Civic ‘Sound’

The sound of music regularly fills the halls at the Jay County Campus of Arts Place.

This week, the theatrical show with the same name will take the stage.

Jay County Civic Theatre performs “The Sound of Music” at 7 p.m. Dec. 5, 6, 7, 13 and 14, and 2 p.m. Dec. 15 at Arts Place, 131 E. Walnut St., Portland.

Similar to the 1965 Disney musical film starring Julie Andrews, “The Sound of Music” follows a young woman who becomes a governess to seven children of a widowed naval officer in Austria.

Several cast members, including Reid Knuth of Fort Recovery and Rachel Tebbe of Coldwater, Ohio, have been hoping to perform the show for a while. 

Tebbe auditioned for a role in a past “The Sound of Music” production at a young age but didn’t make the cut. This time around, she’s starring as one of the main characters, Maria Rainer.

“I’ve always wanted to be in this show, this is one of my biggest dream roles,” Tebbe said.

Emily Hull, who takes the stage as one of the nuns, has also loved the show since before she can remember.

“Sound of Music has been a love of mine since I was a baby,” said Hull, who lives in Fort Recovery. “Literally, it was like one of the first songs that I sang, was ‘Do-Re-Mi,’ so I’ve just been obsessed with it.”

Hull, who also had a role in civic theatre’s production of “Descendants: The Musical,” pointed out she’s been on the Sound of Music tour in Austria.

“When I found out we were doing this show, I had to (join),” she said. “I just think that the feeling of family plus music means a lot to me. Family and music and standing up for what you believe in.”

    Jay County Civic Theatre’s production of “The Sound of Music” opens at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Jay County Campus of Arts Place, with additional shows at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14, and 2 p.m. Dec. 15. Pictured, the von Trapp children sing with Maria Rainer. Front row from left are actors Maci Homan (Gretl), Rachel Tebbe (Maria) and Halle Stammen (Brigitta). Back row are Amos Crandall (Friedrich), Niyah McIver (Marta), Inara Sanderson (Liesl), Esther Crandall (Louisa) and Mason Paxson (Kurt). Tickets are available at bit.ly/JCCTTSOM, by calling (260) 726-4809 or by visiting the Jay County Campus of Arts Place at 131 E. Walnut St., Portland. (The Commercial Review/Bailey Cline)

Unlike other recent Jay County Civic Theatre musicals, which have featured at least one song in which the whole cast participates, “The Sound of Music” focuses more on songs performed by small groups and solos.

“The kids’ music is really tough, because we have seven kids and they’re singing, like three- or four-part harmony, and then the nuns’ part is really, really difficult, because they’re also singing in like, four- or five-part harmony,” explained music director Reid Knuth, whose other recent civic theatre appearances include the old man — Ralphie’s father — in last year’s show, “A Christmas Story: The Musical.”

He noted several of the songs, such as classics from the movie like “My Favorite Things” and “So Long, Farewell,” may be familiar to audiences.

“There are a couple of (songs) that are unique to the show that were not in the movie,” he said. “Those ones were kind of like learning from scratch.”

Knuth also plays Georg von Trapp, a retired navy captain.

“He’s vastly wealthy,” Knuth said. “His late wife passed away, leaving him with seven kids. So he kind of shut off himself emotionally from the world, and he has, the show, from his side, is kind of his heart being reopened to his children and to love again.”

Maci Homan, 9, of Portland, plays Gretl von Trapp.

“She’s the baby of the family,” explained Homan, who previously performed as Pearl in Jay County Civic Theatre’s production of “Finding Nemo Jr.”

Tebbe describes Maria Rainer as a confident, self-determined woman who knows what she wants — at least, she thinks she knows what she wants.

“She’s not afraid to be herself, she’s not afraid to tell people the way it is, and when something is wrong, she stands up for it,” she said. “She cares so deeply and she loves so deeply as well.”

“I see a lot of myself in Maria, in her spunk and her awkwardness and her outgoing personality, and so being able to bring some of myself to this character and then bring that character to life is really exciting,” added Tebbe, who played Belle in civic theatre’s “Descendants: The Musical.”

Despite the difficult harmonies and challenges with the music, Knuth said he’s pleased with how well the cast has handled the production. He said he’s enjoyed working with the seven actors — Inara Sanderson, Amos Crandall, Esther Crandall, Mason Paxson, Halle Stammen, Niyah McIver and Homan — cast as the Von Trap children.

“We knew they were going to be talented, but I was surprised at how hard they worked and how quickly they got it,” he said.

Tickets are $12 for students and $14 for adults. They’re available by stopping at Arts Place, going to bit.ly/JCCTTSOM or calling (260) 726-4809.

Knuth and Tebbe both talked about the cast’s steady progress. With only a week remaining until showtime, cast members now are making small tweaks to refine their performances. 

“We get to do the part about theatre that’s really fun now, and that’s, take a good show and make it great,” Tebbe said. 

“We feed off each other — the show will be as great as it is because of the support that we have for each other and our ability to confide and trust in one another,” she added.