Over the past few weeks, staff and students at Central Mountain High School were prevented from entering the building for safety reasons due to threats made against the school.

“(The closure) was the scariest thing that ever happened to me as a director,” said Director Erika Conklin.

Sarah Long, who plays Persephone, noted how unexpected the shutdown was.

“I didn’t expect (it.) I’m just waiting for what’s next,” she joked, “But even with the week setback, it’s going to be amazing. The music is really fun and the cast is absolutely amazing — especially with everything that has happened. The amount of stuff we’ve gotten done is crazy.”

BREANNA HANLEY/FOR THE EXPRESS The cast of the Central Mountain High School Drama Club’s upcoming musical are pictured during a dress rehearsal.

The closure of the school affected the drama club immensely. They were no longer able to access their materials — their set pieces, the materials needed for costumes and a space in which they were comfortable to practice in.

However, the students tried to work around this problem however they could.

“I got an email (on Monday) from our club vice president who had already talked to a bunch of students saying ‘we still want to rehearse.’ That day we rehearsed at my dad’s church. Then the next day it happened again,” Conklin said.

A space to practice was offered to them at Millbrook Playhouse, but ultimately the cast wound up at Commonwealth University-Lock Haven thanks to connections with Dr. James Eldreth, who is not only the choir director at CMHS and the Music Director for Hadestown Teen Edition but is also a professor at the university.

“We (asked) to get in the building and get our (props.) On Wednesday we came down with a horse trailer and got everything,” she continued.

BREANNA HANLEY/FOR THE EXPRESS The ensemble pictured, back row, from left, are Claire Walker, Emma Bowman, Ella Hamilton, Kaylin Mann, Addison Harbach, James Turner, Kenzi Boyle, Adalind Parker and Joslyn Krout.

When Conklin was informed the students and staff would not be permitted back into the building until the following Monday, she was afraid for the show’s future.

“That weekend should have been what we are doing this week — programming lights, finishing (sets.) Knowing we were going to miss those two big tech days was really scary. The (students) were so hardworking in runs and we had these really stellar run-throughs on a set that wasn’t ours,” said Conklin.

She also noted the Lock Haven University Players moved their rehearsals so the drama club could practise to their best ability.

“We really appreciate what they did for us, and for welcoming us into their space. It was really kind. That’s what theater is all about — working together to do what we need to do, and it’s because we all love it,” said Conklin.

The students did not let the setback deter them in the slightest, with each member of the cast and crew making up for lost time and rallying to get everything completed to the best of their abilities.

BREANNA HANLEY/FOR THE EXPRESS The Fates, in CMHS’s upcoming stage performance are, from left, Audra Eaton, Annalise Brungart and Chloe Corbin.

When they were finally able to return to their own set and do a run of the show, Conklin was awed.

“Against all odds, our first run back in this room was this beautiful, stunning work. They have so amazed me in their resilience through this situation, and no one is going to believe it when they see the show that we missed the time that we missed. For the first time in my career as a director I gave them a standing ovation at the end of the run,” she said.

Conklin said she wanted to include a bit of local history in with the musical as well, turning the popularized “Hadestown” into something that would resonate a little extra with the residents of Lock Haven and Clinton County as a whole.

“I wanted to make it feel like this is Hadestown for Clinton County. What is cool about this show is that it’s a story that can be made personal to anywhere and anywhen,” Conklin said.

“The opening line of the show — ‘On the road to hell there was a railroad line’ — brought to mind the railroad history of our own region,” she said, “I knew I wanted to set us in a railroad station sort of inspired by images of the Castanea station.”

One of the key components of the musical is fate — more specifically The Fates from Greek mythology. In their myth, the Fates wove the threads of life, death and fate together into a tapestry.

“Frequently we also hear of the red string of fate. Of course, Clinton County has a really strong weaving history. When I think of red and weavers, I can’t help but consider Woolrich. Nods to Woolrich are all throughout our design,” Conklin continued.

She noted the usage of the railcars, which were crafted from actual carts from the Woolrich factory.

“I think the carts are really neat. They feel like a livestock car on a train but also they are from Woolrich. People will see the garments in the show, too,” said Conlin.

James Turner, one of the costume leads and part of the mortal ensemble, commented on the costume design aspect of their setbacks.

“We had one less of a week to get costumes done — we still need to do some tweaks. It has been a mess, but a clean mess. We have made up for so much lost time, and we have just been doing what we can,” he said.

Some of the costume design includes Woolrich textiles, most notably on the Fates themselves who wear clothes cut from the same fabric.

With the excitement of a job well done, comes with the bittersweet joy of saying goodbye.

Around half of the students involved in drama club — cast and crew — will be graduating this year, leaving behind a club many of them consider a second family.

“Out of 24 in the cast and crew, 12 are graduating this year. We’ve been growing every year,” said Conklin, “It feels huge. Getting to work with more kids and expose more kids to theater is special to me — especially in a program that brought me up, too. It’s getting back to the size it was when I was here. We always had these huge shows… To watch it get back to what it always should have been (is amazing.)”

“This is the first year that I have graduating students that I have had all four years. Connor (Kleckner) and Chloe (Corbin) have been with me this whole time. They have trusted me. It’s been cool to watch how they grow up and change. It’s going to be weird next year when, for the first time, I have kids that weren’t with me from the beginning. It’s been a really special journey with these kids.”

Seth Geyer, senior and Scenic Lead, is one of the many who will be graduating this spring.

He noted the struggle of condensing a week’s worth of work into just a few days, but expressed pride in what the club was able to accomplish.

“(Losing a week) has been a challenge,” said Geyer, “We lost valuable time and it felt like we were constantly playing catch up. There was a lot of pressure on everyone … but despite the setbacks we were all determined to make the show happen. We pulled together and supported each other, and I’m proud of us and what we’ve accomplished.”

“It’s bittersweet knowing this is my last show with the Drama Club — with my people. It’s so weird having to soon say goodbye,” said Geyer, who plays Orpheus.

Another senior, Connor Kleckner, is excited to end his school theatre career on a high note as one of the leads.

Kleckner has been the student in charge of the light design, and fulfills the role of Hades in the musical.

“This experience has been special to me. I have seen this show about four times on Broadway. When I saw it was one of our options last year I didn’t want to believe we were going to do it,” he said.

Kleckner has been with the program for all four years of high school under the direction of Conklin.

“I could cry right now,” Kleckner joked, “I just look back on how far this program has come from when I joined it. Going from “Frog and Toad” with a cast of maybe eight with not much knowledge of what we’re doing yet, and to end it on such a high note with this amazing cast has been an honor.”

He specifically noted how much he has learned from director Conklin. Kleckner will be attending Bloomsburg University to study in the integrated theater program, wanting to attend classes in both tech and performance theater.

“I’m not interested in just one aspect of it, I want to learn all of it,” he said.

Similarly to Kleckner, senior Chloe Corbin has been with Director Conklin since her freshman year and has watched the club blossom and grow.

“It’s amazing. We all love this show. Being one of the two seniors who were in (Conklin’s) first show, it’s incredible to see the growth our drama club has had. We have the biggest crew we’ve ever had. Our cast is talented and full of a hugely diverse group this year. When (Conklin) first started, we had eight people who were all in the music program and who had done shows at Millbrook,” said Corbin.

Corbin spoke about how the entire cast and crew rose to the occasion after the closure, and the bittersweet joy of leaving the club.

“When we do the last couple of songs … it’s very emotional. I love being beside people who I know care about me, and have seen me grow over the last four years. I’m sad about leaving, but I know that next year they’ll be great without me.”

Corbin is planning on attending IUP to become a music educator studying vocal performance and horn performance, and is also hoping to obtain her theater certificate.

According to Turner, Corbin has been showing him everything she knows about costume design and her expertise she’s learned over the years.

“She was one of the main costume designers from all the previous years. She’s been helping me understand what to do, what goes on,” he said.

In addition to being a costume lead with Turner, Corbin plays one of the three fates in the musical, along with Annalise Brungart and Audra Eaton.

The club’s lead prop designer and president, Adalind Parker, is also graduating this spring. Like her castmates, Parker was enthusiastic about “Hadestown: Teen Edition.”

“I love this show. I have been begging to do it since the rights came out. I love my castmates and I am so excited for everyone. This show has been a very hard process — it’s more work than we’ve ever put into a show or a set. Especially with the week we had to lose, I’m just so happy and proud that everything has come together,” said Parker.

She described graduating as “bittersweet” and spoke about all the things she would miss from her time in drama club.

“I’ve seen this club go from a show that no one wanted to go see, to selling out shows and making enough money to sustain ourselves. I joined my 10th grade year, but I’m very connected to the club,” she said.

One unique senior began her theater career just this year, Emma Bowman.

“I wanted to join since I came and saw ‘Mamma Mia’ years ago, but I never really got the chance to since I was always in sports. I am so happy I finally joined. It has prompted me to hopefully join theater at Lock Haven University,” she said.

Though she hasn’t been working with the club for long, she noted how different it is from sports.

“Doing something that is more on the artsy side of things is so healing. Everybody is so sweet. It’s a whole different realm but I love it,” Bowman said.

“Hadestown: Teen Edition” will open this Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m.

Additional performance dates are:

— Friday, April 10 – 7 p.m.

— Saturday, April 11 – 7 p.m. (Senior Night!)

— Sunday, April 12, 2 p.m.

Tickets cost $10 for general admission and $8 for students and Drama Club Alumni.

Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased ahead of time through this link: https://sfnd.io/hadestownatcmhs