‘Yukon’ see Newton High’s fall play this weekend

Putting on a high school play is serious business, in terms of effort and dedication.

Fortunately for the cast of Newton High School’s upcoming production of “Dastardly Deeds at Yoursin Mine or Yukon Take it With You,” the script is anything but serious business.

The play, directed by Melinda Worthington, with set design and construction by Marvin Campbell, is showing at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday night at the high school’s NHS Center for Performance. Tickets are $5.

Billed as a “great romantic melodrama,” the play is a “story of Wild West intrigue.” There are characters that go by the names such as Lester Lawless, Lotta Pidee and Loooney Yoursin. There are miners who can’t find stakes, trappers who can’t find pelts and mounties who can’t find anyone.

Narrators and “Sign Gals” help dictate active audience involvement. Like any good farce, villains are thwarted, heroes and heroines are blissfully united, enemies become friends, widowed matrons are reunited with lost children and orphans live happily ever after.

In addition to a colorful cast, the stage crew, Gopher and Getit, and sound crew, Buttons and Crash, are on stage, hard at work.

There is even a live dog in the production, trained and handled by Cindy Healy.

The cast for the fall NHS production includes Justine Eilander, Allison Bollhoefer, Emily Bollhoefer, CJ Schwarz, Laura Wyre, Orion Healy, Leah Hunter, Kate Wyre, Carolyn Thurmond, Bailey Van Sickle, Briahna Teague, Shana Robinson, Maddie Gooding Hunt, Makayla Kelleher, Katherine Thorpe, Emily Mehmen, Natalie Camp, Erin Van Sickle, Amanda Laube, Shana Robinson, Miranda Ervin, Molly Snow, Adrienne Bergman, Megan Shores, Emma Carter, Hanna Clark, Rachelle Romo, Lienne Pak, Haley Rinehart, Nicholas Tremel, Kyle Hansen, Isaac Friedman, Matt Moran, Alex Burkett, Dune Carter, Mitchell Faidley, Steven Egbert, Nathan Miller, Brenton Reffett, Matthew Montgomery, Casidy Stanton, Bauston Van Sickle, Joe Malsom, Chase Kolpin, Parker Creech, Chris Simmons, Connor McAdoo and Michael McKinney.

Josh Versteegh is the technical director. He is assisted in sound and lighting by Schwarz, Laura Wyre, Joe Stammeyer, Bauston Van Sickle and Emily Sells.

The assistant directors are Joe Williams and Kinzee Loree.

The set managers and curtain crew includes Justine Eilander, Joe Williams, Allison Bollhoefer and Emily Bollhoefer.

Costumes are handled by Sue Buekema, Julie Laube, Dawn Ulrey and Evelyn Berryhill.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com