Year after year Iola High is awash with dramatic talent. This year is no exception.
The Bowlus Fine Arts Center gives the kids a leg up. Environment has a very definite role in molding the young, and none is finer in southeast Kansas than the Bowlus when it comes to presentation of the performing arts.
Put the same kids at the end of a gymnasium, on a stage without proper lighting, few props and acoustics that make what’s said or sung difficult to hear, and they might give a good account of themselves.
Put them on a professional stage with state-of-the- art amenities, and it makes a world of difference, it prompts the kids to want to do their very best and often brings out talents that otherwise would lie dormant and go untapped.
We’ve had so many young performers over the years who have given audiences cause to laugh, to cry, to applaud, and that was brought home again Thursday when four members of the IHS forensics team performed for the Rotary Club.
All were excellent, from an informative speech by Abbey St. Clair, to a hilarious one-act play by Jordan Garcia and Danielle Venter, to a poignant dramatic reading by Colton Schubert.
A full array of talent was on display a couple of weeks earlier when IHS students staged their rendition of “Grease,” playing to appreciative audiences each night.
I’ve watched Iola High kids for years, relishing the opportunity to review their productions, and each year I wonder how much longer the well can produce. Can it never run dry of the talent that puts our kids several cuts above what you would reasonably expect from high school performers?
Don’t expect that to happen. Each year underclassmen are nurtured by the enthusiasm of those ahead of them and can hardly wait for their turn in the spotlight to carry on the rich tradition.
Bowlus Fine Arts promotes excellence
