Hinsdale South brings Holiday Cheer with Production of "Elf"

The gift of experience is not something you often find on high school wish lists, but it will likely be what the students in  theater program remember most.

Hinsdale South will perform Elf as its annual Rookie One Act Play this Friday, December 10th from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the school's auditorium.

The "rookie" performance will showcase about 70 students that are relatively new to theater and give them an opportunity to gain valuable experience in a fun and easy format. With lots of parts, the play maximizes student participation.

"The main purpose of this production is to get students who are novices in the world of theatre, that want to try it out and see if this is something they excel at!" said Kari Rosko, director of student activities. "The more the merrier!"

 The play, like the Will Ferrell movie of the same name, is about a human named Buddy who is raised by elves at the North Pole. Once he discovers he is actually human, Buddy goes in search of his father, where his youthful exuberance and naivete to the ways of the real world gets him in a whole stocking's full of trouble.

This will be Hinsdale South's 30^th annual holiday play. Director Pam Baker has been head of the school's theater program since before there was a winter show. "I have been directing five to seven shows a year for the past 32 years with too many titles to mention," she said.

As the full-time theater director, Baker especially likes the Rookie One Act Play because of the joy she gets from watching the students learn from their first theater experience.

"My favorite part of directing is watching the students grow as performers and directors," she said.