The rootin' tootin' thespians of Corpus Christi Elementary School brought the old west to life in song and dance in a series of performances held at the school.

The Colorful Old West, is an original tale authored by Sister Peggy in 1992. After a few rewrites, the show is packed with singing, dancing, drama and humor.

In the story a prudish woman attempts to shut down the Silver Spoon Saloon. The saloon's proprietor Miss Lilly invites Lucy Lovelace, a Chicago songstress, to perform in the saloon and bring with her a little respect.

All this unfolds with a cast of 57 students, fifth through eighth grade, under the tutelage of Sister Peggy and Father Kenneth Winkler, who met with them every Monday from 3 to 5 p.m.

"It gives them a feeling of accomplishment and self-esteem," said Sr. Peggy.

Jason Santos, has been a part of the past four Corpus Christi productions. This year he fills the boots of the famous Marshall Matt Dillon.

Along with making new friends, variety is what keeps bringing him back.

Said Santos, "I have fun. I usually get big parts. I get to be a different person each time."

Jennifer Alfonso and Sandra Felix play dance hall girls who perform to Life Upon the Wicked Stage, one of the big dance numbers in the production.

The girls said that their hard work and rehearsal time paid off in an entertaining experience.

Tim Warnecke noted the rise in his levels of confidence as he worked just as hard on stage as he did behind the scenes as evidenced by his early arrival for Saturday's performance.

After Friday's performance, the collective impression was that it was a huge success. Said Sr. Peggy, "It went wonderfully and we were very pleased."

Students who viewed the performance agreed, and watched in awe as the performers went off stage. Said Sister Peggy, "There go the mini-stars." Mini-stars shining over a wonderful western sky.