Arts
Drama
This year’s play, Cheaper By The Dozen, will be performed on March 27, 28, and 29, 2025. Directed by Mrs. Faith Fedor, co-directed by Mr. Matt Nichols, and student directed by Erik Mitchell, this performance will charm and captivate you and your family. This play adaptation of the book by Frank Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey is written by Christopher Sergel.
Cheaper by the Dozen is based on the 1948 best-selling novel about the Gilbreth family, who lived during the 1920's. The story is narrated by now-grown Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and his sister, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The siblings reminisce about their childhoods and life in the big house in Montclair, New Jersey. Growing up in a family with twelve children was unique enough. Add a father and mother of international fame in the burgeoning world of factory production efficiency, and daily life became an experiment in revolutionary new methods of household management.
Without question, life pivoted around Dad. He was the eternal optimist, idealistic motivator, browbeating enforcer and lovable teddy bear. With charm and confidence, he could persuade just about anyone to do just about anything. When Dad was having a bad day, Mother could always be counted on for a tender word, a sympathetic ear, or a rational explanation for the ordeal of the moment.
No matter what, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth always supported each other in their work, both out of the home and within. As Dad always said, "What works in the factory will work in the home!" Mother (usually) agreed, or at least she loyally said she did.
The two of them strived to raise a completely independent and systematically educated family, with their dozen children functioning at academic levels two to three years ahead of their peers and proficient in everything from touch-system typing to Morse code.
Of course, this all came at a cost: normalcy. The only thing Mr. Gilbreth had not calculated in his plans was his three eldest daughters’ desire to be “normal girls”. As the children approached junior high and high school, it seemed as if social pressures would succeed in ruining the Gilbreth’s system of home education. Mother was the “calm in the storm”, as she had to temper Dad and her boy-crazy daughters.
The oldest Gilbreth child was barely eighteen when her father died from a heart attack while on a business trip. All of a sudden, the children understood why he had been so determined to create an organized home life that ran like clockwork.
This is a true story about determination and love. It is a story filled with tears of both laughter and sorrow. Mr. Gilbreth left behind a legacy of methods and memories that not only anchored his household, but inspired and delighted Americans everywhere.
Tickets are available for purchase at the link below beginning Saturday, March 1st. Prices are $5 for students and $8 for adults with a Saturday matinee bargain showing of $5 for everyone. A Live Streaming link will also be available for $8. Any additional donations will go towards future drama productions at GCCA.
Tickets will also be available at the door each night. Seating will be limited, therefore advance ticket purchase is encouraged. The play will be held at 105 Mill St., Grove City, PA 16127. Doors will open 30 minutes before each show.
Showings:
Thursday, March 27 at 7pm
Friday, March 28 at 7pm
Saturday, March 29 at 2pm and 7pm
Thursday, March 27 at 7pm
Friday, March 28 at 7pm
Saturday, March 29 at 2pm and 7pm
A Christian education in the classical tradition.
