A DVSS student who has a passion for the stage is taking on producing, directing and acting in a production of The Trail to Oregon.
Alivia Gerlinger, 15, loves musicals. At school, she is in the choir and is in the Musical Theatre program at Tricia Hatch School of Dance. She stumbled on a production of The Trail to Oregon and decided she would love to put the show on a stage in Drumheller.
She explains the musical comedy was originally produced by Starkid Productions, a troupe in the US.
Alivia took it upon herself to contact the company and secure rights to perform the show, which included securing a venue and insurance. She was successful, and they sent back a contract.
She held auditions and for the last six weeks, the cast of six; which includes two adults and four students, has been busy rehearsing.
The Trail to Oregon is a parody of the legendary video game The Oregon Trail from the 1980s. After the father burns down the family farm, the family departs Independence, Missouri for Oregon in a broken-down wagon pulled by a deformed ox. Alivia says it is a road trip story about a family in a covered wagon. She says she likes it because it is not a run-of-the-mill standard play, but unique.
The play was originally performed in Chicago, but has made its way to off-Broadway, had a run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and has even reached Australia.
The small group and the covered wagon are now getting ready for a February 16 opening at Kaleidoscope Theatre. Tickets are available at Dinosaur Valley Wellness.
As for the future for Alivia, she says she hasn’t given post-secondary education too much consideration yet, but she has a passion for the theatre and wants to pursue it. Kaleidoscope Theatre is a good place to start.
