Calhoun High School’s entrancing performance of “The Arabian Nights” impressed judges and wowed audiences last week, earning them a first place 7-AA region title for the one act play compe-tition.
The Georgia High School Association sponsored the event, which takes place each fall at the Cedartown Civic Center.
Patrick Wade, who performs madman Abu al-Hasan and Persian was honored with the title of best all-around male actor. Bailey Reeves, who performs the part of Perfect Love, and Marcello Audino, who performs as Shahryar, were selected as all-star performers.
Calhoun High School director Julie Leggett said she knew the play was a good fit for the CHS cast and students.
“These kids are incredible,” Leggett said. “They are so diverse and bring so many different types of gifts to the stage — both comedic and dramatic acting abilities — as well talents in singing and acting.”
“We felt that this show offered an opportunity for a very diverse and multi-talented cast to shine,” added Leggett.
Mary Zimmerman, the playwright of “The Arabian Nights” tale, adapted the play from classic pieces of folk tales from the Middle East and South Asia.
“The original work would have consisted of ancient and medieval stories collected over several centuries and weren’t translated into English until the 1700s,” Leggett said. “Because of this there are a lot of versions of the story, some stories are well-known, such as ‘Aladdin’ or ‘Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves’ and others are not well-known at all.”
“We’ll have the opportunity to watch some of the best high schools in the state perform their shows,” Leggett said. “The night before we’ll try to rehearse a bit and relax to make sure that the kids is ready to do their absolute best performance.”
The Arabian Nights cast and stage crew will compete at the state tournament in Perry, Ga next weekend. They will perform Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m.
They will also present a community-wide performance of the play the first weekend in February.
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