Wilby High School to Present Parody of Holiday Rom-Coms

WATERBURY -Wilby High School’s drama students are inviting family and friends to attend their performance of The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon, a comedy written by Don Zolidis.

The student-run production will be performed in the Wilby auditorium on December 9th, 2022 at 7 p.m.

While the actors showcase their talents, ticketholders will be treated to complementary hot cocoa and cookies prepared by the school’s culinary students.

For more information, please visit www.WilbyDrama.wordpress.com. To order tickets, which are $5 each, please email slabonte@waterbury.k12.ct.us.

Directed by two Wilby alumni-teachers, the play has been in rehearsal for 12 weeks. Since the pandemic, the drama program has been building momentum and building the confidence of its student actors. Anthony Ellis, a junior, is playing the role Bridget—the sassy redheaded friend. According to him, “Theater helps with social anxiety because it breaks people out of their shell. Once their confidence level goes up, they can do anything.”

The Wilby auditorium, which will house the performance, is scheduled to be remodeled in the summer of 2023. This worthy investment is a boon to student actors, whose roots run deep into the stage. Director Stephanie LaBonte, who will soon celebrate her 15th anniversary as a Wilby teacher, made the following observation: “Whatever masks they wear in life, they can be themselves in theater. They get a sense of belonging from our program.”