At 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, performing arts students from Conestoga Valley High School (CVHS) will present their production of "The Addams Family" to a group of local senior citizens at the school's auditorium, 2110 Horseshoe Road, Lancaster. The show, which is free to attend and included as part of CVHS' Senior Gold Card program for school district residents age 62 and older, will mark the students' first public performance of the show.

"It's just a way to reach out to our community," said Gabe Whitman, the director of "The Addams Family." "It's something Conestoga Valley had done before I came here. We want to be able to reach all ages and not just our students' parents and friends. It's giving the community an opportunity to see our show."

"Thursday is our last dress rehearsal," continued Whitman. "It gives students an opportunity to have an audience before opening night. They don't get those things when we're rehearsing."

Those same CVHS theater and drama students will also perform "The Addams Family" on Friday, April 4, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 5, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 6, at 2 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.conestogavalley.org or at the auditorium box office the days of the shows.

"Each show presents some type of values, and one of my biggest goals is that the students take away the values that the show is based on," said Whitman. "This show is based on family values and putting family first, and not just the families we live with. We should make that a priority. One of the things our drama department has always done is put others first and help each other out. It's cool to see that dynamic. (The students) have really embodied that. This is all about us working together."

Divided evenly among seniors, juniors, sophomore and freshmen, about 60 CVHS students are involved with the production of "The Addams Family." That group includes 19 members of the cast, 32 crew members and eight student musicians collaborating with community members to make up the orchestra.

The cast features Alex Rivera as Gomez Addams, Natalie Hopta as Morticia Addams, Gwen Unruh as Wednesday Addams, Clementine Johnson as Pugsley Addams, Philip Le as Uncle Fester, Samantha Radwanski as Grandma, Tahjon Ferron as Lurch, Caleb Nolt as Mal Beinecke, Hannah Gensel as Alice Beinecke and Connor Lewis as Lucas Beinecke.

"They are musicians, a lot of them are athletes and a lot of them are involved with other extracurricular activities as well," said Whitman of the cast and crew. "They're well-rounded kids. (In recent years) we've had students doing theater, but it's not their long-term goal."

" 'The Addams Family' musical has been unlike any musical we have done," said Syd Castagna, the production's student stage manager. "The singing, choreography and set have taken lots of work and dedication from everyone involved. It was a big undertaking, but it will be one of our best and most memorable shows."

Auditions for "The Addams Family" were conducted in the middle of December, and initial read-throughs in early January kicked off the start of the three-month rehearsal schedule. Since then, nary a day has gone by that the cast and crew hasn't worked on some aspect of the show.

"I enjoy the learning process and how the (younger students) learn from the veterans," said Whitman. "I also like helping students get beyond whatever their crutch is and become a better actor, actress or singer. I like the end stage, when the students are like 'I just did it.' Just seeing their faces and the joy they get."