(Guest Column by Matt Madsen; SASF Broadcaster and Contributor)

A Recipe for Success

Take key members of the football, dance, cross country, cheerleading and volleyball squads and add veteran vocal music performers and a passel of junior high and elementary students.
Next, recruit an abbey full of Sisters and pit their ‘unpretentious piety’ against National Socialism.
Then, find folks to turn bare stage boards into 1938 Austria with lumber, light, paint, canvas, sweat and toil.
Finally, put this cast under the tutelage of SA Faculty members and adult volunteers and, as Max Detweiler would say, “Presto Chango!” you have the smashing success that was ”The Sound of Music”.

Mrs. Barb Schmidt directed this beloved and ambitious musical production that saw more than 80 performers take the stage. As late as Monday, October 30^th she questioned whether the show was just too much of a reach and whether it would succeed. However, by Friday, November 3 “TSOM” opened to a standing-room-only crowd and rave reviews. Our St. Albert students were determined to succeed for the sake of their mentors and indeed they did.

No offense to the guys acting, singing and dancing the parts of pre-invasion Austrian society elites, but who knew our boys could do that? Naturally, we knew our girls would perform with aplomb. But seriously now—juniors Matt O’Malley, Tony Knotek and John Madsen belting out tunes, waltzing and wooing the ladies on stage? Go figure! (That crew sounds more like detention roll call than leading men.) It’s a testament to the unmatched skill and patience of vocal director Mr. Lee Spann, and Choreographer Mrs. Anne Jensen. They must be miracle workers!

And how about those leading ladies! Kelsey Benson became Maria before our very eyes and was guided to find “the will of God” by Anna Diez as Mother Abbess. Fellow seniors Katie Gilliland and Krista Kennebeck shared to role of the wealthy, beautiful and sophisticated Elsa Schraeder while sophomores Liz Hoebelheinrich and Amanda Biller frightened poor messenger boy Rolf by being, “16 going on 17”.

Audiences enjoyed the scenery and lighting work done by students led by Mr. Jack Schmidt while scores of sharp and authentic-looking costumes were scrounged, sewed and arranged by Mrs. Michelle Biller and her band of merry seamstresses.

While I’ve only named the senior high students with leading roles, many more students performed well—literally too many to mention. The Von Trapp children were ‘charming’ and Nazis were indeed ‘cross’.

Congratulations again to Mrs. Barb Schmidt and her entire slate of able assistants for working around football, volleyball, dance team, cross-county, cheerleading and more to put our students in a position to develop their talents and perform so admirably for their peers, families, friends and themselves!

Matt Madsen - stalbertsportsfan.com - 11.08.06