Pekin Panther Players/Pekin Secondary School Drama Program

05/27/2026

Passing this along:

Hello!

I hope everyone's May is ending well. I wanted to bring a couple summer opportunities to your attention in hopes you may share with your students using the links or posters provided! Other than that you nothing is required of you :) Apologies if this email doesn't find the right person- I'm working from a list that might be a bit out of date.

1. Camp Yesandia is back for year 5- we run an improv day camp here in Cedar Rapids from July 13-17. Time of the camp is 9am-3pm. The price is $250 (or $400 for two). Scholarships are available- no student will be turned away.
There currently isn't transportation or housing provided (working on it for future years!). However, we've had 40+ schools participate in the last two years including some who have commuted - so it's possible if your students are interested! Last year we had 48 campers attend daily and perform in our showcases! We'd love to have some of your students! It is NOT just for speech improvisers- and it builds confidence for performers who may be nervous or anxious. If you have questions let me know! Would be thrilled if you shared with your speech and drama clubs!
Here is the link: https://forms.gle/WbsNoGkK1Ve2Nzyc9

2. Yes!Fest Improv festival is back on August 1 at historic CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids! Students can sign up with their speech groups from this year or with some friends! Each student is guaranteed two performances! They can sign up here: https://forms.gle/2u4QJDJ94Kt8raMq8

3. Looking for volunteer hours? We are doing a Day of Service in Cedar Rapids on June 12 from 1-5pm at the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. If we get enough students involved we'll head over and do some urban gardening with Groundswell as well. Then, that night there is an improv show in Cedar Rapids we'll be performing in. If you have high schoolers interested in volunteering and/or performing please let me know! (we are an official nonprofit and our hours can count towards community service hours)

Thanks all for putting up with all my emails and communications! Hope to see some of your students at Camp Yesandia and/ or Yes!Fest this summer and in some showcases with us coming up!

Layne Sheetz

05/20/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 fall play cast! We had so many wonderful auditions, you truly make our casting job hard! If you would like your scripts, please stop in and see Mrs. Wright tomorrow!

This production is going to be so much more than just a show. It will be filled with laughter, hard work, friendships, memories, and moments you’ll carry with you long after the final curtain closes. We are truly excited to begin this journey with each of you and cannot wait to see the talent, heart, and energy you bring to the stage this fall.

Thank you for being part of something special — this is going to be an unforgettable season!

05/20/2026

Students: If you still want to audition for the fall play, please see Mrs. Wright tomorrow morning, Wednesday, May 20, to make arrangements. If you’d only like a small role, we have some to fill.

CREW: Please see Mrs. Wright tomorrow, Wednesday, May 20. I need you to complete a crew form.

The cast list will be posted on Thursday! Scripts are already here and can be assigned for the summer for those who want to start memorizing lines.

Many thanks!

05/20/2026

Pekin Panther Players, please consider wearing red and white tomorrow to support the student body, faculty, support staff, community, and most important this young lady’s family and friends at this most difficult time. Let’s extend all our Panther compassion and empathy to our friends to the west of us. I know when neighboring school districts have supported us in our darkest times, it’s meant a great deal.

Please consider wearing red and white on Wednesday, May 20th.

05/18/2026

Reminder: the last chance to audition for the fall play, One Stoplight Town, is today and tomorrow after school!

Pekin Schools

05/11/2026

Fall play auditions start this week!
Edit: Please note that Tuesday's and Thursday's auditions have been cancelled due to illness.

04/23/2026

IMPORTANT REMINDERS!

04/22/2026

The Pekin Panther Players will present their fall play, "One Stoplight Town," by Tracy Wells.

Show Times are as follows:
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2026, AT 7 P.M.; SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2026, DINNER THEATRE AT 5 P.M. WITH SHOW TO FOLLOW; AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026, AT 2 P.M.

Synopsis:
"One Stoplight Town" is a story about people from a town so small that you might drive through without taking a second look. But if you stopped for just a moment, you might see a young boy and girl fall in love, a cantankerous grocery store owner coping with change, a son returning home while a daughter thinks about leaving, and a handyman taking it all in while he fixes what is broken. These stories and more are filled with fun characters, lots of humor, plenty of heart and the theme that change comes for us all, whether we are ready or not.

Audition Information for cast and crew is as follows:

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 - 7:30 a.m.
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - 3:30 p.m.
Monday, May 18, 2026 - 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Room 269 (Mrs. Wright's Room)

Customer Reviews:

"This was a wonderful show to produce. Our small town connected with the themes so well. Everyone enjoyed it and thought it was funny too." - Robbie Riehn, Perry County Middle School, Perryville, Mo.

"The show was well received by our audience. The younger audience members enjoyed the banter between the mostly younger characters, while the older patrons loved the nostalgia and small-town feel to the show. Fun for actors and audience alike!!" - Bill Nixon, New Horizon Community Theatre, Lanett, Ala.

"My cast, crew, and I loved producing this show! It was easy to separate students into small rehearsal groups, and it was an easy set to build. The play is well-written and family-friendly. Our audiences enjoyed the different storylines, and Clarence and Melvin were crowd-favorites." - Andrea Johnson, Miami Trace High School, Washington Court House, Ohio

"Since we are, in effect, a one-stoplight town the material was very immediate for us. We had a great time presenting this show in the round with very little in the way of a set, relying on the actors to portray the location. Audience loved it." - Stephen Phillips, NorthWood High School, Nappanee, Ind.

"We are so excited to bring this comical yet poignant play to the Pekin Panther Players' stage this fall. We know it will provide the audience so many laughs while also exploring the deeper theme of change, how hard it can be, and what progress requires of each of us," said head coach Staci Wright.

Inquiries can be sent to Mrs. Wright via email at [email protected]

Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois

03/30/2026

Congratulations to Tatum, Zoe, and Brinley on their All-State Individual Speech performances today— they did amazing! Thank you to our Pekin fan club who came to support them!

Pekin Schools

03/25/2026

This link provides information about the Individual Speech All State Festival at UNI on March 30 and the schedule for the three Pekin students who will perform. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NpKBkdLAZDKtIPLyqaWupb-RtdvGMUMylrKq1q1jbCc/edit?usp=sharing