Say 'Whah Whah Whah,' Charlie Brown? [VIDEO]

The Drama Club is staging four performances of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" at the high school through the weekend, but as of Thursday one vital role still remained unfilled. 

The performers were looking for someone who could imitate the distinct "wah wah wah" sound effect that the Charlie Brown cartoons made famous whenever a parent or teacher needed to talk. In the cartoons, that sound effect was made by a musical instrument, but the drama club was looking for someone who could best imitate the sound naturally for the upcoming performances - and because it seemed a good way to generate interest and excitement throughout the community about the performances. 

"We're just looking to get as much buzz going around the school and the town as possible," said Amanda Lister, an English Teacher at the high school who is directing the weekend performances. "We're trying to get people who can imitate that noise." 

To find the perfect voice, the club held auditions at the high school Thursday afternoon, encouraging as many students and staff as possible to try their hand at mimicking that distinct sound. 

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Jim Farrell, an assistant principal at the high school, said more than 30 people auditioned for the role Thursday and it generated good interest in the weekend performances. 

"It's a lot of short scenes, and each one of them is based off of Schultz's single comics," said Dan McAuliffe, a student who will play the role of Snoopy this weekend. "Each one will be one blip of a comic." 

"They're almost like little vignettes, but they're all hilarious," added Alex Lehofer, who is playing the role of Schroeder. 

Students Brittany Chesworth (whose audition we have video footage of) and Darcey Rodriguez were selected to voice the role. 

Performances will be held Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Bailey Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and anyone under 18. For more information about the performances or to reserve tickets contact Amanda Lister - b11alist@manchesterct.gov - or Ed Tyler - b11etyle@manchesterct.gov - or call 860-647-3521, Ex. 70011. 

"It's a great show for kids, but it's a great show for the young at heart even if you're not a kid," said Lister. It's really, really fun. It'll bring back all the nostalgia and all the things that you remember. It's very, very funny. The kids are talented. There's singing, there's dancing - it's a great time."