This year Cardinal Newman’s Drama Club put on quite the show this November, which is
the first fall production. Typically, the Drama Club only has a spring production, however, this year they decided to put a spin on their usual routine and have a fall production as well! Their first fall production was Holes, and here’s all you need to know about it!

The star of the show is Stanley Yelnats, played by Lily Monteiro, who is believed to be born
into a cursed family. It is a family tradition to name their sons Stanley because it is their last
name, Yelnats, spelled backwards, even though Stanley was a girl in this version. The production begins with Stanley getting hit by sneakers, who is then falsely accused of stealing them. They were important sneakers as they were Clide Livingston’s sneakers being auctioned off to help those in need. While on trial, Stanley was offered to work at Camp Greenlake, a camp in which every juvenile member digs a hole as wide and as deep as their shovel everyday.

After Stanley arrives to Camp Greenlake, she meets the gang, five other girls at the camp
that she spends the most time with. She is quickly warned to beware of yellow spotted lizards, which can kill you with a single bite, as well as rattlesnakes.They have given each other nicknames rather than referring to each other by their legal names, Stanley’s soon becoming Caveman. The protagonist has a difficult time getting along with the other gang members, as they picked and teased her, and multiple fights break out between them.

Throughout the play, many scenes explain what happened in the past. One of the main
characters being Kissin’ Kate Barlow. She is known for her red lipstick and for kissing everyone she killed. After the town discovers her relationship with the onion picker, Sam, they berate and kill him. This angers her so she kills the sheriff, who organized it all, marking her beginnings of being an outlaw. She then gets revenge on the Yelnats family, burying their treasure, telling Trout Walker that it would take hundreds of years for it to be found before getting bitten by a yellow spotted lizard and dying. This then goes back to the present.

It is a rule at Camp Greenlake that if you find something while digging, you get the rest of
the day off. So when Stanley finds a fossil, she asks Mr. Sir, who is in charge of the gang, for the day off. He tells her no, because the Warden, who is in charge of the camp, does not care about fossils. The Warden is the most feared in the show, as she has red rattlesnake venom nail polish and uses her power to her advantage. When X-Ray, the leader of the gang, finds out about Stanley’s discovery, she makes sure that Stanley will give her the next thing she finds as it’s only fair since she’s been there the longest. The next thing that Stanley finds is a gold lipstick tube, which she listens to X-Ray and gives it to her, giving X-Ray the day off. The audience soon finds out why this lipstick tube is so important to the Warden.

During her time at Camp Greenlake, Stanley becomes close with Zero. Zero is the outcast of
the group, barely talks, and is constantly made fun of by the others. Stanley soon learns that she never learned how to read and write, so she makes it her mission to teach her. They trade an hour of digging for a reading lesson, until the other gang members find out and spoil their deal. The Warden bans reading lessons and makes sure that every gang member is digging their own hole. At one point however, she has them digging one giant hole which ends disastrously.

After being mocked one too many times, Zero has had enough and makes a run for it.
Stanley feels the need to run after her and save her, as there is no food or water for miles. Stanley soon finds Zero and together they hike to a mountain called God’s Thumb. It is there that they find water and onions to live off of. After making the realization that the Warden is looking for something, they decide to go back to camp to find it first. Early in the morning before the gang begins digging, they dig a hole of their own and find a treasure chest.

The Warden catches them just as they are leaving and tries to take the treasure just as
Stanley’s attorney and the Attorney General arrive. They have evidence that Stanley was actually innocent and attempt to take her back home. During their bickering, Zero uses the small amount of reading skills she has to inform everyone that the suitcase has Stanley’s name on it, because it’s the same forwards and backwards. The Warden continues to claim that it’s her stolen treasure but Stanley’s attorney would not take it. Stanley, who is now free, refuses to leave without Zero. Mr. Pendanski, one of the counselors, reveals that Zero’s misplaced. Stanley’s attorney makes the argument that they have no real case proving that Zero has reason to be at Camp Greenlake, allowing her to also leave camp. After saying their goodbyes to the gang, they are then reunited with their parents, making for a happy ending.

Cast List:

Stanley – Lily Monteiro

Zero – Lyla Perry 

X-Ray – Grace Favole 

Zigzag – Ella Goodrich

Armpit – Victoria Miquel

Magnet – Ryleigh Murphy 

Mr. Sir – Sebastian Tineo

Mr. Pendanski – Charlie Gusmano

Warden – Valentina Sharoubim

Kate Barlow – Sophia Perez 

Elya – Gannon Melley

Young Stanley – Brianna Christensen 

Sarah Miller – Valentina Sharoubim

Madome Zeroni – Samantha Figueroa

Igor – Charlie Gusmano

Trout Walker – Gannon Melley

Linda – Elizabeth Allaga 

Sam – Lucas Tineo

Mrs. Collingswood – Brianna Christensen 

Sheriff – Tessa O’Sullivan

Myra – Sophia Perez 

Myra’s Father – Gannon Melley

Stanley’s mother – Sophia Perez

Stanley’s father – Gannon Melley

Stanley’s attorney- Elizabeth Allaga

Attorney General – Gannon Melley

Judge – Dr. Sinha

Police Officers – Mr. Rosado and Dr. Sinha 

Toughest kid in camp – Elizabeth Allaga