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Caught In The Act of a Hit!

JOHNSTON - Who knew Desmond Taylor was THAT sexy?

Playing the role of a self indulging janitor (one of many hilarious roles he would play on the evening) Taylor induced waves of laughter from the crowd as he stripped off his workman's robes for the thriller within. Taylor also played a prickly boss who hates returns, an on-his-way-out pastor and silly sub captain.

“That kid is remarkable isn't he?” said Steven McKinney, who heads up the fine arts department and who directed the production and worked closely on the show with each of the performing students. “He was so much like Tre' (Wright), who did the Sub scene last year. He is remarkable.”

This excursion was just one of numerous other comical diversions placed on the stage by the members of the Strom Thurmond High School Fine Arts Department with its overwhelmingly entertaining spring performance of Caught In The Act 2008 on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The cast and crew worked for the entire school year to fine tune each skit, nearly all of which the students wrote themselves. Some of the more memorable performances were turned in by Tonya Tuberville as a as a clueless game warden, Sean Robins as a man who can't escape the 1970's and Graham Holson as the too-cool-for-school upperclassman guiding a freshman down all the wrong halls.

“I tell them to watch television and the comedy shows and get ideas and then make them original and their own and that's how they come up with their skits,” McKinney said.

And from a rousing dance number featuring the majority of the ensemble to a recurring slapstick adventure of the quite possibly the most inept submarine crew in history, the hard work was evident.

“We practice it enough with many different people until it finally works and then the scene is done,” McKinney said. “They put in long hours of practice during class and after hours.”

Stirring musical numbers and wardrobe change breakouts were provided for the audience by the show choir, the STHS Jazz band, Matt Herring and Graham Holson.

“It's constantly on their minds all through the year,” McKinney said. “These kids are constantly together all year. They have memories and kinships that they will treasure the rest of their lives. They are high school kids up there being professional and that's the key. That's what's special.”

Senior members of the cast, who were honored following the final performance, included Tyler McKinney, Caitlin Jebens, Sarah Brown, Caitlin Christie, Joshua Clark, Wallace Mealing, Jr., Lisa decker, Emily Foster, Margaret Hatfield, Tonya Tuberville, Justin Robinson, Ryon Talbert, Graham Holson, Jessica hood, Mark Talmadge, Crystal Vineyard, Parker Northrop and Laura Wintrow.

The STHS Fine Arts Department is already preparing for what is sure to be a fall hit with the much anticipated production of Disney's High School Musical.