OFF-BROADWAY: The talented students and coordinators of Riverside Poly High School’s theater have a year of plays and musicals planned, deserving of a standing ovation.
By Kathleen Lynch, Staff Writer
From The Adam’s Family to Mamma Mia, Poly Theater Arts has their work cut out for them. There is much more to theater than memorizing lines and acting: there’s casting, producing, directing, stage managing, teching, and set building. Each one of these positions are filled by a student. Even if they’re not in the spotlight, their role is still essential to the production. “We have a crew of at least ten people working backstage who never get stage time. They just move set pieces, costumes, props, and fix things,” explains Avery Morse (12), Co President of Jesters. Every production must have a stage manager who calls the lights, sound, and set cues for the entire production; this is a huge responsibility to put on a student, and yet, they rise to the occasion.
Imagine how long it would take to memorize a story. Now add some music to parts of it, move around for some, and have a fabulously choreographed dance to go with it. Now do it on a stage with an audience full of people watching. This is what the theater students spend months preparing for. “We put easily over 600 hours into each production we do, including lunch rehearsals, learning lines, and music rehearsals,” says Morse. But the hard work doesn’t end there. Before the start of every production is ‘hell week,’ and it really is as bad as it sounds. “ We stay at school until nine or ten each night for a week to piece the show together, and it is not a fun time emotionally,” explains Morse. Learning every step and every line doesn’t do much good if each scene can’t be put together flawlessly. That’s what makes ‘hell week’ incredibly important to the production. While the preparation may be strenuous, “Once the show finally goes on it’s one of the most rewarding things ever,” claims Morse. So buy your popcorn, because Poly theater arts is currently working on The Crucible, and it’s sure to make one heck of a splash.