From March 2 through 5, students in Dawson County High School’s drama department will put on a production of “Mamma Mia!”, a musical based on the classic movie and featuring songs by ABBA.

The play will follow the story of Donna and her daughter Sophie, who invites several men from her mother’s past to her wedding in order to try to figure out who her father is. DCHS Senior Alysa Reeves, who has been acting in plays since eighth grade and will play Donna in the production, said that even as a seasoned actress the role was entirely different than anything she’s done in the past. 

“Donna is a happy-go-lucky hippie who’s now put on this whole motherly role so we see a really fun balance of her still being a kid herself while also playing a mother who truly cares and would do anything for her daughter,” Reeves said. "For me personally, I’ve had to really take off my high school shell and really think about how would a 40-year-old woman present herself; I’ll go into coffee shops and analyze how people that age really go about their lives so it’s really interesting and it’s not like a role I’ve really played before.” 

DCHS Sophomore Miya Sheffield, who will play Sophie in the play, has also grown up participating in shows and said that she’s incredibly excited for this one to open. 

“It’s a very fun show and I think that the cast is very close to each other, so because of that we’ve been able to create a really good show,” Sheffield said. “It’s really entertaining; it has happy and sad and scary but then really joyful kind of things.” 

Work on the production began all the way back in December with a few rehearsals before Christmas break, and since January the cast and crew have been preparing and rehearsing nonstop. 

“It’s been about two full months of rehearsals three times a week for the most part,” Director Maggie Ellis said. “The time and the energy that they’ve put in is incredible; they’ve really stepped up.” 

This cast is also the largest one that DCHS has had in awhile, she said, with 42 students onstage and several others on the tech crew. 

DCHS Senior Connor Kimbral, who is the stage manager for the production and has been participating in shows since about tenth grade, said that he and his fellow crew and cast are excited to show their hard work to the public. 

“The way everyone is working, they’re putting in 110 percent, and by show night it’s going to be one of the best shows we’ve done,” Kimbral said. “We want to show the progression and how mature and how confident everyone has gotten — it’s theater so you have to have a lot of confidence to get up on the stage and perform in front of everybody. Hopefully a lot of people come out; that’s our goal.” 

Reeves said that, out of the many productions she’s been in, “Mamma Mia!” is one of her favorites and she can’t wait for community members to get the chance to see it. 

“Even coming down to our technical things, like our lights, they’re better than they’ve ever been before,” Reeves said. “You’re going to laugh, you’re going to have a good time, and you’re also supporting a small and sort of under-funded group of kids who are really passionate about this; we’ve all put in so much hard work and we have such care and to see the outreach of the community really encourages us.” 

Ellis said that she would encourage members of the community to come out to see the show because of all the hard work the students have put in and because it’s going to be a great show all the way around. 

“I would encourage people to come see it because not only is the music something that a lot of people have grown up listening to, but the story is all about family and not necessarily being blood-related but that you can choose family and families look different so we can celebrate that onstage,” Ellis said. “And who doesn’t love a little disco!” 

“Mamma Mia!” will be playing at the Dawson County High School Performing Arts Center on March 2, 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. and on March 5 at 2 p.m. tickets are $5 per student and $10 per adult, and Dawson County school employees who show their badge will get one free ticket at the door. Tickets can be purchased online ahead of time at dawsonchs.booktix.com or at the door.