Once upon a time, the students of Huntley High School worked endless hours prepping for one of the most important nights of their lives. They have spent months singing until their voices were hoarse and dancing until their feet were sore, but it was all worth it because their story ends with a happily ever after.

On April 19, 20, and 21, the hard-working cast of “Once Upon A Mattress” told the story of the princess and the pea. However, this was not the usual tale many have grown to know. This version was about a kingdom ruled by a mute king and an extremely talkative queen who refused to let anyone get married unless her son was married to a true princess.

Twelve princesses were given tests and they all failed, but one day a princess of the swamps took a swim in the moat and into the prince’s heart. She had a little unknown help from an iconic trio: the minstrel, the jester, and the king.

“I’m really glad that I got to be with such a supporting cast,” said senior Jason Trejo, who played the jester. “I’m excited to continue my journey in theater after high school.”

There were two total seniors who used this show as their final chapter in their high school theater experience.

Trejo was one of them, and the other was Anna Skala who played the princess Winnifred, better known as Fred. Her portrayal of the character showed the audience that just because someone is shy, doesn’t mean it needs to stop them from finding their happy ending.

“It took a lot of hard work for us to get to where we are,” sophomore Jessica Cannizzo said. “As we finally put on these performances I feel like all the hard work is paying off.” In the beginning, the cast was quite hesitant about how well their performances would go, but the audience made it quite clear that they gave their all in their performances.

“Just having such an amazing cast to back me up is a great way to end my high school year,” Skala said.