January 18, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Wagle reaches out of her comfort zone

Alayna Wagle loves Halloween.

So the Addams Family spooky motif is right up her alley.

“I was pretty familiar with the Addams family before this show, as Halloween is my favorite holiday and those movies always played at some point in the month of October,” she said.

Wagle portrays Pugsley, who she describes as “an ornery little boy with separation anxiety, who loves being tortured and stirring up trouble and fits in only with his dysfunctionally functional family.”

The final performance of the production takes place today at 2 p.m. at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.

Wagle said the show really is about family and the drama that those close relationships inherently bring.

“The growing tension between Gomez and Mortician and Wednesday as lies are kept between the family and new guests, including Wednesday’s new boyfriend, are over for dinner is a big focus of the show,” she said.

For Wagle, the most challenging part of the show has been perfecting the songs with music tracks in the auditorium and bringing the music part of the show to life but it has also been her favorite part.

“My favorite part of the show has been reaching a little out of my comfort zone and learning how to sing a whole song I have to myself,” she said. “It’s been great to learn and has really helped me improve in drama in many ways. Doing the dinner and game portion of the show are also my absolute favorite.”

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