By Anna Viitala

 

The theater department at Ironwood Ridge High School produces two musicals per school year, one in the first semester and one in the second. The students hear about them and watch the results but how they are produced is less common knowledge. I have interviewed multiple people who have been working on the recent musical, Something Rotten, and got an understanding of the behind the scenes of what they do. The process is long and hard but the result is worth it to those who work on it. “Building a show can be stressful but it’s a lot of fun. We put a lot of  care and time in the show so we like to see it all play out.” said the Shadow Stage Manager, Paige Green.

 

Choosing a Musical

The decision as to what musical that will be produced happens a while in advance. The main director, Mrs. Call makes the final decision, although collaboration happens between the other directors, Technical Director/ Production Manager Mr. Lepore, the Music Director Ms. Lovins, and the choreographer Amy Martinez, who help with the production. According to Mr. Lepore, the cast size affects the decision, if there are too many or too few people required in the play, it is likely that they won’t produce it. Another consideration they take into account is the educational portion, for those who work on the musical and act in it. Since they are still students learning how to produce and act, a wide variety of genres would be beneficial. “If we’ve done a lot of really dramatic stuff for example recently, then we may think ‘Hey we really want to focus on something more comedic to give them a chance to stretch that muscle,’.” Said Mr. Lepore when referring to the students who are in the program. The final thing needed before the musical goes into production is the rights. If the rights are unattainable the school cannot produce the musical.

 

Casting

For Musicals in the second semester, casting starts in November. All of the teachers listed above attend the auditions as judges. The auditionees perform two contrasting songs that fit with the character that they are auditioning for. Along with the songs they perform up to two choreographed dances. Ms. Lovins mentioned “They then do a cold read where they read a scene with usually one of our stage management staff. We take more notes on that, then we decide who’s gonna be called back for what character.” After the first part of auditions, the Directors go through their notes and call back some students to read the script for certain characters. At the call back, students learn some music with Ms. Lovins. The directors determine how fast the students learn through the music Ms. Lovins teaches them. The choices are narrowed down by the teachers, “we put together the cast list, which is like a giant puzzle.” Mrs. Call says. 

 

Preparing the Actors

When all of the actors are cast, they start preparing for their roles. This is where Ms. Lovins takes over the process for the next few weeks. The ensemble music is taught during this time. Ms. Lovins decides who’s singing what and assigns parts as well. The next step is choreography blocking and the actual acting part. They continue rehearsing until the final dress rehearsal a day before the opening show. Before the sets and props are done, rehearsals have tape on the floor representing where the sets will be placed, dummy props are used instead of the actual ones.

 

Technical Theater Portion

Over the summer, Mr. Lepore thinks over rough plans of the design, specifically focussing on the more complicated parts first. The Directors try to brainstorm ideas as much as possible. When the musical is finally announced, they get to work officially. Students can apply to be department heads for the show. There is a production meeting weekly to discuss what needs to be done or fixed. The sets and props are built based on the designs. Costumes are either purchased or borrowed from other theaters. On opening night, the show is taken over by the student stage manager. The stage manager gives cues and makes sure the musical runs smoothly. After the final showing, the sets are torn down and the process for the next show begins.

 

Something Rotten

The musical, Something Rotten, was recently shown in our school’s theater. The story is set in the renaissance era. It follows two brother bards who are trying to come up with a new idea for a play. The older brother, in an attempt to best Shakespeare’s plays, goes to a fortune teller, or soothsayer, to find out what the next big thing in theater will be. The soothsayer tells him of musicals. There are multiple references to other plays in this production.  Ms. Lovins describes it as a fun thing to go and watch whether or not you enjoy Shakespeare. The entire thing makes fun of Shakespeare, portraying him as a kind of rockstar. The actors were eager to play in the show, McCartney Nocera, who plays the judge and some background characters said “It’s gonna be great, gonna be great.” relaying her opinion while quoting one of the songs performed in it.

 

The Cast and Crew

The people who work on the show love the things they do. They enjoy their jobs and encourage others to join too. When asked to give her opinion on the musical, Sophie Lynn, part of the dance ensemble, said “I really like the musical! Its dance is intricate and fun to do and learn and the cast is so encouraging and fun to work with.” Both those on the acting side and tech side enjoy the task. Xander Williams, a Tech Theater student, said “We work on it (The set and props) every single (Tech Theater) class period. We make a lot on the stage, it’s a lot of fun.” The classes are welcoming positive environments that let students feel more engaged in the IRHS community. 

If interested, Mrs. Call encourages visiting the school site www.irhstheatre.org, where more information on this year’s shows can be found.