Saint Viator High School presents ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’

For cast members performing in Saint Viator’s production of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” their immersion into Narnia — a land of talking animals and mythical creatures — reflects the adventures of the characters they play. They’re taken into a whole new world.

Cast members have been working on the show since the second week of school, or mid-August, doing everything from interpreting their characters, building sets, and even helping with costumes.

Performances take place at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 23-25; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. Saint Viator is at 1213 E. Oakton St., Arlington Heights. Purchase tickets at events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/saintviator/L2VtYmVkL2FsbA==

Still, it’s the takeaways from C.S. Lewis’ classic book, which focuses on the conflict between good and evil — and the adventure that unfolds — that has captivated students.

The show begins with the sounds of air raids in London at the beginning of World War II. Like many other children, the Pevensie siblings are sent to live in a large house owned by a professor in the English countryside.

“The story is a metaphor for the Bible and the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection,” said Elle Hohmeier, ’26, of Palatine, who plays the White Witch. “I remember reading the book and learning about its meaning back in middle school, so it’s been fun to bring it to life.”

Senior Ben Stuber of Arlington Heights plays Aslan, a lion, and the rightful king of Narnia, who sacrifices himself to save Edmund, one of the four children, only to be resurrected in time to save the residents of Narnia — and the children.

“I’ve had fun trying to interpret his character,” said Ben, who has appeared in the fall play since he was a freshman. “I’m trying to make him majestic, heroic, even noble, by using a deep voice, while still not making him the center of attention.”

Senior Megan Newell of Arlington Heights has also appeared in the fall play every year since she was a freshman. In this show, she plays the role of Lucy, the youngest of the four children, who stumbles onto the magical land of Narnia when she walks into a wardrobe in the professor’s house.

“I’m having fun with her character,” Megan said. “It’s allowing me to be myself and find my inner child.”

Creating the set has been a journey, which has drawn actors and tech crew members into its building and design. They describe the build-out as “complicated,” with crafting various design elements in everything from the professor’s house to the land of Narnia.

Anna Kuznetsov, ’28, of Buffalo Grove described the difficulty in creating some of the interior in the professor’s house.

“We were painting with stencils,” she said. “It was difficult to make it look like wallpaper.”

Her classmate, Caroline Capra, ’28, of Bartlett, pointed to the thrones they had to create, by cutting fabric and applying it to chairs.

“We basically had this vision, but we had nothing to go from, so we were trying to create them from scratch,” she said.

Brothers Ethan, ’27, and Logan, ’29, Boudreau of Mount Prospect took pride in creating the White Witch’s majestic sleigh.

“We basically learned to make wood curve,” Ethan said. “I’d say it stands out on stage.”

All of these elements came into focus during tech week, director and fine arts chairperson Megan Gray said.

“We are excited to combine all of the actors’ hard work with the sets, lights, and beautiful costumes made by Kia Venegas,” Gray said. “I met Kia when she kindly lent us some of her incredible Shrek costumes for our summer show, so we are thrilled to have her back creating all of the magical creatures of Narnia.”