Been thanks community, students for support

The Henryetta community celebrated the latest production of the H-Town Theatre group this past weekend, as the “Greatest Showcase” came to a close.

The production, held in the Alice Ghostley Theater, highlighted the talents of some 30 students, including six seniors who have shown amazing growth and have played a key role in spotlighting the drama students. Coach Justin Been’s senior students included Rylee White, Ethan Goodner, Ethan Green, Xander Lollis, Mabrey Been, and Sheldon Andrews.

The showcase was used to raise money for the group to travel to New York City to see broadway.

According to Been, over $4,000 was raised in four days to assist in the venture.

During their high school careers, the senior class have performed in the following productions:

• 2020 Sound of Music • 2021 Oklahoma

• 2022 Winter Showcase, Beauty and the Beast, Addams Family, Hallmark Christmas in Henryetta.

• 2023 The Greatest Showcase Greater things are on the horizon for the up and coming students.

Here is what Been had to say about the entire weekend: “This weekend and today was a flood of emotions. Our kiddos wrapped up their 16th Live Show in the last 12 months. May not seem like a lot to some but compared to many years, this is quadruple the number of shows. I cannot say enough how proud I am of all of them. Performers and Tech crew. I love their energy. I love their passion. I love their drive. I love their heart for each other. Their talent is just a bonus. No one is perfect but these students strive for it each time out and nearly achieve it everytime. They work their tails off to learn, improve, and prepare for these shows. Being up on that stage is such a place of vulnerability. Guts, courage, fear, self-doubt, failure and success. It’s all packed into one experience, but they always come out on the other side.

“Thank you to my production team Kristin Hargis and Patrick Turner. You both pour into our kids in so many ways here at Henryetta Public Schools. You both are a tremendous blessing to our program and we couldn’t do it without you!! Thank you to all of our parents and school staff members for donating your time, concession product and for working toward and during this production. It takes a village and that’s exactly what we have. A strong one!

Thank you to all who came to see our show, the “Greatest Showcase.” Thank you for your generosity as we collected over $4000 just in donations over the 4 day period. You have given us a great start into making this trip a reality. We will continue working toward our goal while continuing growth in each and every one of our cast members.

“As mentioned earlier today, we are seeing the H.S. careers of six outstanding seniors come to a close. We can never truly express what they have meant to this program. They all have definitely cemented their legacy into H-Town Theatre. While replacing them will be difficult and nearly impossible, as we all know, the show must and will go on. They are not quite done yet as they and more of our students will perform in the coming weeks and during the spring semester at different events in our community. We will be hosting a Theatre Camp in late March or early April for our Elem and MS students. We cannot wait to meet and help develop growth in the next wave of H-Town Theatre performers. Until next time, thank you all once again for your never-ending support of H-Town Theatre!” - Justin Been