During a person’s teen years, there’s a lot of changes.
For Rupert Lydecker in the Wagon Wheel Junior’s Halloween musical “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Werewolf,” one of those changes includes becoming a werewolf.
Warsaw Community High School student Isaac Greene, 17, who plays Lydecker, explained, “Basically, there’s this loser of a kid named Rupert and he doesn’t like his life and he gets bullied for it. He’s willing to go to great lengths to change, to get people to like him.”
The bully is Chet Lumpcrass, played by Gaby Basalo, 16, a Lakeland Christian Academy student. “He thinks he’s the coolest person in the school, and he wants to have a career in music,” Basalo said.
Greene said Lydecker visits an asylum where a mad scientist lives. “Basically, he gives me a potion and turns me into a werewolf that’s basically Elvis. An Elvis werewolf.”
The werewolf starts singing, Basalo continues, showing Lumpcrass up. Lumpcrass gets jealous.
“While I’m the werewolf, I find love and obviously I turn back into a normal human again and gain some self-confidence so I’m not so much of a loser,” Greene stated.
A couple songs in the show are like Elvis Presley songs and 1950s rock ’n’ roll. The show is set during that time period.
Basalo said the songs are fun to sing and it’s interesting to sing the type of music that was sung back then. Greene said it was interesting to compare how different music is now from then.
“When we do choreography to those songs, we do things like they would do back then, too,” Basalo said.
“Some of the words they say are a little crazy. They can write down any kind of words they want to and I have to say it, like wop-bop-a-loo-bop,” Greene stated.
“You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Werewolf” is Greene’s fifth or sixth Wagon Wheel Junior show, and Basalo’s sixth. Basalo said what he enjoys most about doing the shows is the community of people involved in them, especially seeing old friends.

      

“Just coming back every show and seeing everyone who you’ve done shows with in the past, or meeting new people,” Basalo said.
Greene said doing theater is really fun because you get to take on a different person, but he also likes to see the friends from different schools and areas who he doesn’t see outside of the Wagon Wheel.
Basalo also likes doing theater-in-the-round. “I love it,” he said. Greene said he doesn’t know anything different.
“I also really like how the directors and the crew challenge us. Like, I have to talk like a nerd, and then I have to talk like Elvis. They’ve got me to do things I didn’t think I would do,” Greene said.
Basalo said it was different for him to play a character he didn’t really how he would act and he had to research that type of character to create him.
Greene said the show isn’t a horror show, but it’s meant for young kids. Basalo said it’s very family oriented.
“We put a bunch of work into this show. When we came here, we didn’t even know our roles a week ago. We got our roles a week from Friday,” Greene said. “And, honestly, for a cast of kids, it’s pretty amazing what we can do.”
Basalo said it’s “pretty awesome how people here at the Wagon Wheel help us get to do that.”
“They set a standard for perfection and then we have to meet that,” Greene said.
“They treat us like we’re professionals,” Basalo stated.
Showtimes for “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Werewolf” are 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29. The Not-So-Haunted Open House begins one hour before showtime. Tickets are $20 each and includes the Not-So-Haunted Open House.
Education Director Kira Lace Hawkins is directing the show, with Artistic Director Scott Michaels choreographing. Associate Artistic Director Jennifer Dow is the production manager for the show and open house.
“The whole point of the open house when we started it several years ago - we wanted to make the Halloween time more of an event for the community, knowing that the show is a great thing in of itself, but we were like, ‘What could we do a little bit extra to make it cooler for Halloween?’ So we started doing this open house and it has grown to this,” Dow said.
The open house incorporates old set pieces from previous Wagon Wheel shows like “The Addams Family” and “Young Frankenstein.”
During the open house, there are a costume contest, a candy jar guess, a scavenger hunt, make-your-own trick-or-treat bags and 13 games to play. At each game, a person can win candy and prizes, Dow explained.
“So, obviously, you have to win the prizes, but everyone gets candy!” she said. “There’s also the Mad Lab where we have a local science teacher - Matt Wiese - come in, and he’s done it for several years, and makes slime with the kids. Gets out all the raw ingredients and they make glitter slime.”
There also will be a bake sale, which is a fundraiser for the Wagon Wheel.
“There’s a lot to do and it’s included in the ticket price, which is why the ticket price is bumped up just a little bit for the show. It’s just easier on us to do it that way, to include it all in one big event,” Dow said.
She said the event has always been fun and successful and they always get really good feedback.
“It’s a really, really fun thing for all of us to get to do,” Dow stated.
Tickets can be ordered online or purchased at the box office at the door.
“You get here early, have some fun, see the show,” Dow concluded.