A return of some old friends and a little luck combined to help bring an animated holiday classic to life during the John Arnalukjuak High School (JAHS) Drama Club production of A Charlie Brown Christmas at JAHS in Arviat this past week.

The Dec. 11 and 12 shows marked the first time Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang appeared on an Arviat stage since 2006, and the show proved itself to only be rivalled by The Grinch in terms of popularity in the community.

The club performed four shows SA国际影视传媒� one for students from the elementary and middle schools, one for JAHS students, and two public performances.

The crowds at all four shows were among the largest in recent years.

JAHS drama teacher and play director Gord Billard is in his 17th year in Arviat, and he said while The Grinch still remains the most popular play of his tenure over the years, A Charlie Brown Christmas brought in close to 200 for each public performance on top of strong audiences for the two school shows.

He said the cast was quite strong with a number of JAHS graduates returning to take roles in this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 holiday fare.

SA国际影视传媒淣oah Muckpah took the lead role again, playing the main character of Charlie Brown, and heSA国际影视传媒檚 been doing really well in lead roles during the past couple of plays,SA国际影视传媒� said Billard.

SA国际影视传媒淟ydia Kaviok was one of two actors to play Lucy. SheSA国际影视传媒檚 the younger sister of Ruth and Ramon Kaviok SA国际影视传媒� who were in almost all of my plays SA国际影视传媒� and sheSA国际影视传媒檚 coming up through the system and proving to be quite an actor, as well.

SA国际影视传媒淚t certainly runs in the family. I told her parents before the show SA国际影视传媒� who were here to watch their third child in a major role with one of our productions SA国际影视传媒� that theySA国际影视传媒檇 really be impressed with Lydia tonight because she played a strong, strong Lucy.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淭he other Lucy, Grade 9 student Chasity St. John, is the daughter of our school secretary, Natasha, and sheSA国际影视传媒檚 very strong, as well, especially with remembering her lines, following direction and emoting.SA国际影视传媒�

The club had flutist Sam Tagalik, who moved to Iqaluit after he graduated high school in Arviat, available to help with this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 production.

Tagalik played the lead role of Charlie Brown in the clubSA国际影视传媒檚 original production at JAHS in 2006.

Billard said Tagalik was quite excited to take part in this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 production and came out to every single rehearsal.

He said Tagalik was so dedicated to the show, he ended up appointing him assistant director.

SA国际影视传媒淪am ended up being my right-hand man and it was just so cool that he was our first Charlie Brown some 12 years ago,SA国际影视传媒� laughed Billard.

SA国际影视传媒淗e played two numbers on the flute for us, including the opening number, Christmas Time is Here, for a special introduction we came up with that really worked out well.

SA国际影视传媒淎lso of special note was that we had a Grade 2 student (Jamie Muckpah) play the role of Snoopy.

SA国际影视传媒淛amie had done a bit of minor work in some of our previous plays. He came to rehearsals all the time, really wanted the role of Snoopy, and did a marvelous job.SA国际影视传媒�

Making JamieSA国际影视传媒檚 performance even more noteworthy was the fact he came down with strep throat just a few days before the first show.

Billard said the news came as quite a shock from his mom, Tiffany, as there was no understudy for the role.

He said either Jamie was able to go on, or it was going to be a bizarre version of Charlie Brown with no Snoopy.

SA国际影视传媒淚 donSA国际影视传媒檛 know how we would have done the play without Snoopy, but Jamie soldiered through it and was a real trouper.

SA国际影视传媒淗e brought his Halls to help soothe his throat, stuck to his little rituals backstage and did a marvelous job pulling it off.SA国际影视传媒�

An ailing Snoopy wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 the only brush with disaster awaiting Billard and his cast.

Right before the Dec. 11 show for the younger students, lighting technician Patrick Taleriktok called Billard to inform him that absolutely nothing was working with the 12-channel lighting system.

Billard said he shut everything down and followed his usual procedure of checking the main board step-by-step and, sure enough, the lights were dead.

SA国际影视传媒淧atrick told me he got a shock from the board before he started that evening, and that happened once before several years ago, when the board shorted out and went berserk, and we had to send it
out for repairs.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I turned the board back on, none of its sliders were working and all the lights were on that werenSA国际影视传媒檛 supposed to be, so it looked pretty bleak.

SA国际影视传媒淒own in the bottom right-hand corner is one button for channel 12 that you can press to make that light come on at any time SA国际影视传媒� thereSA国际影视传媒檚 a similar button for every channel SA国际影视传媒� but, when we pressed that button this time, it turned out to be the only one working and it turned on all 12 lights.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 how we had to run the show SA国际影视传媒� Patrick sitting down pressing the same button over-and-over again for 45 minutes SA国际影视传媒� so Snoopy and the lighting system are two things that certainly make the show stand out for me.SA国际影视传媒�