Each year, the drama department at Gaffney High School puts on a fall play. Students from Drama I, Drama II, and Advanced Drama all audition for the play and work their tails off to make it the best show ever. This year, the drama department chose the production It’s a Wonderful Life.

It’s a Wonderful Life is about a man named George Bailey. George was having an awful day, nothing seemed to be going right, and he felt as though his world was about to come crashing down around him. George just wishes that he was never born. That’s when Heaven stepped in. A guardian angel, Clarence, is sent to earth to earn his wings and to show George how different (and worse off) the world would be without him. Clarence grants George’s wish and takes him on a journey to see how different the lives of those around him would be if he had not been born. It is a really heart-warming play that shows the value of just one man’s life. Clarence even says at one point, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives.” That one line sums up the entire theme of the play.

The show starred many students including WJ Queen (12th)  as George Bailey, Kelsey Cooper (10th) as Clarence, and Jessie Harvey (9th)  as Mary Hatch. Every student worked so hard to make the show as best as it could be. They rehearsed every day after school until 8:00 and even came in during their Thanksgiving Break to make sure it was going to be perfect. Students from the Cherokee Technology Center came in to help build the set and others taking cosmetology courses came to help do the actor’s hair and makeup. Limestone College Theater Department allowed the drama department to borrow certain props. Even the sound and lighting for the play was run by students. It was truly great to see how hard each student worked and how they all came together to make this production happen

“I’m very proud of what my students were able to accomplish over the past few weeks. Many of them have never been done any theater before and they really did well for their first show. W.J. Queen did a phenomenal job at bring the George Bailey that everyone knows and loves to life. It seemed to me like the audience really enjoyed it, and I couldn’t be happier with my casts’ efforts,” says Vanessa Miles, the drama teacher at GHS, about the production. If you didn’t make it to see the production, you really missed out. The play was heartwarming and the students worked so hard. The Gaffney High School production of It’s a Wonderful Life was well… wonderful.