After 17 years, Christmas at Windsor Castle is still going strong.

Windsor Castle took place December 10-11 and it was enjoyed by the Windsor community. 

“This year’s Windsor Castle was amazing. It was one of the best shows we’ve had in a few years. The crowd was really into it. We received a lot of compliments on the show, and the students loved the storyline,” teacher Whitney Crabtree, who runs the show, said. 

A lot of pieces have to work perfectly for the show to happen.

The main piece being the fact that Whitney Crabtree has to write a play within a play for the show.

The play within a play factor is used every year with different stories chosen–this year Elizabeth I vs. Mary, Queen of Scots was chosen to have the story revolve around.

“In the show, Mary crashes Elizabeth’s Christmas party. While they are arguing, a group of four pirates break in and sword fight the guards, so we had 9 different people sword fighting at once. After the sword fight, Elizabeth takes mercy on everyone who crashed the party and invites them to dine with her,” Crabtree said. 

This isn’t anywhere near all that went into it, though.  Many teachers and students put a lot of time and effort into making it all happen.

The other teachers involved included: Mr. Darmody (logistics), Mrs. Willenbrock (food), Ms. Oestricker (finance/tickets), and Mr. Hermach (music). Along with that, the maintenance staff helps transform the high school commons into the Windsor Castle set every year. 

The cast spent many many hours preparing for it via countless rehearsals.

“We started preparing on October 31, so it was like a monthish of preparation. A lot of the rehearsals were at school during Owl Time, most of the rehearsals I was in were practicing for the couples dance. Everyone else worked on their respective dances and sometimes we would read through the script to practice memorizing lines,” senior Ethan Meece said. 

Windsor Castle is a place of comfort for friends, family, cast, choir, band, servers and artists.

Crabtree said, “Windsor Castle, to me, is about family, friends, and the holiday spirit. It has become an annual tradition for many people in the community. Traditions are so important. I look forward to it every year, even though it’s a lot of work.”