MHS Ripple Dipple ~ Performers Wanted
Messalonskee band director Andy Forster would like to put the variety back into Ripple Dipple, Messalonskee’s well-seasoned talent show.
Forster said Ripple Dipple used to feature a full assortment of standup comedy, theater skits, dance routines, even martial arts demonstrations, whereas in more recent years the emphasis has gone to musical performances.
“I wish we could get more of that variety,” Forster said.
Auditions for this year’s Ripple Dipple take place after school Monday, February 12th. The show itself returns to the Performing Arts Center stage Wednesday, April 11.
English teacher Lori Hanson remembers well when Ripple Dipple drew raves for its assortment of acts and for good reason: she ran the show. In fact, she ran the show for nearly two decades (save for a single year sabbatical), starting in the mid-1990s, a year after a former English teacher resurrected the event.
Hanson took on Ripple Dipple largely for fundraising reasons. “I did the yearbook,” she said, “and we needed a computer system, so we raised money for that.”
And raise it she did, turning a show that earned just $300 the year before into an event that netted more than $3,000.
The key? Well…variety.
Hanson said she wrote a script for the show each year, always featuring a student as master of ceremonies and including elements such as a Messalonskee Top 10 list and various other gags and skits.
To pull off the show, Hanson said she and the cast would spend months in preparation to ensure that it ran smoothly. But the rewards, she said, were worth the time and effort.
“It was loads of fun,” she said, “and there were some kids that this was their thing. This was a chance for them to prove that they had worth, that they had some skills, and I appreciated them doing it.”