FHS drama presents ‘Holes’ this weekend

Talk about it

When the cast of Farmington High School’s drama department goes on stage this weekend, they will be doing more than just performing a play. They will also be teaching subtle lessons.

Director Beth Breiland is excited for this weekend’s performance of “Holes” and what it means. Written first as a book by Louis Sachar, then produced as a movie by Disney in 2003, “Holes” tackles some of life’s most basic lessons.

The story revolves around Stanley Yelnats, played by Brandon Bell. Stanley is a teen boy who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gets hit in the head with a pair of tennis shoes that were once owned by a professional baseball player and were donated for a fund-raiser. He is stopped by police for having the shoes and goes before a judge.

Stanley is sentenced to Camp Greenlake, a place that is far from a fun summer camp.

“He thinks he is going to camp and it’s not at all,” Breiland said.

Instead, the warden, played by Dawnella Walters, has the boys of the camp digging holes because the warden believes there is buried treasure to be found, but she does not let them know that.

“She tells them she is trying to build character in them,” Breiland said.

Without giving the whole plot away, Breiland says the text addresses issues like inequality, particularly through a love affair of a black man named Sam, played by Sean Strong, and a white woman. Breiland suspects the audience will feel empathy for the character, Zero, played by Sheldon Strong, a kid whose life has given him nothing but hard knocks, but for whom things eventually go right.

“In the end, we learn a lot about friendship, loyalty and fairness, because the people who deserve treasures get them,” Breiland said.

She is also excited to bring this particular performance to stage because the roles fit a broader cross-section of the student body.

“Our school community has become much more diverse in the last few years,” Breiland said. “I wanted to make theater more available to a broader section of our student body.”

“Holes” will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Farmington High School auditorium. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors, and can be purchased at the door.

Tags: farmington high school, entertainment, holes