NHS Theater to auction Hamilton tickets

Attending a Niwot High School theater production is always a treat. But this March, the audience could walk away with an even bigger prize. During the March 10 matinee performance of The Foreigner, the theater department will be auctioning off four tickets to the Broadway hit musical Hamilton, currently playing a sold-out run at Denver’s Buell Theater.

The Hamilton tickets, along with other items donated by local Niwot and Longmont businesses will be part of a silent auction held in the NHS auditorium lobby. The auction will open at 1 p.m., an hour before the 2 p.m. performance, and close at the end of intermission. Prize winners will be notified at the end of the show.

“In theater in St. Vrain Valley we don’t actually get funded, we don’t get a budget,” said the show’s director Erin Anderson when explaining the purpose of the silent auction. “The budget is usually ticket sales from the prior show and any fundraiser efforts that we do. The only thing that keeps us alive and functioning is fundraising. We got really fortunate in getting the four Hamilton tickets. We’re hoping to be able to raise a nice chunk of change for performances next year.”

In NHS’s current production, The Foreigner, by Larry Shue, a British intelligence officer named Froggy brings his introverted friend to a hunting retreat in rural Georgia. But when Charlie gets overwhelmed by the prospect of so many new people, the pair convince everyone that Charlie doesn’t speak English. During the course of the play, people confide in Charlie, believing he can’t understand them, and hijinks ensue.

The cast is led by seniors Tahnee Xiong and Justin Tripp playing the roles of Charlie Baker and Ellard Simms, and this play will be their final performance. “These kids work so hard and we really do try to impress upon them that the work they produce is high quality and professional as possible,” Anderson said of her actors.

Anderson encourages community members to come out and support the students both by attending the show and by bidding in the auction. “It’s so important for them to see the support of the community around them,” she said.

Performances of The Foreigner will be held on March 8, 9, 10 at 7 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 10. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling the school at 303-652-2550.