Nelson Sets the Stage for Macabre Musical Memories With The Addams Family
A family secret, an unexpected romance and one decidedly unusual dinner set the stage for Adrienne C. Nelson High School’s PERFORMING ARTS to bring its students together in The Addams Family School Edition. Opening Thursday, November 5, at 7 p.m. in the ANHS Auditorium in Happy Valley, the musical comedy puts student actors, technical theatre crew members and pit musicians at the heart of a shared theatrical experience. For Nelson, the memories in the making extend beyond the spotlight to everyone helping bring this strange and spirited family to life.
Based on the iconic television show and characters originally created by Charles Addams, the song-and-dance-filled production tells an original story: Wednesday Addams has fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. She confides in Gomez and asks him to keep the news from Morticia, forcing her father to hide a secret from his beloved wife. When Wednesday’s boyfriend and his parents arrive for dinner, two very different families meet. The musical features a book by Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award winner Andrew Lippa, whose work includes The Wild Party.
Junior Adrian Whitehead plays Gomez opposite senior Adriana Lima as Morticia, with senior Sydney McCarty portraying Wednesday at the center of the family’s upheaval. Senior Dash Head takes on Uncle Fester, junior Alex Johnson plays Grandma, and junior Chloe Canessa portrays Pugsley. Their characters bring the Addams household’s distinctive personalities to the stage, where family loyalty and Wednesday’s new romance collide.
Junior Liam Clayton appears as Lurch, while seniors Sofie Turrentine and Jack Coppernoll play Alice and Mal Beineke. Sophomore Caiden Ramos portrays their son, Lucas, and an ancestor ensemble rounds out the cast. Allison Lee serves as director and vocal director, Lisa Cherrington choreographs, Kellie McCarty and Kristin Karnitz serve as technical directors, and John Donnely conducts the pit. Alongside the cast, Nelson’s student technical theatre crew and pit musicians make this production a department-wide effort, connecting performance, backstage work and live music.
The 2026 run offers six performances across two weeks. Following opening night, shows take place Saturday, November 7, at 2 and 7 p.m.; Thursday, November 12, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, November 14, at 2 and 7 p.m. There are no Friday performances. With afternoon and evening options, audiences can choose when to meet the family and share in the students’ work.
Reserved-seat tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens. For ticket information, call 503-353-5750, or purchase tickets at https://anhs.nclack.k12.or.us/. The show contains some crude humor and mild language, so parents should use discretion when bringing children. Join us to celebrate the students onstage, backstage and in the pit, whose combined work gives Nelson’s theatre community a new experience to remember. Come meet the family. We’ll leave the lights off for you.
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