Martin Murphy Middle School students enjoy the process of drama

Published in the January 2 – 15, 2019 issue of Morgan Hill Life

The world’s most egotistical beagle enjoyed a spot in the limelight when Martin Murphy Middle School students performed “Snoopy! The Musical” at two Dec. 15 shows at Live Oak High School.

The performance was the sequel to the Broadway hit play “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” It follows the daily life adventures of the famous  dog, Snoopy, with Peanuts comics gang Charlie Brown, Sally, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, and Woodstock.

Students rehearsed with the director, Martin Murphy English teacher April Gaylord, to put on the school’s inaugural full-length musical.

Eighth grader Alexander Beckner played the role of Snoopy with a strong independent streak in his personality.

“He says a lot of lines that are like, ‘No, I’m better than you.’ ‘No, you’re so much worse.’ Stuff that a person who thinks they’re the best person ever would say,” Beckner said.

The plot follows the answers to various questions including: Will the Great Pumpkin meet Linus in the pumpkin patch? Will Charlie Brown ever get a chance to talk to the little red-haired girl? Will the aspiring writer Snoopy ever get published?

Adam Muyberg, an eighth-grader, played Charlie Brown. He’s performed in 14 other plays.

“I normally just acted like myself and that was apparently good enough,” he said. “It was fun.”

Isabella Beltran, an eighth-grader, played Peppermint Patty. She enjoyed hearing the audience laugh and applaud during the show.

“She’s very sporty,” she said. “She doesn’t like anyone seeing what she’s really feeling unless it’s Charlie Brown because she likes him.”

Nadia Dominguez, an eighth-grader, played the understudy Sally, Charlie Brown’s sister, who likes Linus and calls him her “Sweet Baboo,” a pet name he detests.

“Her character is actually different than how I am in real life,” she said. “At school, I’m more, like, interpersonal, and Sally is a little more open with the people. It kind of helps me figure out who I am, as well, to open up a little more with people.”

Sarah Miles, a seventh-grader, worked on the backstage crew and pulled the curtains.

“It was fun because we got to know other people,” she said.

Seventh-grader Annabelle Wicklander served as the assistant director. During the two performances at Live Oak, she ran around backstage and helped out with the set.

Jazmin Goodman, a seventh-grader, also worked on the backstage crew and told the lighting booth when to turn on or off the lights. She had to close the curtain and open the curtain.

“It’s important because then when something happens on stage, you have to know when to turn on the lights or turn off the lights to help us tell the story,” she said.

Brianna Montemayor, an eighth-grader, performed as a backstage vocalist, and in two of the scenes. The actors rehearsed for 10 days at a performance arts room at Martin Murphy and they did one dress rehearsal at Live Oak the day before the show, she said.

“It was fun. It was hectic,” she said.