CCHS Dawghouse Theatre Presents: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press 

The Copperas Cove High School Theater Department will debut its first show of the 2021-2022 school year this weekend at Lea Ledger Auditorium. 
This weekend’s production is You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, a musical based on the classic Peanuts comic strip. 
The students are under the direction of Copperas Cove High School Theater teacher Mason Tabor. 
“It is very exciting. I’m very happy to be doing show again this year because you know, last year, but we didn’t have a lot of opportunities to do a show, and so now we’re kind of being back to a somewhat more normal routine,” Tabor said. “Getting to do a full production has been a fun time. I love the Charlie Brown show. Who doesn’t love the Peanuts comics? Doing the show has just been great because they can be kids. It can be all cartoony. They can have fun with it, so that’s the reason kind of why we went with the show.”
Tabor said auditions were held around the second week of school, and the cast and crew have been finetuning the show since then. They met for rehearsals after school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for Thursday’s opening night. 
“These kids, they’ve been doing really good at just kind of throwing curveballs being like, ‘Today, we get to rehearse in my tiny classroom- let’s make it work. Make the stage believable,’” Tabor said. “They’ve been doing really good with what’s been thrown at them and everything. I’m very proud of the work that they’re doing because it’s been kind of crazy leading up to this week.” 
“I’m happy to kind of be getting back to a more normal theater world here because again last year we only really got to do one show, and so I’m happy to give the kids and give Copperas Cove more theater this year than they’ve had since right before COVID,” Tabor added. 
CCHS senior Danielle Watt plays Charlie Brown in the musical. She said that this has been an awesome production to be a part of. 
“I actually started my theater career doing Charlie Brown in sixth grade, so this is kind of a nice way to end, come full circle,” Watt said. “It’s really nice to have the opportunity to go from ensemble to lead, and it’s such a fun circle to enjoy because I’ve worked with such wonderful actors, so supportive. This is such a fun environment, and oh, this has just been a joy to work on.” 
Watt shared that people can expect to laugh during the show. 
“People can expect to see a ton of fun, just a ton of crazy kids having fun, dancing, lots of singing, lots of energy, and just a fun example of what makes high school theater so great, which is the innocence of it,” Watt said. 
The production’s stage manager is Andrea Steller, who is a junior. As stage manager, Steller gives light and sound cues to the crew and manages the run crew, who are responsible for the props. Some of the show’s props include Snoopy’s wooden doghouse and Schroeder’s piano. This is Steller’s first time working on a musical, but she said she is excited. She encouraged families and people of all ages to come see the show. 
“If you just want to get out and have a family day, this is a really fun show,” Steller said. “It’s good for kids and everything.” 
The cast for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown includes Danielle Watt as Charlie Brown; Haylee Myers as Lucy; Daisy Hernandez as Snoopy; Diane Manguerra as Sally; Mia Villaret as Linus; Esteban Camacho Ramirez as Schroeder; and Jenny Vade as Woodstock, with Ne’Vaeh Tillman, Serena Resh, Ada Cotner, Abigail Rylant and Kimberlann Gilley as ensemble cast members. 
Tickets for the show are $5 per person and will be available for purchase at the show. 
The shows are 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 28-30 at Lea Ledger Auditorium.