The hills were definitely alive during the performances of The Sound of Music this past weekend! The classic musical appeared on the Cole Auditorium stage under the direction of newly-announced theatre director Miss Chloe Hines.

Taking place in 1930s Austria, the story follows a young Maria, most famously portrayed by actress Julie Andrews, and her journeyof becoming a nun. Because her passion for singing distracts her from her pious quest, the Mother Abbess, head of Nonnberg Abbey, exclaims that she must leave the church at once and be the governess to the von Trapp family. Captain and father Georg von Trapp is solely in charge of his seven children: Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl. When Maria arrives, she breaks the traditional and strict routine practiced in their home, and the children, and Georg, end up loving her.

The main protagonist, Maria, was played by senior show choir member Hanah Clifton, and it was her first year of participating in East Noble theatre. Senior thespian Nathaniel Deetz portrayed Captain Georg von Trapp, the love interest of Maria and the father to the von Trapp children.

The Mother Abbess was played by senior thespian Abby VanderKaay, and sisters Berthe, Margaretta, and Sophia were played by junior Alizabeth Goldey, senior Hannah Eickhoff, and sophomore Desiree Woody. The supporting roles of the von Trapp children were cast as follows: Liesl was played by senior Maddie Rodenbeck, Friedrich was played by Matthew Smith, Louisa was played by freshman Sheridan Asher, Kurt was played by Josh Leslie, Britta was played by Katie White and the youngest of the bunch, Marta and Gretl, were played by Emma and Elle Mettert, both daughters of choir director Mr. Chris Mettert.

Deetz, a senior thespian, described his experience through this season of theatre.

“I will miss my directors the most when I leave for college,” he said. “[Mr.] Mettert has helped me forge my voice since I was in middle school. Needless to say, he put a lot of time and effort to push me past my limits and become a good singer.”

Deetz also explained how having a new theatre director changed things.

“Switching theatre directors was tough considering I had three years with Mr. Munk. It took some time to get used to the ‘Chloe Hines’ style of doing things, but I’ve grown to appreciate her new philosophy on how things should be done.”

Similarly, Clifton, who performed as Maria, shared her favorite memories from this year’s production.

“It was easier to connect to my character because I have always loved this musical,” she started. “I would go around my house singing the songs ‘Do-Re-Mi’ with my great grandma and several others.”

She also explains how being close with co-actor Deetz made it easier for their characters to connect onstage.

“It was easy to be more emotional and comfortable with him than it would have been with anyone else.”

Although it was hard to narrow it down to just one thing, Deetz and Clifton both shared their favorite part of being in theatre. Deetz explained how theatre brings “joy” upon others, and how “countless” hours of practicing and prepping for each production is worth it. Clifton said that she had the pleasure to take the audience into “another world,” and being able to put a smile on to the audience’s faces was a privilege. She also exclaimed that theatre simply makes her “so happy.”

While this is only her first year directing and teaching, Miss Chloe Hines did an excellent job.

“I was actually pretty nervous directing [my] first major production,” Hines said. “I have been training for years, but absolutely nothing can actually prepare you for the actual experience until you actually do it.”

Succeeding Mr. Craig Munk, the East Noble High School theatre teacher and director for nearly 50 years, Hines had a legacy to continue on.

“There is such a legacy of phenomenal theatre that there was a lot of pressure to keep up that high standard.”

Hines also touched on what she will miss most from the 2016 winter production, and that is the energy the show brings.

“The Sound of Music is truly a beautiful story about a family coming together to find happiness again. The cast created an engaging tale that held the audience’s attention from start to finish.”

She proudly shared that it was “neat” to see the actors morph into their characters, and she was “very pleased” with the outcome of the production.

Despite the technical difficulties that arose, the whole cast worked together to make the show run smoothly. While this is not the first or second time that The Sound of Music has graced the Munk stage, all of the actors proficiently utilized their acting skills to bring the musical to life to make a memorable production that will live on in East Noble history.