Groton High School Drama Club marks 20th straight musical with “Seussical”

Another fabulous musical will grace the stage of the Groton Jr./Sr. High School’s (GHS) auditorium under the direction of the GHS Drama Club director Annette Twitchell. She will have directed them for 20 years when the last curtain falls, following three nights of performances March 20, 21, and 22. Each performance begins at 7 p.m. 

The cast of more than 34 students in fourth through twelfth grades will portray characters from books written by Dr. Seuss.For example, The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust that contains the Whos. Not only must Horton protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must also guard an abandoned egg left in his care. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant.

“I have wanted to direct ‘Seussical’ for a long time,” Twitchell said. “It is catchy and bright, and the message embedded into the story is powerful. This is finally the year that our talent pool fits the cast requirements. Although they are young, these students are very talented!”

Lena Brehm and Willow Orr are the only seniors with acting roles, but they, along with Michael Brehm and Alyssa Slater from stage crew, will all take their last bows on the GHS stage this year.

Orr has been involved with the drama club for years, yet still found time for soccer, wrestling, bowling, chorus, and playing trombone in the school bands and Groton Community Band. She plans to attend college to pursue acting and performing arts.

“Mrs. Twitchell gave me a chance in fifth grade to be in the shows and it really highlighted my love for acting,” Orr said. “This show is very different from other shows – a complete 180 from more serious roles I’ve played. At first, I was skeptical, but it’s super catchy and, wow, it’s good!”

Orr will play the role of Gertrude McFuzz and Lena will play the other female lead, Mayzie La Bird. The Cat in the Hat will be played by sophomore Noble Snyder, and freshman Tristan McCracken will be Horton.

Lena has also had a stint on the stage and was the assistant manager for last year’s middle school drama. Her future plan is to attend SUNY Brockport for journalism, focusing on writing and photography.

“This show has given me a true sense of community and support,” Lena said. “It’s a safe space to enjoy my time with people, even if it gets stressful. The show is so fun and something that will brighten your day and that everyone can enjoy.”

McCracken added, “It’s going to be fun, and the set is really cool! It’s also silly so everyone will get a laugh out of it, but also the whole cast has put so much work into it.”

In addition to baseball and soccer, McCracken really enjoys acting and hopes to be involved with the Cortland Repertory Theatre. He said he has always been told he is good at acting  since he “was a little kid,” and being in drama club is a highlight for him because of his respect for Twitchell and that his friends are in it.

Slater began her involvement with drama club when she played a snail in “The Little Mermaid” but has been on stage crew since tenth grade. She is also a member of National Honor Society and Student Council and will attend SUNY Delhi this fall to become a veterinary technician.

“Drama club has helped me make more friends, given me a sense of community, and made me less socially awkward than I was before,” Slater said. “This show is going to be very nostalgic for the adults who grew up with Dr. Seuss, but it’s also going to be filled with lots of good life lessons for everyone – like ‘don’t jump to conclusions,’‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’and a theme of anti-bullying. I’m excited to be involved, especially because it’s the 20th year!”

This show is going to be an amazing, family-friendly, whimsical tale with an important message: “A person’s a person no matter how small.” Admission is $10, $5 for children under age 10. To order tickets, email Kelly Bishop at kbishop@grotoncs.org, or

call 607-898-5803, weekdays from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at (607) 227-4922. 

In brief:

Pancake breakfast in McLean

The McLean Fire Department Auxiliary will host a breakfast buffet at the McLean Fire Station from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. or until gone, Sunday, March 16. On the menu will be three different kinds of pancakes with real maple syrup, French toast, scrambled eggs, home-fried potatoes, sausage links, ham, sausage gravy with biscuits, assorted desserts, an assortment of juices, white and chocolate milk, and coffee. The cost for adults is $13. For senior citizens the cost is $10 and for children ages 5 to 12, the cost is $8. Children under four years old may eat free of charge.

Meet-up and Seed Starting Workshop

The Groton Public Library (GPL) will be the venue for the “Meet-up and Seed Starting Workshop with The Groton Gardeners” Thursday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m.

You will learn how to read a seed packet, along with some growing information. Then you will get to pick out and take some seeds and see the GPL’s new seed library catalog! For more information: email director@grotonpubliclibrary.org or call: 607-898-5055.

GPL Book Club

The GPL Book Club will also meet Thursday, March 20, but at 7 p.m. March’s book is “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.