Northview High School Drama Department's Annual Production

Wow! Probably the best high school production I have ever seen. The drama department of Dothan, Alabama's Northview High School has outdone itself. "Papa was a Preacher," is a great story of a struggling family. The storyline for the play is probably the least known but the timing and the dialogue between actors was far and away the best. It produced laughter over and over and was even able to produce suspense in audience members who had seen the ending during rehearsal. The cast appeared mature and well rehearsed and had excellent chemistry during the production.

The play is based on a book by Alyene Porter and dramatized by John Mcgreevy.
"Papa Was A Preacher" is an account of Aylene Porter's family as they move from a large successful church in Dallas, TX to a small west Texas town and a struggling church. As with any move there seem to be problems such as adjusting to the town busybody and the local gang picking on the new kids. Touching yet humorous at the same time, this could be the story of any large family moving to a new town.

Ms. Suzanne Harris (Advisor) and Katelynn Jones (student director) did an excellent job producing this show. The costumes were timely and colorful against the never changing background. Music and curtain cues were crisp and the actors made their marks with uncanny timing for an amateur production. Set production was done extremely well. Since the play took place in one room the movement of actors across the stage kept the audience seeing new things that kept the set alive and fresh in the mind of the audience.

Amanda Stefin who played Pearl Porter, the mother, easily won Best Supporting Actress as she carried the conversation and the action across the stage and throughout the production. She appeared calm, timely and in control of the chaos the Porter family produced. Mustafa Kothawala, who played the youngest son Edd, was easily the audience favorite with his lines and the laughter he cajoled from the viewers.

Other cast standouts include Paige Rice and Alefiya Kothawala as the Smith Sisters and Ethan Davis and Christian Dean who played brothers who continually fought over the affections of the same girl. Overall the cast did an outstanding job and the performance should not be missed.

Cast Members Include:

Peter Tereszkiewicz, Amanda Stefin, Chase Mathis, Ethan Davis, Christian Dean, Heather Jones, Mustafa Kothawala, Hillary Patterson, Olivia Martin, Paige Rice, Alefiya Kothawala, Jordan Baggett, Ariel Leonard, Zahara Qureshi and James Franklin.

The Support Staff Includes:

Suzzanne Harris, Katelynn Jones, Stephen Krietermeyer, Ty Harris, Sam Woods Abigail Chapman and Jolea Jackson