By Nick Sestanovich

Benicia Unified School District would like to invite you to a wedding— “Virgil’s Wedding,” that is.
This week, audiences will be treated to a performance of Eddie McPherson’s Southern comedy at Benicia Middle School for a dinner theater fundraiser. However, the union depicted in “Virgil’s Wedding” is not the only marriage that attendees will stand witness to, as the production itself is a marriage of the drama programs at BUSD’s elementary, middle and high schools.

“Virgil’s Wedding” is the first show to be performed by the Benicia Unified Players, a theater collective consisting of student actors at all three levels in Benicia schools. Under the direction of elementary school drama teacher Nikki Tillotson, Benicia Middle School drama teacher Cathy Wright and Benicia High School drama teacher Nathan Day, the group pulls students together from all of the schools to perform and help raise money for art programs at the schools currently in need.

“We saw the need for a united dramatic arts program connecting K-12
grade students,” Tillotson and Wright said. “Each school has a drama program, but each school needs resources. We decided that if students joined together to  entertain an audience, they could use the ticket revenue to ‘play it  forward’ to whatever school had needs.”

Source: 3 school drama programs combine for “Virgil’s Wedding”