Harwood presents the classic ‘The Sound of Music’ April 6-8

March 29, 2023  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

Dress rehearsal on Tuesday evening has the Harwood cast of "The Sound of Music" on stage and musicians accompanying them below. Photo by Gordon Miller

Harwood high school cast members Zoe Blackman (far left); Abby Holter and Christopher Cummisky (on right) rehearse with middle school actors (middle, left to right) Harmony Devoe, Robin Weigand, Ari Weigand, Tarin Askew and Desi Dahlgren. Photo by Gordon Miller

Performances at Harwood are Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. A 2 p.m. children's matinee on Saturday includes a pre-show presentation with the orchestra and a meet-and-greet with the cast after the performance. Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Harwood seniors Abby Holter and Christoper Cummisky as Maria and Captain von Trapp. Photo by Gordon Miller

For its spring musical this year, Harwood Union High School’s theater department has chosen a classic of both stage and screen with special ties to Vermont. 

Rehearsing for 'The Sound of Music': Christopher Cummisky, Abby Holter, Zoe Blackman, Tarin Askew, Emma Riley, Robin Weigand, Harmony Devoe, Ari Weigand, Desi Dahlgren. Courtesy photo

Abby Holter as Maria on guitar with the von Trapp children played by (clockwise) Zoe Blackman, Desi Dahlgren, Ari Weigand, Tarin Askew, Robin Weigand, Emma Riley, Harmony Devoe. Courtesy photo

A cast of 27 students from the high school, both of the district’s middle schools, and one elementary school present “The Sound of Music” Thursday-Saturday, April 6-8. 

The final collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, this 1961 classic was destined to become the world’s most-beloved musical telling the tale of the real-life von Trapp family whose journey led them to settle in Vermont. 

Featuring a trove of cherished songs, including “Climb Every Mountain,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do Re Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” and the title number, “The Sound of Music” won the hearts of audiences worldwide, earning five Tony Awards and five Oscars for the feature film version. 

The inspirational story, based on the memoir of Maria Augusta von Trapp, follows a young nun in training in 1930s Austria who serves as governess to the seven children of the imperious Captain von Trapp, bringing music and joy to the household. But as the forces of Nazism take hold of Austria, Maria and the entire von Trapp family must make a moral decision on whether to remain in their homeland. 

The cast is led by Harwood senior Abby Holter playing Maria von Trapp and sophomore Christopher Cummisky playing Captain von Trapp. 

The von Trapp children are played by Harwood sophomores Zoe Blackman as Liesl and Emma Riley as Louisa; Harwood Middle School eighth-graders Tarin Askew and Harmony Devoe are Friedrich and Brigitta; from Crossett Brook Middle School are seventh-grader Robin Weigand as Kurt and fifth-grader Ari Weigand as Marta; Waitsfield Elementary fifth-grader Desi Dahlgren is Gretl. 

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Rehearsing for 'The Sound of Music' on the Harwood stage April 6-8. Courtesy photo

Other featured cast members are Harwood seniors Mia Lapointe, Arianna Clark, Lucie Ruggerio; sophomores Annie McMillion, Kai Haddock, Elsie Pawul and Ellie Buckingham; and freshmen Aiden Heath. Stage manager is senior Maddie Thibault and sound engineers are senior Otis Neville and junior Ben Robinson. 

A large ensemble of hard-working students on and off stage round out the production. 

Behind the scenes are director Scott Weigand, music director Molly Clark, orchestra conductor Chris Rivers, set builder Aleta Kibler, lighting designer Avery Bacon, and producer Skyler Bradley. This production is the final show for Rivers who retires in June after 33 years leading Harwood’s music department.

Performances are scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, April 6-8, at 7:30 p.m. at Harwood Union High School. A special children’s matinee Saturday, April 8, at 1:30 p.m. will include a pre-show presentation by the orchestra, and a meet-and-greet with the cast following the show. Tickets at the door (cash/check only): $10 for adults, $5 for students.