43
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Rilynn Jones dressed up in her princess dress to watch Austintown Middle School's presentation of "Cinderella" on March 3 and 4.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Austintown Middle School students dressed up in different "Cinderella" characters as they performed the story during their plays on March 3 and 4.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Director Ron Johnson spoke to the audience before the Austintown Middle School students began their performance of "Cinderella" on March 3 and 4.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Kara Benyo played Cinderella during the Austintown Middle School presentation of "Cinderella" on March 3 and 4.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The Austintown Middle School Drama Club took the stage as they performed "Cinderella" on March 3 and 4.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
The Austintown Middle School drama club put its own twist on the famous story of “Cinderella” on March 3 and 4.
Ron Johnson, eighth-grade social studies teacher, is the director of drama club and has worked hard with the students to make the story come to life. Johnson, his wife Cindy, students and some parents all worked together to create the props and costumes for the performance.
Along with acting out their character, the students danced and sang during some parts of the performance.
“Tonight, you’ll be amazed at the story we’re about to tell. It might not be quite how you remember it, but it’s the way that I remember it and so we are going to share it with you,” Johnson told the audience as the students prepared to take the stage.
Members of the Austintown band performed different Disney songs during the intermission and before the performance started.
The drama club has been practicing for several weeks and had an opportunity to practice their show full out of when other Austintown students came to watch the play before opening night.
The students had a full audience, which included their friends, family members and even Austintown Middle School staff members. Seventh-grade Principal Joanie Jones came with her husband and granddaughter, who wore her princess dress, to enjoy watching the students perform.
During scene changes and intermission, many of the guests said how they admire how hard the students worked and like the funny twist they put on “Cinderella.”
Both performance nights charged an admission fee that would benefit the drama club with the future performances they put on.