The children of St. Patrick’s Elementary School and a couple of high school students from Troy had the opportunity to participate in Lehman Catholic High School’s production of “The King and I” from March 31 to April 2 in Sidney. The King was played by Senior Nick Neumeier, son of Sam and Mary Neumeier of Troy, opposite Anna Leonowens played by Senior Claudia Fatone from Sidney. The other major role in the production, Tuptim, was played by freshman Sara Gibson of Tipp City.

The musical was a collaborative production involving students from a few area Catholic schools, including Lehman High School, and even some local homeschooled students. Out of a total cast of 73 participants, 14 students from Troy brought the love and support of their community to their performances. The dazzling set and scintillating drama had theater goers amazed at the skill of local, young talent. Costumes were borrowed from Sidney high school. Betsy Moorman and Bill Zimmerman directed Lehman’s 38th annual musical and told students, “If we do this well, your performance could even make people cry.”

Emotional moments were felt by all throughout the musical but the proof of the audience’s sentiment was demonstrated by a standing ovation opening night, Thursday, March 31. Bill Zimmerman told students to maintain the energy and continue growing and improving throughout the weekend. “I definitely feel like the more time they had in front of an audience, the better the students became at communicating their lines,” Moorman said.

Producer Betsy Moorman is in her second year as an educator at Lehman High School. She said her intention for the annual spring musical was to build on the tradition begun by Gail Brandewie and Elaine Schweller-Schneider. They started auditions and early organization for the musical in October with the counsel of Brandewie and Schweller-Schneider. Practices were rigorous and there are always challenges when students from multiple schools come together for a collaborative production. According to Moorman, however, the biggest challenge was simply the time commitment and drive for most families. “The kids really got along. I was so pleased with how well the older students handled the younger kids,” Moorman said. “We definitely saw some nurturing relationships develop.” Moorman sees the musical as a healthy way for students from schools like St. Pat to become familiar with a high school they may attend after elementary school.

Mark and Jen Puthoff of Troy had three of their children in the musical, Jordyn Puthoff, Milan Puthoff, and Hunter Puthoff. “It really is great that Lehman opened its arms to the kids from St. Pats, Piqua Catholic, and Holy Angels,” Mark Puthoff said. “The kids have put so much time and work into this and the high school kids have been so sweet to them.” Puthoff helped significantly with the set design and aided the crew backstage during the performances. “I know that my kids have had a great experience with this production,” Puthoff said. Other actors from Troy included Megan Neumeier, John Meyer, Leah Peoples, Aiden Snyder, Caitlyn Swallow, Ruth Grace Perry, Brianna Lavender, Clara Bogan, and Grace Anderson.