This weekend marked a milestone for Central High School’s (CHS) theater department.

For the first time in more than 30 years, CHS students presented a musical.

The Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of an awkward young man whose life changes dramatically after finding a peculiar plant in the flower shop in which he works.

“Some of these guys (may not have) ever seen or heard a musical before,” Theater and Choral Director Amanda Ellis told The Dispatch in an earlier interview.

Theater, in general, is a staple of school education and social life, as well as community social life. From a personal experience, as someone who’s acted since third grade, theater is more than just a fun activity or a hobby.

For some, like myself, theater was and is a lifestyle. And musical theater is just another way to welcome more people into the theater — including those who don’t do non-musicals but want the opportunity to be on stage.

In addition to allowing musically inclined students to be cast in the show, this musical helped the school come together to work for a common goal.

Ellis said the show brought together the theater students, band students, choral students, art students, business students and many others to work to bring musical theater back to Central High School.

I offer my commendations to the entire cast, stage crew, band and everyone else who helped in bringing The Little Shop of Horrors to life. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and look forward to seeing many more performances from these talented and dedicated young men and women in the future. Great job, and congratulations!

Brian Klingenfus is a staff writer for The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch. His email address is Brian.Klingenfus@KVDispatch.com.