Catch the first performance of Decision Height at 4pm Sunday, March 6 at Jarrell High School. Admission is free but donations are welcome. Parents of young children should use discretion as the play deals with some war-related content. Director Tara Granberry says, “I believe theatre fans of all ages may gain something from the message of the power of friendship.”
Patriotism and the power of friendship will take center stage at Jarrell High School next month during the World War II play Decision Height, a celebration of the sacrifices and bravery of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS) who trained in Sweetwater, Texas.
THE PLAY’S THE THING
Decision Height is the story of a group of ladies who became lifelong friends during the long months of flight school and basic training before volunteering their aviation skills to help bring the war to an end. For JHS Theatre Director Tara Granberry, the project combined a phenomenal script with a phenomenal cast. “Sometimes I read a script that I absolutely love, but I have to put it in my pocket and wait to pull it out later when I have the right kids for the show. I knew we had the right actors for the roles in that particular show,” she says, especially considering the predominantly female cast. “I feel like I struck gold when I found this script that requires so many female actors. Of course, I have excellent talent with the boys in my program, and I’m excited to have them on stage as airplane mechanics in the ensemble, as well as giving them a chance to run the technical side of our play, such as lighting, sound, and special effects.”
To prepare for the play, students learned military jargon and protocols from Airforce veterans in the community. The most exciting part of their research, Tara says, will be a field trip in mid-February to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, now the National WASP WWII Museum. “My students are so excited to visit the actual setting of our play, which will help them understand the incredible value of the sacrifices of those people who gave their all to make America
and the world a better place.”
SKILLED THESPIANS
Decision Height is part of Tara’s One Act Play class, which prepares students for the Texas Interscholastic League (UIL) One Act Play competition that begins for Jarrell on March 9. Schools come together on one day to perform shows for a panel of judges who will pick the top three shows that will advance to the next level. “We create a family within our One Act Play, and the memories we make last a lifetime,” Tara says.