As winter turns bleak, frigid, and dull, many turn to heartwarming entertainment to fill their souls with that warm feeling they aren’t receiving outdoors. Films like The Holdovers (2023), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and Good Will Hunting (1997) fit this mold perfectly, mixing heartbreaking plotlines with soulful performances and moody vibes. This desire for comfortable soul-touching media hit Granville High School last month with the performance of their latest production, “Leaving Iowa.”
“Leaving Iowa” follows Don Browning, a middle-aged writer who returns to his childhood home of Winterset, Iowa and decides to finally take his father’s ashes to his childhood home, a task he requested years ago at the point of the play. But when Don discovers that his Grandmother’s house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place for his father. This posthumous father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don’s memories of the annual torturous vacations of his childhood. Don’s deeply reflective and personal journey leads him to reconcile his relationship with his father, the rest of his family, and himself.
Simply put, the production was wonderful. From the moment I walked into the theater, I could tell that this was going to be a show that lived up to the incredibly high standards of the Granville Drama Department.
This feeling originated with the set, which despite its minimalist nature, is used perfectly to its full potential. The centerpiece of the set, the car, was utilized for both the current-day journey led by the protagonist Don Browning and the multitude of flashbacks to Browning’s childhood family roadtrips. To either side of the car stood tall projector screens that displayed a variety of roadsign markers leading the audience through the storybeats of the production. All in all, the set and overall production design served as a perfect backdrop for the incredible performances I will highlight next.
Once the lights eased back on after the conclusion of the play, my thoughts immediately rushed to reasons why I enjoyed it to the level that I did. The dialogue and general writing was pleasant, despite some slight pacing issues that are easily dismissible. The backstage production was incredibly impressive, I knew that from the moment I walked in.
But this question remained on my mind until I stepped out of the theater entirely and into the commons. Once I saw the cast of “Leaving Iowa” standing with pride after their closing night show, I immediately came to my senses and realized why the show was so good. The performances were just on another level.
Easily the most impressive performance of the night was the spectacular effort put on by senior Zachary Schilling. His complete control of the narrative and stage as the lead man Don Browning easily conquers most lead performances in Granville drama in recent memory and rivals performances I’ve seen in theater departments at universities like Otterbein and Denison. He does this while being on stage for a solid 75% of the production and with far-and-away the most lines in the entire cast.
Now this challenging and impressive performance doesn’t sound particularly out of the realm of possibility since Schilling is a senior, right? Well, he technically is. In the world of theater, Schilling would be better categorized as a freshman. That’s right, “Leaving Iowa” was the first production of Schilling’s career. With such a great performance right out of the gate, I am excited to see what Schilling can do in the next production here at Granville, “The Outsiders.”
While Schilling’s performance was spectacular, especially for a first-time performer, it would not have been possible without the incredible performances surrounding him. Schilling’s Don Browning serves as an anchor for the production to move around, but the real soul of the show came from the flashback scenes depicting the family’s underwhelming road trip to Hannibal, Missouri.
Owen Costa and Aubrey Baus, both Granville Drama staples, portray Browning’s parents. Their portrayal of an honest, caring, and sometimes overwhelmed Midwestern parent tag-team seems almost too authentic to be true, but they somehow deliver. Their scenes of trying to calm down their unruly kids, portrayed by Gavin Rafter and Violet Schneider (both of which were also splendid), are some of the best in the show.
If it weren’t for their contribution as heartfelt backstory, the character of Don Browning would probably fall flat. We wouldn’t have any reason to actually root for him as he goes on his adventure, making the whole play a little pointless in the process. But thankfully, Costa, Baus, Rafter, and Schneider all delivered and really brought the production to the next level.
After seeing “Leaving Iowa” this November, I am incredibly excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for the Granville Drama Department. In the new year they will be putting on two more productions, “The Outsiders” starring another drama staple Sam Hannig as Ponyboy, and “Newsies,” the famed ensemble musical based on the 1899 New York City newsboys’ strike.
After seeing what they did with “Leaving Iowa,” I and many other Granville theater patrons are totally stoked to see what they do next.
