By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Chilton County High School English and drama teacher Kay Tippett is hoping to add some magic to this school year for her students by having headset mics and a portable sound system available for their production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. on May 10-11.

Tippett is asking for community support for the project through the donation site Donors Choose.

On donorschoose.org, Tippett has called her project “FIRSTHAND Theatre Experience for Students.” Donations can be made here. 

“They call it a Fender bundle,” Tippett said. “It is a speaker that folds out and it will fold back in on itself and it comes with a wireless mic.”

She said students need mics that they can “wear on their ear with a battery pack in order to move.”

More than 80 students are involved in CCHS Theatre Arts Guild, which is what the drama program is called. Some are in the class for required elective credit, while others really have a passion for it.

“I would say at least half of them are really, really interested,” Tippett said. “I have some that are planning on pursuing theater careers.”

Aladdin Jr. will be the first musical for the CCHS Theatre Arts Guild. Tippett said it is something students have asked to do for several years.

“With the play, we had mics in places strategically, we had floor mics, but with a musical they are singing and dancing and moving around,” Tippett said. “They really need those microphones that stay with them and will attach to their bodies.”

She said four or five such mics would be ideal.

Having a portable sound system would also give the students more options at competitions.

This school year students competed at the Walter Trumbauer Theatre Festival, hosted by the Alabama Conference of Theatre, for the first time.

“We did really well,” Tippett said. “We came away with medals, and seven of our kids advanced to state.”

She said groups are required to bring their own sound system to the competition, so not having one limited what the students could do.

Tippett said watching other groups perform inspired students to want to do different things, which would require the equipment.

Tippet said she had set up the page over the Christmas break and needs to raise the money by May 14 in order for the project to be funded. However, Tippett hopes the funds come in sooner than that so they have the equipment in time for the Aladdin Jr. production.

She said CCHS Theatre Arts Guild helps some students find their passion and what they would like to do for a career.