The Wenatchee High School drama department has cast senior Catherine Ross and junior Maddy Atwood as the leads for this year’s spring production, The Miracle Worker. Ross and Atwood will play Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, respectively. The cast totals 18 WHS students.

Auditions were held January 13-15, and the cast list was officially posted on Jan. 16.

“Playing Helen isn’t the typical role that a high schooler [would] think of playing,” Ross said. “I know that acting without words and portraying such an inspirational historic figure is going to put me out of my comfort zone and be really rewarding. I’m excited.”

This is the first time Ross has had a lead in a school play. “I have been in all the shows since freshman year, so it feels like all my hard work has paid off.”

William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker, is a play based on Helen Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life. Keller contracted an illness in infancy that rendered her blind, deaf and consequently, mute. Her parents hire a governess, Annie Sullivan, to be her teacher. Sullivan teaches Keller how to communicate using hand signals. This breakthrough changes Keller’s life.

The play is “challenging acting wise, especially for young women. They have to be blind and deaf, and learn sign language,” Atwood said. “Everyone that auditioned was amazing. WHS is a mecca of talent. The students always impress me,” he said.
Shows will be held March 19-22 at 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 22. Ticket prices were unavailable at press time, but they will be sold online at www.whs.wsd.wednet.edu.