Excitement builds before “Sound of Music” opening

Next weekend, Kasson-Mantorville students will perform the first show in the high school’s recently completed performing arts center, “The Sound of Music.” The show’s director promises the community that the students’ hard work since the beginning of the year will pay off. 
“This is as close to professional theater as you’re going to get at a high school level,” Bernie Buehler, Kasson-Mantorville English teacher and “Sound of Music” director, said.  
With under a week left, the dress rehearsals have gotten students excited for the upcoming show.
“The excitement is just boiling over,” Buehler said. 
Backstage before the performance was bustling with students getting their costumes ready and practicing in the moments before the play. When he walked into the room, Buehler was faced with a barrage of questions. One of the big things that needed discussed was the sixth graders’ three-day trip to Eagle Bluff. Eric Fagerlind is one of the sixth graders who must deal with this unusual schedule.
“We get to come back here for practice during the middle of Eagle Bluff, then we get to go back up,” Fagerlind said. “It’s a little bit chaotic.”
But he believes that the sacrifices such as this one are worth it, with as many people as are expected to see the play.
The play is not simply a high school play, as is evident from the inclusion of sixth graders. The play incorporates students from throughout the school district. 
“For the first one, I really wanted a show that could be a joint-school venture,” Buehler said.
These students are working with every aspect of the play, from on the stage to backstage. 
Senior Josie Diekman is the backstage manager for the show, meaning she controls all scene changes and backdrops. She also leads several other students who assist her backstage. 
Diekman is one of the first people to use the stage’s new fly system, a series of ropes and pulleys that pull backdrops up and down the stage.