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Tickets Still Available for Centennial High School’s Little Shop of Horrors
June 29, 2022 -- Pam Welsh-Huggins, a vocal music and modern band teacher at Centennial High School, vividly remembers the night of the final rehearsal in March 2020.
Students were preparing for opening night of “Little Shop of Horrors.” For some, it was going to be their first live performance or their first big role. Other students had been involved in theater throughout school and looked forward to performing the play for the community.
“After the first act, phones started buzzing with messages that COVID was shutting everything down,” Welsh-Huggins said. “We brought everyone up on the stage and told them. The floor was awash in tears.”
Jalen Ruff, a 2020 graduate, was on stage at the time and at first, didn’t realize what was happening.
“I remember we did our tech run and I saw everyone crying and upset,” said Ruff, who will play Seymour Krelborn. “We put so much work toward performing Little Shop.”
Reda Fathalah, another 2020 graduate, also felt devastated.
“It was devastating, not just for the production but for me, there are a lot of moments where I won’t get to see or feel what it’s like to walk across the stage for graduation, or for prom, or for any of these types of things that you feel you have to do to go on with life,” said Fathalah, who will play Audrey II.
Staff and students thought that was it for this production. They didn’t know the play would be revived two years later with most of the original 2020 cast.
“We put everything away,” Welsh-Huggins said. “The set just sat in the dust for a year almost before we were back in the building. We didn’t do any theater because we wanted to be respectful and cautious of COVID protocols.”
Life moved on, however. Ruff is now a student at Berkeley College of Music studying music business. His friend since Gables Elementary days, Fathalah, worked multiple jobs, saving up to attend the University of Cincinnati.
Then, Centennial put on its production of Newsies during the 2021-22 school year. Former cast members came back to watch the musical and conversations started about reviving Little Shop of Horrors.
“It started during our spring musical when we did Newsies,” said Andrew Martin, Centennial drama director. “A lot of alumni came to see it. I said in passing that they should all come back and we could do Little Shop since we never got the chance to perform it and immediately, there was a lot of excitement about it. It snowballed from there.”
Music filled the theater once again during a recent tech rehearsal at Centennial High School as students prepared for the revival of Little Shop of Horrors. Students talked, laughed, reminisced with old friends, and sang their individual parts as they got ready on stage.
“I’ve been waiting to sing ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ for two years now,” said Sophie Steinman, a 2020 graduate and current student at The Ohio State University, who plays Audrey. “I’ve been really excited to play her part again.”
Dylan Ayres, a 2021 graduate, said he is excited to resume his role as Orin Scrivello D.D.S. Ayres now attends Columbus State and serves as a camp counselor for Metro Parks during the summer.
“I’m grateful for this second chance to hit the stage again,” Ayres said as he got ready for the tech rehearsal. “‘Little Shop’ is my favorite musical ever. It has a lot of personal significance to me. The fact that I’m getting to be the dentist on this scale, with this significance, with this cast, crew, and audience, is really awesome.”
Many mentioned elements of fulfillment, coming full circle, closure, and second chances.
“I’m grateful we are here now doing tech week and that the show is going to go on,” Ruff said. “This is the closure we didn’t get our senior year. It’s awesome. I’m proud of everyone and I’m grateful.”
There are about 40 people, including the cast, crew, and pit making the production a reality. Welsh-Huggins said this week has had a huge effect on herself and everyone involved.
“As a teacher, you are making the future and you set it free; you let it go,” she said. “You never know the effect you’re going to have. I’ve been teaching since 1984 in one shape or another and this is probably the greatest fulfillment of my professional life to have these students come back truly out of love for each other. It’s not about me. It’s about them and watching the future unfold in the present moment and watching the past be fulfilled. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Three performances will take place at 7:00 p.m. from June 30 - July 2. Tickets are available by clicking here.
“We’re going to put on the best performance possible and give people what they missed back in 2020,” Ruff said.