“We have 52 middle schoolers this year, and they are absolutely fabulous,” director Victoria Tamborino said. “They all get along, which doesn’t always happen, and they are even helping each other with their homework so they make sure their grades stay up, which is a nice thing to see that they want.”

Starting in late February, the cast has been working hard to bring back the play that was canceled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. With set pieces and other aspects of production already ready from the previous attempt, the cast has been enthusiastic about bringing the play to life.

“We’ve been practicing a lot, and the kids have been taking on their sporting events, and dance, and swimming, and they’re still making sure they’re making it to practices because they want to be here,” Tamborino said. “In 2020, March, when they decided to close school, they had already been practicing, they had the set all designed … The kids who were supposed to be in that play are seniors and juniors this year.

“So they can’t wait to come and see what their characters are acting like. It’s kind of nice to bring it back. When I got hired as the director, I didn’t have a play set up yet and it was pretty late to get one. So when Mrs. [Holly] Beranek said, ‘Hey, we didn’t get to do this play,’ it was perfect timing. And Sheldon [Rieke] came out of retirement, he’s set, sounds, lights, he does it all. He was ready to put everything together and come out of retirement to do his sets one more time.”

The “Fairy Tale Cast” of” Once Upon A Middle School.” Pictured are Sawyer Luker, Olivia Booms, Carmen Schotzko, Emily Overy-De Leon, Gus Benz, Ryleigh Trimble, Ainsley Berger, Harlow Heyer, Evelyn Helget, Olivia Griebel, Alyvia Hacker, Seth Gordon, Avery Rieke, LeeRoy Toomer, Kenley Ardnt, Savannah Martin-Hviden and Nathaniel Prechel.

Those high schoolers who missed out on getting to put on the play in 2020 have also been a big help in putting on the play, stopping in to help out the cast and directors, or even staying to help with sound or backstage.

“We’ve had a few of the kids who were in Radium Girls that have come back and they’re exited to help the kids,” Tamborino said. “They’ve been doing anything from helping find the costumes to making sure the makeup is all set up in the back. They’re going to be doing hair and everything for us. It’s fun that those kids are excited to help their younger classmates because those kids really look up to them.”

The play features Danica (played by Sofie Hanson), a hard-core realist who is running for class president before a group of fairy tale creatures leap into reality at her middle school. One of them, Woodsman (played by Sawyer Luker) seeks help from Danica, and the two opposites need to learn from each other to solve their problems.

Brandon Jones, a seventh-grader who plays Bull in his first theater production at NUMS, said the play features some interaction with the audience that those who attend may enjoy. Greta Berger, another seventh-grader who plays Sadie in the play, has been in several theater productions. She said it’s interesting to see the two worlds of reality and fairy tale combine and interact throughout the story.

“It’s a really fun comedy play and it’s a cool mesh between reality and fairy tale worlds,” she said.

The “Fairy Tale Cast” of” Once Upon A Middle School.” Pictured are Sawyer Luker, Olivia Booms, Carmen Schotzko, Emily Overy-De Leon, Gus Benz, Ryleigh Trimble, Ainsley Berger, Harlow Heyer, Evelyn Helget, Olivia Griebel, Alyvia Hacker, Seth Gordon, Avery Rieke,

Tamborino has been helping with NUMS plays for a long time, mostly as a costume designer and hair and makeup stylist, but has stepped up to direct her first play this year.

“I’ve also been on stage and the costume, hair and makeup person at State Street Theater,” Tamborino said. “I also do a little acting on the side.”

Tamborino said that managing such a large cast has been surprisingly pleasant.

“What’s nice is I also have Janessa [Palmer], so a lot of time we’ll split them in two,” Tamborino said. “The please and thank yous I get from them are amazing, they’re so respectful to each other and to us. We laugh, there’s so many times somebody does something silly that they didn’t mean to and we all laugh. We all get that sometimes we do those things. Just to let yourself loose and have a good time, a good laugh, is great.”

Showtimes will be Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the New Ulm High School auditorium and will be free to attend.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Carmen Schotzco (left), playing Magda, and Olivia Booms (right), playing Petra, rehearse a scene for “Once Upon A Middle School” at the New Ulm High School Auditorium.