Lost Flamingo Theatre Company’s production of “Heathers: The Musical” will take audiences to the absurd battleground of Westerberg High School at Arts West over the weekend. The performance will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and will be at 2 p.m. Sunday. Entrance costs $5 and is cash only.
Viewer discretion is advised, as “Heathers” discusses themes related to mental health disorders and suicide.
Emma Snyder-Lovera, a junior studying journalism and media arts production, is the assistant director for “Heathers.” She has been involved with LFC for three semesters, her first production being last spring. This is her first time being an assistant director and aspires to be a director in the future.
“I’m really excited and I’m really proud of everybody in the show and think it’s going to be great,” Snyder-Lovera said.
The director, Alex Penn, is a junior studying astrophysics who has been involved with LFC since spring 2022.
Ollie Rood, a junior studying English, is playing Ms. Fleming in “Heathers.” This is Rood’s sixth semester with LFC, and they’ve been a director for the majority of that time.
“I started acting when I was in middle school and this is my first time doing a show I’ve auditioned for in four years,” Rood said. “I wanted to take a break from directing, (and) I really wanted the chance to be on stage and perform again.”
Rood said the music is their favorite part of the show, their favorite song being “Yo Girl.”
“It’s a very diverse score that brings elements from all eras of musical theater,” Rood said.
According to Snyder-Lovera, two stagehands, one props designer and two stage managers made Penn’s vision for the stage a reality.
“Our set basically is a bunch of curtains, flats and platforms, and then our assistant stage manager made a big sign out of cardboard to represent our high school,” Snyder-Lovera said. “There’s a big arch in the middle of the stage for some big entrances that we’re going to have.”
Abbie Ogilbee, a senior studying nursing, has been the PR Chair of LFC since her junior year and has been acting with LFC since her first semester of her freshman year. She will be part of the ensemble in “Heathers.” Quinn Bennett, a fifth-year student studying environmental studies, will be playing Bill Sweeney.
“Toward the end, it gets a lot darker and (audiences) enjoy that turn,” Bennett said.
Snyder-Lovera said one of the central themes of “Heathers” is “bringing people together in really dark moments.”
“There are so many great comedic buttons in the show and so many really, really dark moments that just juxtapose each other,” Snyder-Lovera said. “I’m just really excited to see how a big crowd of people is going to react to it.”
LFC has changed quite a lot since Bennett and Ogilbee joined, with Bennett saying the company has “grown so much.”
“We have fostered a really inclusive community … I think we really focus on that now,” Ogilbee said.
LFC is open to students and community members, and the company encourages anyone interested to take a trip to Westerberg this weekend and enjoy “Heathers: The Musical.”
