The cast of “Route 66: The Mother Road” performs on stage at Winslow High School’s Performing Arts Center during the Oct. 22 opening night. The original musical marks the highway’s 100th anniversary.
The Winslow High School Theatre Arts club opened its production of “Route 66: The Mother Road” on Oct. 22 at the school’s Performing Arts Center, 600 E. Cherry St. The musical was staged in partnership with the Route 66 Centennial Committee and marks the highway’s 100th anniversary. All of the songs and the story were written for this performance by locals, with music, lyrics and story by Jason Whetton and arrangement and editing by Kelbie Flake, who also directs and serves as club adviser.
The show follows the highway across six cities, opening with a prologue song, “The Road That Built America,” performed by the full chorus. Scenes are set in Chicago, St. Louis, Tulsa, Amarillo, Albuquerque and Winslow, each with its own musical number, ending with “Standing on the Corner” in Winslow. Flake wrote in a director’s note that the show is mostly facts about the road and that she created a character for each actor representing either a real historical figure or an ideal. She wrote that the students had worked for three months to prepare.
The nine-member cast includes Lindsey Cox as Josephine, Natalie McCabe as Ruby, Simon Kallestewa as Michelle, Taleisha Nez as Tatum, Peter Yesslith as Peyton, Mika Caldera as Ashley, Tommi Ann Barlow as Rory, Kyrena Yazzie as Jacky and Elaria Armijo as Sax. Riley Paddock, Miles Madrid and Hannah Redhorse served as the center, left and right stage managers. Yesslith, Armijo and McCabe were dance captains and Cox and Nez were music captains. Nez is club president and Cox is vice president. The club thanked school administration, the Federal Program and parent volunteers and can be found on Instagram at @WHS_TheatreArts and on Facebook as WHS Theatre Arts. This is Flake’s third show with the school and her 25th overall.
