The school theatre was pure chaos on the Thursday before opening night. The props being moved around in the hallways, power tools littering the stage and promotional posters being pasted on the walls were all part of the process. That is what makes the theater department so impressive; despite the last-minute complexities that arise, they always manage to make it to opening night.
The past few years have been a whirlwind of success for the school’s theater department. Last year, the cast of “Hadestown” was nominated numerous times for the BVDs (Brandon Victor Dixon Awards), one of the most prestigious musical-theatre awards for high schoolers.
“The BVD is this award ceremony where a bunch of schools around the area get a chance to be nominated for Best Musical. For “Hadestown” we did a full sweep. All [of] our actors got nominated, and our show got nominated,” senior Loic Razanakoto said.
As a result, the school’s fall production of “Into the Woods” marked a new chapter for the school’s theater department. Living up to the success of “Hadestown” and adjusting to the loss of talented seniors has meant change in the school’s theatre department. Loic Razanakoto, who played Jack, felt ready to make this transition.
“Of course, we still miss [the seniors], it’s just like there’s a new groove, and we’re trying to adjust to that,” Razanakoto said.
For current seniors, this has meant stepping into a larger role both on and off the stage. In the theater department’s case, this includes leading upcoming senior traditions. One of the most important theater traditions, the Green Room, is where the cast joins together one last time before the show. Senior Wilbur Nardone, who played the role of Baker’s Wife, offered some insight on Green Room.
“Green room is this thing we do before every show, and it’s led by seniors, where all the actors go into a room. It’s to talk about how proud we are of each other and how proud we should be of ourselves,” Nardone said.
However, the audience only sees the actors on stage during the show. Behind the scenes, much more occurs to make productions run smoothly.
Sophomore Isabella Ordonez serves as the Set Head for the school’s theatre department, which, despite not being widely known, is one of the most crucial roles in determining the show’s success.
“I would personally say that actors and tech people work as much as each other,” Ordonez said.
As set head, Ordonez instructs the crew during both performances and preparation for the performance. She ensures that props are made correctly and that set pieces are moved properly during the performance.
Despite their differing roles, Ordonez, Nardone and Razanakoto all describe their favorite thing about theatre being a community.
“I feel like building that family [within theatre] is just a nice, full, warm space to be in a school,” Razanakoto said.
Nardone agrees.
“You’re [always] laughing at your castmates’ jokes,” said Nardone.
Prior to opening night, the tech crew prepared the set for a fantastic show. Building a set is an elaborate process that can take weeks if not months. For the past eight weeks, the tech crew, who created the set, worked tirelessly to complete the daunting task.
“It took a lot of commitment. [I’ve had to] come on days where school wasn’t even running,” said Ordonez.
While the stage was being set, both Nardone and Razanakoto reflected on their emotions before the big night.
“We’ve done so much to prepare for this moment. I think it’s just in your mind [to] worry because you know what you’re doing,” Razanoko said.
In the end, all the hard work is worth it.
“At certain times, it’s the worst stress for me, but the moment the lights are on me, it’s like I’m back in rehearsal,” Nardone said.
