A student production of “The Sound of Music” opening this weekend in Basalt seeks to celebrate a return to normal, while rebuilding school music and theater programs that have waned in recent years, even before the pandemic.

It’s also believed to be the first-ever performance involving five different Roaring Fork district schools, Director Sonya Meyer said.

Last year, with public health restrictions squarely in place, Basalt High School presented “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

“We wanted to come back with something bigger that included more kids as a way to start rebuilding the programs,” Meyer said.

“The Sound of Music” was the perfect opportunity to include two high schools, two middle schools and even a couple of Basalt Elementary School students.

Since neighboring Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale hadn’t had its own theater production for several years, and with the need for a few more student actors to round out the cast, Roaring Fork and Carbondale Middle School were included.

“It’s definitely a first as far as anyone can remember,” Meyer said. “Last year with COVID, we had a very small cast, so after being in masks for two years we’re hopefully going to grow these programs back, and get some younger students involved.

“It’s so important that kids are exposed to theater, and for a lot of these kids this is their outlet,” she said. “You can really see them thriving in this environment, and they’ve found a whole new group of friends and community by combining the schools.”

The show opens at 7 p.m. Friday and runs again for a matinee at 2 p.m. and a 7 p.m. Saturday performance at the Basalt Middle School auditorium.

An Easter weekend run is also on tap, with performances at the same times April 15-16.

BHS junior Evelyn Becker plays the lead part of Maria — popularized by Julie Andrews’ portrayal in the classic 1965 movie version — the musically inclined nanny who isn’t quite cut out for the nunhood and is called upon to take care of the children of Capt. von Trapp.

Becker admits she didn’t know too much about the show but understands its significance for those who grew up watching the movie pretty much every Easter weekend on TV.

She was also thrilled to play such a classic part.

“I really like being part of a show that involves lots of different schools, and getting to branch out like this,” she said. “And playing a character who is so big to our parents and their parents, that’s pretty cool.”

Becker was part of last year’s scaled-back show and said she’s glad to be able to do a musical without all the restrictions.

Ditto for Victor Argueta Gomez, a BHS senior who plays Capt. von Trapp. This will be Gomez’s fourth stage production, and he said he particularly likes the musical aspect of this year’s show.

“I enjoy what I’m able to do with this character, and express myself in how he is portrayed,” Gomez said. “I also very much enjoy the large cast we have, and how much we can learn and teach some of the younger kids.”

A majority of the 36 students in the production are in middle school, Meyer said.

“It’s been really special to watch them work together,” she said. “Originally, we wanted to do the show at both (Basalt and Carbondale) schools, but there were too many logistics. The Carbondale parents really came through to get the kids here for rehearsals, and everyone has really come together as a team.”

The plot of “The Sound of Music,” with its setting in 1938 Austria as the Nazis are taking over, also has a particular relevance today with the unrest in eastern Europe, Meyer said.

“It kind of feels like ancient history, until you put it in that context,” she said. “For anyone who has grandparents who were alive then, or who were Holocaust survivors, it hits pretty close to home.”

The roles of the von Trapp children are double-cast, so that all of the students would have a chance to be on stage, she added.

Music director and producer Christina Wenning, the choir teacher at RFHS, also plays the iconic part of Mother Abbess.

The show is a first for Roaring Fork High School senior Rebeca Galicia, who plays the part of Uncle Max.

“It’s very exciting to have this new experience, and I really am enjoying it so far,” she said. “I just decided to try something new for my senior year, and I’ve always wanted to go into the film industry, so this is a good fit.

“It’s also been really great meeting new people who I didn’t really know before, and how the communities have come together for this,” Galicia said.

Senior Reporter/Managing Editor John Stroud can be reached at 970-384-9160 or jstroud@postindependent.com.