Flathead High stages four comedy shows

Decking the halls with laughter and fun, the Flathead High School theater department will present “A Christmas of Comedy” Dec. 13 and 14.

Show time is 7 p.m. each night in the David M. Hashley Theatre at Flathead High.

Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior citizens. Tickets are available at the school’s main office, The Bookshelf and Photo Video Plus.

Presented by the Acting 2 class at Flathead High, “A Christmas of Comedy” is a collection of four short plays that take a humorous approach to Christmas.

“We wanted to do something that was fun and entertaining for our audience,” said director and Acting 2 instructor Sabrina Dobson.

This unique collection of short Christmas comedies features “The Elf Rebellion,” “The Bestest Christmas Ever in Texas,” “The Christmas Machine” and “#NIGHTBEFORECHRISTMAS.”

In “The Elf Rebellion,” three of Santa's elves are fed up with what they consider poor treatment: payment in candy canes, forced labor and no breaks. After threatening the "big man," they decide to revolt and go on strike.

“The Bestest Christmas Ever in Texas” tells the tale of two young girls who discover the miracle of Christmas when they wake up to snow on the ground in Texas.

Told in rhyming couplets reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, “The Christmas Machine” is the fanciful story of the Christmas Moo, a shameless huckster who tries to sell his version of Christmas materialism on a small town of unsuspecting innocents.

“#NIGHTBEFORECHRISTMAS” is a modern remake of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” with a father who is disappointed with how Christmas has changed from the traditional tale.

Although these four short plays are filled with humorous interpretations of our favorite holiday heroes, the theater staff has added a spoiler alert.

“The shows are intended for audience members who will not be shocked/disappointed/upset to discover the true nature of Santa Claus and are open to unique interpretations of his character,” Dobson said.

Acting 2 is one of nine classes offered at Flathead as part of the theater program curriculum. Acting 2 students learn about various theories of acting in the classroom setting and then participate in a theater production, which allows the students to experiment with acting techniques and creating character.

The students also are responsible for set, lighting, costume design and publicity for the show. They learn about the many facets of what it takes to put on a complete production.

“This semester’s Acting 2 class has worked really hard, especially considering that it is a small class of only eight students. They have had to do more than the typical share of line memorizing and in-class work,” Dobson said. “We hope the audience takes away a laugh or two from the shows.”

The cast of “A Christmas of Comedy” includes Alex Weed, Zachary Timm, Kyle Wood, Koya Olsen, Mackenzie Williams, Zoe Zander, Liz Zimmer and Brooke Walhert.

Behind the scenes, Catie Henderson, Alexandra Zografos, Cassi Boozell, Amy Lunde, Desirae Fauske and Katie Keller make up the technical crew.