ORHS Masquers present ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ in March

Posted at 1:27 pm February 23, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” the delightful musical, for four performances in March. Joseph is played by freshman Tre Jackson, left, and Father Jacob is played by Joseph Self. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” the delightful musical, for four performances in March.

The performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, March 4; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 5; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6, at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center. The Performing Arts Center is at Oak Ridge High School at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Advanced tickets are $7 and are available at the ORHS office and The Ferrell Shop. At the door, tickets will be $10.

Under the direction of Dana Wham, who has directed, choreographed, or acted in numerous adult and children productions throughout the region, this year’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is a complete operetta, with nearly every line sung, a press release said.

Between the volume of costumes, the number of different musical styles and dance numbers, a soaring set, 37 student actors and 20 orchestra performers, and 22 back-stage technicians, alongside the beautiful complexity that an Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical can bring, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will be one of the most ambitious theatrical performances the school has produced, the release said.

This family-friendly show starts as the Narrators sing about the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. Then the stage explodes into a collection of light and sound as Joseph and his many brothers sweep onstage.

Jealous of Joseph’s coat, given to him by his father to show that Joseph is his favorite, his brothers scheme to sell Joseph to the Egyptians. As a slave, Joseph proves to be more than common. He is quickly swept into the Egyptian Pharaoh’s court, where he is placed in charge of preparations for the coming famine. Joseph is now the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. When the famine pushes Joseph’s brothers to come to Egypt, Joseph has to deal with the very people that sold him into slavery.

Masquers is a student-driven extracurricular program at ORHS of 65-plus students supported by community members and teaching staff from departments across the high school. Past performances have included “Oliver!,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Harvey,” “Murder in the Magnolias,” and many more. Masquers yearly season showcases a fall play, a spring musical, a night of short sketches, and a murder mystery train dinner in conjunction with the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum.