From Thursday, Oct. 26 to Saturday, Oct. 28, Westlake Theatre put on performances of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” in the Black Box Theater. The musical is based upon the familiar “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schultz, and was directed by Meredith Yanchak, who helped bring the show to life.

“The show is so happy, it’s so joyful,” Yanchak said. “The show is familiar to a lot of people; it bridges generations and the characters hold a special place in people’s hearts.”

What’s different about this production, compared to other Westlake Theatre projects, is that it features a music ensemble directed by Orchestra Director Josue Martinez. This 13-piece ensemble was composed of orchestra and band members, along with non-student performers.

“I wanted to do more collaboration with the performing arts departments on this campus,” Yanchak said. “Art is first and foremost a collaborative experience, even if you had a one person show, there will be other people involved. There’s a lot to learn from working together. In April, I just walked up and suggested [the musical] to Mr. Martinez, and he said [it] sounded like a fun project.”

Auditions for the show started the second week of the school year. Like other productions, it was open to all students, giving every Westlake student a chance to participate in this unique experience.

“I think it’s important in a school this size to give people a lot of opportunities and let them choose what they would like to participate in,” Yanchak said. “There are people in [this show] that I don’t have in [my theater class]. Snoopy, Vivian Stewart, I do not have in class, as it’s an open audition.”

Cast members like Vivian brought the characters to life during the three days by acting, singing and dancing throughout the two-hour performances.

“I loved doing the bows and singing ‘Happiness’ because we all get to be ourselves,” junior Lance Prosise said, who played Charlie Brown in the musical. “It’s genuine, it’s real and we were all having a good time.”