NEW ALBANY, Ohio — Gahanna Lincoln High School theater students are set to take their talents off the stage and out into the community for one very special production.
"As I was thinking this summer and working with some colleagues, we started talking about non-traditional theatre spaces," explained Chris Wagner, English department chair at Gahanna Lincoln as well as the director for the school's production of the musical "Little Shop of Horrors." "I thought, 'well, a musical that's set in a greenery, what if we got inside a greenhouse and put it up on stage there? What would that bring for the audience and the actors?'"
Inspired, Wagner reached out to the Oakland Nursery of New Albany who were happy to accommodate the request. So the high schoolers traded in their black box for a hothouse.
"We're pretty sleepy in the wintertime; some birdseed gets sold and a few houseplants," said George Kosko, general manager of the nursery which is conveniently located just down the street from the school. "So, it's like a bolt of lightning with all of this high school energy in here. These kids are amazing at what they do."
Wagner explained that the horticultural relocation of the production is ideal for black box theatre which is all about cultivating an experience for the audience in a smaller, more intimate space.
"Getting to bring the community out to a space like this and have students perform in a space that they never get an opportunity to do before - and do it in a musical that's fun and light and full of love, but also plants that eat humans - is exciting to put people on stage and bring that community together," said Wagner.
Gahanna Lincoln High School's production of "Little Shop of Horrors" runs Jan. 18 to Jan. 20 at the Oakland Nursery of New Albany.