According to the official program of Gilpin County High School’s production of Tuck Everlasting, the school has not put on an official theater production since 2019. Three years after their last on-stage adventure, Gilpin was finally able to take to the stage again with a play version of the children’s novel written by Natalie Babbitt, adapted for the stage by Mark Frattaroli.

The story of Tuck Everlasting follows Winnie Foster (played by Cassidy Wood), a young girl who runs away from her home in Tree Gap, New Hampshire seeking adventure. As she embarks on this personal adventure, she encounters a family with a secret. This family, consisting of Tuck (Chris Pence), Mae (Halle Yocom), Jesse (Caleb Murphy), and Miles (Lance Prewitt), have lived for over eight decades in a small piece of wood, having drunk water from a magical spring and stopped aging. As she learns more about the family and starts to become a part of it, her granny (Anna Thomason) sends a stranger in a yellow suit (Destaney Garcia) and a constable (Ella Lindenthaler) to find her missing granddaughter. The show also stars Ashton Turkaly and Aucklynn Sacco as voices that narrate the events of the show throughout.

Tuck Everlasting was directed by Hannah Raynes, with Ryan Raynes serving as the technical director, Katelyne O’Sullivan as the stage manager, Sanya Prewitt as the costume designer, and Zachariah Gebhart as the lighting designer. Paul Ferrante, Tori Turner, Elara Frisch, Jasper Raynes, Maliah Raynes, Ellianah Raynes, Abby Parton, and Rayna Durnen served as the technical crew of the show.

The show was performed on May 5 2022, at 7 p.m., May 6 at 7 p.m., and May 7 at 12 p.m. It was an incredibly charming show with a likable cast and a fun story. It was a total blast seeing the scenery of Tuck Everlasting come to life, with an absolutely beautiful artificial tree taking over the stage with two artificial waterfalls that spouted real water. The show was littered with humor, from a skit where Jesse and Miles do a synchronized swimming routine to various quips scattered throughout the dialogue. It was easy to tell that the cast had a strong camaraderie on stage.

Wood said of the show that it is slightly because the majority of the cast and some of the crew are graduating seniors. Some of the cast, including Wood, have been participating in Gilpin County School theater since middle school, and having to say goodbye to the theater department they’ve grown up in is devastating, both for the cast members and for the directors. However, the cast takes solace in the fact that they have been able to go on stage again after such a long time off of it, and the cast truly feels like family.

It’s not just the cast that feels like it embraces a spirit of community. The audience that watched the show also celebrated the cast every time they came on stage. They would clap after every blackout. They celebrated the cast members by cheering during bows. During scene transitions, Ellianah Raynes would play the violin, and every time she played, the audience cheered for her. It truly felt like the community had gathered together to celebrate the connective spirit of theater and what it does to bring people together.

Hannah Raynes said in an official director’s note on the program for the show that she is “always amazed at the growth these students make from the first rehearsal to production time,” demonstrating both their willingness to devote themselves to the craft of theater and their passion for the said craft. She adds that “One of the main themes of Tuck Everlasting is learning how to let go of your childhood and live your life to the fullest, while still appreciating the wonderful things in your past.” To her, this show is relevant in that it allows the audience to reevaluate the magic of living, and it brings people together to think about how meaningful life is. This is truly a show worth bringing to life during this tumultuous time where sickness is spreading, politics are dividing, and life can be confusing.

Raynes is incredibly proud of her cast for working as hard as they have in bringing this show to life, as “the finished product and excitement I see on their faces on opening night makes all the countless hours, late nights, and weekends worth it.” It was a show that brought smiles to every audience member that attended, and right now, that’s just what we all need.