As the River Of Grass doors are held open to a whimsical lobby on December 7 and 8, family and friends quickly fill up the seats, waiting for the big blue curtains in front of the stage to open. With a slight touch of an icy breeze and talent flowing through the air, Charter’s fine arts students were able to showcase their talent in a variety of ways during Winter Fantasy 2023.
Although Winter Fantasy has been an annual tradition that Charter puts on, the 2023 show correlated the performances from all theatre classes, dance classes, the dance team, KPOP United, and band by trying to impress a Winter Witch character so she does not freeze and take over the whole River of Grass Theater.
From the frosty blue makeup and a long white dress to her own throne, freshman Arianna Morillo portrayed the dynamic witch that really elevated this year’s show to a new level. With a snowflake projection on the curtains and the wintry atmosphere, audience members definitely felt the chill when the lights dimmed. Eerie yet powerful music started to play as Morillo made her grand entrance standing right in center stage. Spector in hand, Morillo was instantly met with an uproar at her appearance.
Once Arianna’s mark was made as the witch of the night, Theatre 1 hit the stage with “Five Forever” from Little Women, bringing some members of the audience a sense of nostalgia. Ladies in white shirts and long burgundy skirts came out ready to sing this number and really show the unity the movie has.
As the night continued on, a few trombone players from the PPCHS band were able to bring the audience holiday cheer by playing classic songs like “Jingle Bells” and a few more. Even though the student musicians wore the same white shirt and black pants, each of the trombones played a critical part in making these songs come to life. Quickly after Band was done, part of Mrs. Gil’s dance class came out to perform a dance to a well-known song: “Oh Hanukkah.” With blue skirts and candles to represent the eight days of Hanukkah, her class had group choreography consisting of formation lines and intricate footwork to help express the words of the song.
The show then transitioned from Hanukkah to “A New World” by Theatre 3. While the group of juniors who took on the challenge was able to rehearse only a handful of times, their performance definitely got the love it needed. From the sweet melodies to climactic voices of the juniors, they were able to showcase a piece that showed the audience how to embrace their humankind.
Before the first act of Winter Fantasy came to a close, Mrs. Gil’s dance class brought the audience a Christmastime classic: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” The class, clothed as elves in green dresses, came on stage alongside their own Grinch and Santa Claus as well. From the kick lines to round off stunts, Mrs. Gil’s class knew how to show all the magic within their scene.
After a quick intermission, Theatre 1 was the first scene of Act 2. The dialogue between two students set the scene for the rest of the piece, with music following right after the interaction and girls in tap shoes coming out. The piece featured the special work of new student technicians. Producer of the show, Director Hannon made this a goal of the event, explaining, “I also plan to bring more technical aspects to [Winter Fantasy], teach more kids how to use microphones and how to program lights, build props, stripe sets and how to build costumes. It is all tremendously hard work but the end product is so clean so that is what I am most excited for is these full productions they will become more student involved.”
Walking on next after Theatre 1 came Troupe 6153, whose performances received the Critics’ Choice award at the Districts 13 Thespian Competition. Even though the grand competition and Winter Fantasy were a week apart, the final products were expressed in a graceful way by Theatre 3 and 4. When “Big Spender” was performed by seven of the Troupe’s ladies, they showed the audience the different ways that acting and choreography can be combined. Specifically, senior Sebi Reyes-Farinas was able to perform a very deep piece that included such soft spoken vocals and light background music.
Keeping the same idea as Sebi, Theatre 1 students performed a short scene from “BFF’s” from Spongebob. This heart-warming moment really entertained the audience and showed them how you can have a creative mind in the fine arts. Dance team yet again put on a very upbeat holiday remix that included Ariana Grande songs, Justin Bieber, and more.
With the show soon coming to a close, Theatre 2 took the remaining time to announce their spring show “Puffs”, a spin-off version of Hufflepuffs from Harry Potter. With yellow elements all throughout the stage and quidditch (the sport created in the Harry Potter franchise) games happening, Arianna Morillo mentions, “This [Puffs] just shows how extravagant our shows can be.” The Puffs used their magic to keep the show going, introducing the dancers of KPOP United. Their sweet, fun dance allowed the audience to experience the diversity of PPCHS.
Mamma Mia became the third to last performance of the night from Theatre 2. Their small scene used a very catchy song, “Money Money Money”, bringing it to life by throwing fake money (also known as Bayer Bucks) over the audience. Then, the Senior Song slowly came on to honor the Class of 2024. Senior Daniella Millian reminisces, “The thing that makes Winter Fantasy special is being able to see the younger students have the chance to perform, reminding me of my sophomore year and having my first performance since the pandemic had begun.” As the song ended, the seniors and the Winter Witch joined the rest of the Theatre Department for the finale “Raise You Up.”
As the final bows were taken, Director Hannon came quickly to remember an old saying: “When you put out a piece, it is a snapshot of where you are.” After the love this Winter Fantasy gained, Troupe 6153 and the rest of the Theatre Department awaits more support, growth and a whole lot of anticipation for their future.
