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KEN BLAIR

EHS students rehearse this week for “The Pajama Game.”

EASTHAMPTON - You could call it theater for the 99 percent. The Easthampton High School Drama Club production of "The Pajama Game" which opens tonight at White Brook Middle School, is based on a novel about workers at a pajama factory whose demands for a raise are being ignored by the owners. Among the well-known musical numbers from the show are "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway."

Some 60 Easthampton high school and middle school students are involved in the show, which has been in production since October. Cast and crew have spent the last three mnonths learning lines, practicing songs and handling scene and costume changes.

The show is set in the 1950s and fortunately, the high school has a number of costumes from that era on hand, said John Meisner, a member of the Easthampton High School Parent Council and a co-producer of the show.

The best thing about producing the annual musical is watching the camaraderie develop among the cast and crew, he said.

"It's amazing to see everything come together in a cohesive whole," Meisner said. "And to see the transformation of these students. They just blossom."

The play relies on an ensemble cast. Among the leads are: Connor Gibbs as Hines, a time study manager; Ben May as Prez, the union president; Erik Bernier as Mr. Hasler, the factory owner; Molly Bialecki as Gladys, his secretary; Nathan Flannery as Sid Sorokin, the new superintendent; Jonesis Figueroa as Mable, his secretary, Liz Burdeau as Babe Williams, the union rep; and Erika Flannery as Mae, a member of the grievance committee.

Performances will be held tonight at 6 p.m.; tomorrow and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students and seniors and are available at a will call desk at White Brook half an hour before show time. For reservations, call 433-6234.

Stay tuned for more city school theater this month: Fourth-graders at Center and Pepin elementary schools will perform "Beauty and the Beast" on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium.

Budget planning

City school leaders are starting work on a schools budget for next year. The School Committee will meet Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. in their first budget workshop of the season to review potential funding sources for school programs.

Last year's $13.9 million schools budget was balanced by $360,500 in cuts, including reductions in Easthampton High School's metal shop classes. School leaders said those cuts were needed to avoided teacher layoffs or the elimination of entire programs.

At last week's School Committee meeting, Chairman Peter Gunn asked school business consultant Andy Paquette whether the city schools should be preparing for another difficult budget year.

"Yes, it will definitely be another difficult year," Paquette said. "Tax revenues are up but we are still looking at a $1 billion statewide budget deficit."

Paquette said the school department's Administrative Team is working on a preliminary "level service" budget that contains the same level of spending last year in the event the city provides no additional funds for the schools this year. Team members are also working on identifying specific budget priorities.

Gunn stressed that "level funded does not mean level services." A level services budget is actually a cut because it does not account for inflation or other cost increases.

Paquette said the team aims to present a draft budget to the School Committee's Finance Committee the week of Feb. 6, in advance of the Feb. 13 meeting with the full committee.

Barbara Solow can be reached at BSolow@gazettnet.com.