Press Release:

December 10, 2007

read an interview with the student director

DON'T “MYTH” WALTHER READER'S THEATRE ON JANUARY 19 AND 20

Walther Lutheran High School presents a time of restrained hilarity – the annual Readers’ Theatre on Saturday, January 19 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, January 20 at 3 p.m. This year’s entirely original production is titled “Completely Mything the Point (everything you always wanted to know about Greek Mythology but didn’t care enough to ask).” The Zeus is loose in this artist’s workshop style presentation and the laughs are of mythic proportion. Admission is free.

The toned down theatrical production has become a staple of the college preparatory school’s drama department. Months of work go into the fall play and the spring musical, but a few weeks’ commitment is the time requirement for this low key project which needs a mere handful of stage props and costume pieces. “There is no set and there’s no memorization,” explained senior Stephanie Mitchell of Chicago, who performed in last year’s spoof on “hard-boiled” detective stories. Is she up for a reenlistment? “Sure. It’s fun,” she reasons, “Mr. Pederson makes it that way…It’s one of the best things you can do at Walther.” That’s pretty high praise from a student who’s a cheerleader, on the poms squad, plays softball, sings in two choirs and performs in Walther’s other theatrical productions.

The guy who “makes it happen” is Andrew Pederson, reader’s theatre director and English department faculty member. He has just completed auditions for the children’s theatre he produces at Concordia University Chicago. This February he’s staging the original play, “Dougly the Uckling.” Pederson, who is also on the football coaching staff, draws his talent from all areas of student life. His stars are just as likely to have never performed before as they are to have been the star of the last play. There are no auditions. There’s no hard sell. One morning announcement at Walther declared, “The only two qualifications that you need to have are the ability to read and a bed sheet you can make into a toga.” Pederson’s wit combined with the broad range of student talent results in an offbeat charm that draws capacity crowds to the Walther cafeteria every year – even last year when it conflicted with a Bears’ playoff game.

Walther Lutheran High School is a co-educational Christian school located at 9th and Chicago in Melrose Park. The school has an enrollment of just over 400 students from fifty-seven different Chicago area zip codes. For more information about Walther Lutheran High School, call 708.344.0404 or visit Walther.com.

Press Release contact: Lori Solyom, Public Information Coordinator