Students from three high schools in the Santa Maria Valley have teamed up to bring a new production of Little Shop of Horrors to life at Pioneer Valley High School’s Performing Arts Center, where the show will run on Nov. 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18. Each performance starts at 7 p.m., while doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The cast of the musical includes students from Pioneer Valley High School, Santa Maria High School, and Ernest Righetti High School, who began rehearsals for the production in mid-August, according to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
“Little Shop of Horrors has always been one of my favorite shows, and I am so excited to bring it to the city of Santa Maria,” Selyn Harwin, theater teacher at Pioneer Valley High School, said in press materials. “The students have worked extremely hard learning music, choreography, and blocking to create an exceptional show.”
The dark comedy features songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman—the duo behind Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast—and follows a floral shop worker named Seymour who discovers a strange, carnivorous plant that feeds on human blood.
“I’m excited for Little Shop of Horrors because of the talented actors, the amazing dance numbers, and the creative set design,” Jordan McCormick, a senior at Pioneer Valley High School, said in press materials. “We are also extremely excited to perform with Kerry Butler.”
During the 2002 Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors, Butler portrayed Audrey, Seymour’s coworker at the flower shop and love interest who performs “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly, Seymour.”
Butler will join the cast of Pioneer Valley High School’s production for one night only, during the Nov. 16 performance. Tickets to all six performances are available in advance at onthestage.tickets.
The Pioneer Valley High School’s Performing Arts Center is located at 675 Panther Drive, Santa Maria.
This article appears in Nov 2-12, 2023.