. Among them was the controversy over Hair because of its depiction illegal drug use, treatment of sexuality, and irreverence for the American flag. The drama department aimed to capture the essence of the musical while keeping it appropriate for a high school audience by cutting out inappropriate scenes that were not crucial to the plot and changing some of the dialogue.“I wasn’t sure how it would turn out because we had to cut so many scenes, but it ended up being really great,” McVay said.
The drama department also faced difficulties with a change in leadership. Former drama teacher Angela Thomas left at the end of last year and, while missed, the drama department was happy to welcome Amy London to fill her shoes. She selected Hair for this year’s winter musical and wanted to do a comedic play for the spring, but ended up leaving the school before this production was complete and was replaced by the current drama teacher, Gregg Donshik.
“We were sad to see Mrs. London go, but we are proud of her and understand she has other things she wanted to do,” McVay said.
Despite the many obstacles, the drama department felt that the production was a success and are looking forward to the rest of the year. They are preparing for upcoming Thespian competitions and are hoping to have a spring production.
