By Nathan Duke
Staff Writer

Josh Bedard, left, plays the Jester, and Andrew LeBlond plays King Sextimus in the John Stark Stage Company 's production of "Once Upon a Mattress," continuing on Friday and Saturday, April 8 and 9, at 8 p.m. (Courtesy Photo)

WEARE - Junior Andrew LeBlond may play one of the lead characters in John Stark High School's spring musical production, but he is not required to say a word or sing a note.

LeBlond, 17, plays mute King Sextimus in "Once Upon a Mattress," a role that is as equally challenging as learning lines and musical numbers.

"At first, I did not know how to react to playing a mute person in a musical," he said. "The king is definitely the most animated role in the play because he is all expressions and movements."

In this musical version of "The Princess and the Pea," LeBlond is only one of the students playing a character that is either completely different from their own nature or completely opposite to audience expectations.

Senior Kolby Hume, 18, also gets to stretch with Winifred, a character unlike any other she has played - and there have been many. "Mattress" is Hume's eighth show at John Stark. She has performed in every play the school's studentrun production company has put on since her freshman year and, this past January, directed "The List," a one-act play she took to State Festival.

"(Winifred) is definitely different than the characters I usually play," she said. "She is tomboyish, outspoken, loud and boisterous. I usually play the girly-girl. Winifred comes from the swamp. The character takes a little more work, but I really wanted to do something a little different and challenge myself."

Senior Josh Bedard, 18, plays a character that certainly goes against what the audience might expect.

"I play the jester," he said. "It's funny because he is the least funny character in the show."

The cast of 34 has been rehearsing for the production since January and will have performed the play five times by the end of the run. Before the Thursday, March 31, performance, students were rehearsing their lines and practicing dance steps on the stage and in the dressing room.

Each year, the John Stark Stage Company puts on one play and one musical. Last fall, they performed "Fools." "Mattress" was chosen by first-year director Jen Deardorff.

The stage company includes behind-the-scenes workers and performers, though several of the leads in "Mattress" are not members of the company.

"Mattress" was an especially hard production due to a high volume of snow-related rehearsal cancellations, said assistant director Phil Matzke, who also teaches science and philosophy at John Stark.

"The play took a lot longer to get done because it is a musical," he said. "The students were nervous, but they really pulled together."

Deardorff believes the show will be as much fun for the audience to watch as it was for the actors to perform.

"This is a fun show . a guaranteed crowd-pleaser," she said.

Musical Director Clint Close said high school theater productions run more smoothly when the musicals are light in nature, which is why more students auditioned for "Mattress" than they did for last year's musical production - "Evita"

"'Evita' is not a high school show," he said. "When most people think of that musical, they think Madonna, but 'Evita' is not a fun, comical show. 'Once Upon a Mattress' is a great Broadway show that a lot of local high schools make a part of their regular repertoire."

Deardorff said she rarely has trouble getting students to audition, though males need a little more coaxing.

"It's a tough sell to get boys in a musical," she said. "We struggle to get them in when they are young. By the time they are juniors or seniors, they do not care what people think about them as much anymore."

Deardorff said this year's musical cast has come along nicely during the rehearsal process, especially as the performances grew closer.

"I'm amazed at the changes that have happened in the last four days of rehearsal," she said. "I guess pressure can do amazing things."

While LeBlond intends to find work as an actor and Hume will continue theater work in college, others are simply enjoying the experience of high school theater but keeping the option of future acting open.

"I haven't really thought about college yet," said 16- year-old sophomore Wesley Bates, who plays Prince Dauntless in the play. "I'm not sure what I want to do career-wise, but I'd like to try out for other plays in the future. It's so much fun doing theater."