Bigfoot is back bigger than life at Fort Scott Community College during the theatre department’s filmed presentation of “A Very Hairy Christmas,” an original children’s play by Allen Twitchell, theater instructor.
The 25-minute video play is set to begin streaming Dec. 4 on the FSCC Theatre Facebook page and on the college’s web page at fortscott.edu.
“In true ‘Star Wars’ fashion, this play is actually a prequel to last year’s ‘Santa Claws is Coming to Town’ and the previous year’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is Bigfoot’s Teeth,” Twitchell said. “This time around, Bigfoot is discovered by a group of children and seeks their help to learn about Christmas. Of course, there is a bad guy, Darth Hunter; a chase scene; a couple of slow-witted henchmen; and a few holiday songs.”
Candy canes, courtesy of Walmart of Fort Scott, were distributed to school district students last week as part of the video’s promotional campaign.
The cast features: Dawson Ellington, freshman from Powder Springs, Ga., as Bigfoot; Abby Sweat, sophomore from Pleasanton, as Ben; Grace Springer, freshman from Mound City, as Jordan; Jacquie Hampton, freshman from Redfield, as Grace; Colleen Sweat, freshman from Pleasanton, as Darth Hunter; Kaleb Morrow, sophomore from Fort Scott, as Dim; Mickey Donahue, sophomore from Fort Scott, as Dimmer; Trenton Ward, freshman from Kansas City, Mo., as Ace Reporter; Carlee Studyvin, freshman from Fort Scott, as Reporter No. 2; Kiera Threlfall, freshman from Frontenac, as Reporter No. 3; Isabella Loyd, sophomore from Fort Scott, as Reporter No. 4; and Mackenzie Peoples, freshman from Fort Scott, as Reporter No. 5.
The cinematographer/camera operator is Jared Wheeler, FSCC’s instructor of public speaking, while James Beltz, music instructor for the Pleasanton school district, served as musical director.
“Certainly, the times are challenging, and staying safe is the priority, but we wanted to keep our theater department as active as possible,” said Twitchell. “Also, this format allows us to maintain our tradition of giving the gift of theater to the community for Christmas.”