IN LIVING TECHNICOLOR Drama Dawgs present ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

By Editor | March 20, 2026 |

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA McCUNE | DGKN

Dalton’s Carsten Nussbaum plays Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The Drama Dawgs are presenting three shows 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 22.

Drama Dawgs Maya Wenger and Cora Hull are Narrators in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

By CHRISTINA McCUNE
DGKN managing editor

DALTON For the second time, the stage has been extended and a special costume returns to Dalton Local Auditorium for the high school drama department’s spring musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

Music is lively and movement seems to flow constantly throughout the entire production. This musical is unique in that there aren’t scenes with speaking parts to break up musical acts.

Cast members tell the story in song in this production directed by Robin Evans-DelCiappo and Louis DelCiappo. Evans-DelCiappo’s sister, Julie Nussbaum, is assistant director, and Heather Carr, music and orchestra. Community members and school staff and family members volunteered to lend their musical talent with instruments including guitars, keyboard and trumpet.
Tickets are available at the door and can be reserved through the link at www.daltonlocal.org. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday March 20 and 21 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 22. All seats are $10.

Behind the scenes making shows run smoothly, senior Ellice Michaels has been involved in every Dalton production since she was a freshman and has served as stage manager since she was a sophomore. She filled in for the one-act play when a lead role was injured. Michaels plans to go to Ohio Northern after she graduates for civil engineering.

“I’m going to miss all the people because I’ve made a lot of friends, especially with some of the underclassmen,” she said. “I’m going to miss helping with the performances because I really like helping out and being there for the process of it.”

Michaels said she has loved every production but “Anything Goes” stands out in her mind as a favorite. She said she has learned much from being involved in theater at high school.

“I think I’ve learned a lot about leadership and what it takes to be a good leader and how to teach and help people and also how it is to work in a group. You need to be able to rely on everyone around you and they need to be able to rely on you.”

Senior Ryan Hamsher plays a few roles including Potiphar.

Hamsher has been involved in theater for most of his high school career. A role that stands out to him is acting as Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He said he’ll miss everyone he has worked with after he graduates, and he has learned patience thanks to being in theater, which he thinks is an attribute he can carry with him through his life.

Senior Pressli Hershberger said she has enjoyed the challenges of being on crew through her high school career and especially working with her best friend, Samantha Thiel. A third senior, Jaxon Ryder, also has been helping backstage with the show.

Hershberger said she hopes to continue being involved in theater in college.

She said she especially enjoyed working on “Damn Yankees” because of all the moving parts.

For “Joseph,” crew members handle details and do everything from painting to sewing to steaming and ironing costumes to making props – which has included making papier mache fruit.

“What I’ve learned a lot from doing this is at first I was so worried about doing it right and how I thought it had to be and then I realized you can be creative as long as you get the job done.”
“We always talk about how we have such a great community and we really all get along,” she said. “Some of my best friends do this. It’s been a good opportunity to hang out with them and make some fun memories.”

Carsten Nussbaum, junior, plays the lead role of Joseph.

“This is more challenging because there’s no break to any of the singing. It goes all the way through. There’s no pauses in between for dialogue so there’s no talking between the characters directly. It takes a big strain on my voice and everyone’s voices who sing it but I think that challenge really helps me to think: ‘wow, this is what Broadway people do and it’s really professional. It’s really cool.”

Nussbaum has been in productions since he was a freshman and he especially enjoyed “Anything Goes” his freshman year because he was able to be on stage with his sister, Ava Nussbaum, before she graduated.

“It’s probably been one of the most fun roles in general,” Nussbaum said about playing the role of Joseph. “Every song is a spoof on a different musical style. It’s making fun of it a little bit – because it’s an overplayed version of different styles. Getting to sing a rock ballad versus a funk song or jazz … it’s a lot of fun.”

Nussbaum looks forward to auditioning for shows next year. Out of 60 students involved in this year’s production there are only a handful of seniors. Many juniors participate in cast and crew and he hopes underclassmen are encouraged to join and the program continues to grow.

It’s a challenge to not smile on stage when he sees audience members react to the actors but at the same time that’s a highlight about playing a role.

“Being able to play to the back of the audience, play it up, and have a lot of fun on the stage, being your character, pretending to be somebody else, the amount of emotion you have to portray, all the facial expressions – it’s fun to figure it out,” he said.

Nussbaum said the tight-knit community is the best thing about being in a small school.

“You know everybody and everybody knows you. … I know the names of everybody that’s here and I’m friends with all of them,” he said.

As one would imagine, the coat – which is a character all its own – is eye catching and beautifully made. This particular coat has a story of its own and was made by Nancy Yoder, owner of Nancy’s Draperies, who made the coat for Smithville and also has ties with the Dalton community. The colorful coat was worn when Dalton put on the play 15 years ago and Evans-DelCiappo called Yoder before Christmas to make sure she reserved the coat. Audience members are in for a surprise treat as a Dalton alum plays the role of Jacob, Evans-DelCiappo said.
According to Concord Theatricals, the musical is one of the most enduring shows of all time. “‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ is a reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his father Jacob, 11 brothers and the coat of many colors.

Told entirely through song with the help of a main character Narrator, the musical follows preferred son Joseph. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled, Elvis-inspired, Pharaoh. Joseph’s solution to Egypt’s famine elevates him to Pharaoh’s right-hand man and reunites him with his family.
The magical musical is full of catchy songs in a variety of styles, from a parody of French ballads (“Those Canaan Days”), to country-western (“One More Angel in Heaven”) and calypso (“Benjamin Calypso”), along with the unforgettable classics “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door.” Appropriate for all audiences and groups, Joseph is performed hundreds of times a year by schools across North America, the U.K. and around the world.”