Cast list announced for “The Outsiders”

Students attending this year’s fall play will be revisiting a familiar story that many of them first encountered in middle school, as the Drama Department has decided to do an adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel “The Outsiders.”

The cast list for the play was just released Friday, Aug. 16.  In several cases, one actor will perform the first weekend while another performs the second.

The list includes Julia Rindt as Ponyboy; Khloe Olson as Johnny; Dain Johnson and Azriel R Feulner as Bob; Riley Bandy and Dakoda Catlin as Randy;  Rebekah Dickey as Dallas; Brooklyn Gillson and Venice Ruprecht as Two-Bit; Murolo Patchin and Salem Edwards as Darry; Amalie Gilham and Olive Patterson as Sodapop; Liliana Padilla  and Tristyn Odom as Sandy; Genevieve  Welsh as Cherry; Jocelyn Siebert  and Julien Gibson  as Marcia; Maria Lopez as Mrs. O’Briant; Talen Houck as Jerry; Axel Dack as Doctor; Arianna Olivas as Nurse; Averi King as Mrs. Syme; and DJ Coleman as Paul.

Leena Faulkinberry will serve as the show’s understudy and Irma Lopez will be Costume Manager.

“The Outsiders” is a thriller set in the 1960s. It follows the story of two friends — Johnny Cade and Ponyboy Curtis. Both boys grew up in the lower social class and are categorized as “greasers.” They get in trouble when Johnny kills one of the upper-middle class kids to defend Ponyboy. The two of them go into hiding to avoid getting arrested.

“I chose ‘The Outsiders’ because I wanted something kids could really get into,” said Drama teacher Eileen Poole. “This play is heavy, touching on some sensitive topics that a lot of teens deal with.”
While “The Outsiders” is very different from “Trap,” last year’s fall play, Poole and her crew are working just as hard.
“My goal is to give the audience another great fall play experience,” said Poole. “‘The Outsiders’ isn’t scary the way ‘Trap’ was, but it is dramatic and intense, dark but hopeful.”

Key to that great fall play experience will be Rindt and Olson, who are both very excited to be cast as their characters and looking forward to the opportunity to bring Hinton’s novel to the stage.
“If I had to choose a favorite character, it would probably be Johnny — not like I have any bias or anything,” said Olson.

Rindt is familiar with the story from the novel and the movie.

“It’s a well written book with very dynamic and interesting characters and plot,” said Rindt.
The play will run Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 1-2.