OAKLEAF - The high school's theater department brought nostalgia and laughter to their opening performance on Saturday evening. 

Oakleaf High's first fall production, "Scooby-Doo! and the Ethereal Theatre Thriller," left the audience with applause and laughter. 

The production followed the usual gang—Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby—as they tackled the first five villains from the franchise on the same stage. With twists and turns leading to the show's final scene, the audience was left fully enthralled.

With funny one-liners, comedic bits and the reimagining of iconic characters, the show broke the fourth wall and brought the gang and "The Mystery Machine" to life.

“We’ve kept the spirit of Scooby-Doo through the chases and the love of sandwiches and all that kind of stuff,” said theater teacher Cameron Renfrow. 

Renfrow said the piece was student-directed and co-student-written. With students onstage, backstage and behind the keyboard, Renfrow helped with microphones and sound. She said she only came in to clean things up; her students took the ropes.

“I work really hard with all of the students throughout their time at Oakleaf to get them to know all the different aspects of theater,” she said. 

Planning for the show began last year when Renfrow and a student suggested incorporating the classic franchise into their usual theater lineup.

“We both love Scooby-Doo and were talking about how nostalgic it was,” she said. “And, decided that it would be a lot of fun to write a Scooby-Doo piece together.” 

Renfrow said that, with a mix of all grade levels, it was even some of the students' first time performing.

Coming up, Renfrow said the department will be putting on Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in November. In March, they will have their fourth annual Disney dinner, which Renfrow said the community looks forward to each year.

Their last show, "The Addams Family," will be in May. Renfrow said the department is excited about what’s in store. 

“Hopefully, people like what they see and come to see us again later in the year,” she said.