Local Dad Crafts Amazing Props For School Musical This Weekend

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Cathedral High School is presenting the musical production of "Little Shop of Horrors" this weekend.

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While the focus on stage will be all about the students, one parent has spent months working on the plant props and helping to bring them to life. Renting the puppets was too expensive, so Wes Schneider was contacted by the show director, who said he wanted the plants to look as real as possible.

The first two are hand puppets, which turned out excellent.  The larger two have individuals inside of them to help work the mechanisms for the mouth.  The final one, being as large as it is, has somebody inside, and it also has puppeteers behind it to help operate it.

Schneider says he started with the smallest plant back in June, which took him about a month to create; the second one was about one-and-a-half months, the third one two months, and the final one, the largest of the four, was an over-three-month project.

Schneider says there was a lot of trial and error to get them all just right.

You just keep on adding and making sure that it's sturdy, sound, and does the function that they need it to function.  The biggest one has to be able to talk and eat people.  So, people have to climb in the front.  But we want it to look like it's the same creature as the small one.

His son Grant has been cast in the role of Seymour for the show.

He says Cathedral owns the plants, and they will decide whether to sell them or rent them out to other schools.

Show dates and times: 
Thursday, 2/19 - 7pm
Friday, 2/20 - 7p
Saturday, 2/21 - 2pm and 7pm