Here at Hawthorne High School, there are many options for different extracurricular activities to join! Each year, there is a play that occurs, having auditions for a cast and encouraging more people to help behind-the-scenes as the stage crew. There are many people involved in the cast and crew that are putting in an immense amount of work into making this play amazing, while also having a fun time and making new friends!
This year’s play is called Radium Girls, and it is based on a true historical event about young female factory workers in the 1920s. They were poisoned by painting on watch dials with a luminous radium paint. At our school, this year’s play is based on this event, bringing awareness to this historical event and showing how the real life struggle was for young women poisoned by radium. Now that you know more about the play, let’s talk about the behind the scenes events!
Behind the scenes, there are plenty of jobs that the crew has to work on. There are many options to choose from such as doing lights, sound, costumes, hair and makeup, and moving props on and off stage. Our cast and crew directors Ms. Roniet and Ms. Graber have been of much help, instructing and helping the cast with their lines and performance, while showing the crew members how to work the machines and when their queue is coming up. It is important to listen to your queue because all together, it plays a big part in the show, making sure everything turns out correct. With lots of practice, the students will get better and better each time, perfecting every second of the show. It is important to participants that they make the show as amazing as they can to give the audience a fun performance to watch and enjoy!
To fully understand what it is like to be a performer in the show, the Clarion asked sophomore Kyle Ponticelli to give us a look on how it is practicing on stage and getting prepared for the show.
Kyle Ponticelli was asked, “What is it like being a performer? Is it hard to memorize your lines and does it often make you frustrated when you can’t remember the lines?”
Kyle responded, replying, “Being a performer is really nice, it is a great way to fill the empty time after school, but it is also really stressful and can be a lot of work. Learning lines for me personally isn’t that hard, but combined with memorizing everything else, it is. With blocking, costume changes, and entrances, it’s a lot to learn in such a little amount of time.”
Ponticelli was then asked, “What have you learned about your role while acting? What are your character’s motivations?”
Kyle Ponticelli replied, stating “I play a multitude of characters, but one thing I’ve learned is that they all have unique motivations. One of them in particular, acts as if he is trying to help, but is actually plotting a plan to throw the main characters under the bus, and get money. It’s really interesting having to act out multiple personalities at once.”
Lastly, Kyle Ponticelli was asked, “How does it feel being part of a production, preparing for the final show dates? Are you nervous or excited? Do you feel ready?”
Kyle Ponticelli informed us, stating “I feel ready, but every night during rehearsals I get really stressed out. I feel a lot of pressure to get everything perfectly but I always end up doing great anyway. People think the last weeks of a show are the most stressful but they’re actually the most fun even though they are long and tiring. Once you know all of your material, it feels really good to run through the entire show with everything memorized. The majority of my stress as a performer comes from the show as a whole. I’m always worried about how other people will perform and my friends who are having a harder time memorizing lines.”
Now that we have seen the show a cast member’s point of view, let’s see how the show from the point of view of a crew member, sophomore Tianna Hinson.
To start, Tianna Hinson was questioned, “What is your role as a crew member? How does it feel doing this job? What do you take part in?”
Tianna Hinson replied, stating “My role as a crew member is spotlighting the cast member on stage. As a spot-lighter I put the light on the main person that is speaking.It can be stressful sometimes, but overall it is a fun thing to do.”
To continue, Tianna Hinson was asked, “How does it feel being a part of the crew? Is it stressful? Does it take up a lot of time?”
Hinson answered, expressing “Being a part of the crew is very fun, Yes, it can be stressful and yes it does take a lot of time because it takes practice to get it right. My friends and I have plenty of fun during this process, we talk a lot and laugh, having a fun time overall.”
Finally, Hinson was asked, “Are you nervous for the actual show since the dates are soon? Are you prepared to complete your job as a spot-lighter? Do you recommend this extracurricular activity to other students?”
Tianna Hinson answered, saying, “Yes I am quite nervous for the actual show. I believe I’m prepared to complete my job as a spot-lighter. I would definitely recommend this because it could be fun, especially if you know what you’re doing.”
To finalize, the cast, crew, and directors have done an enormous amount of work and dedication to making this show perfect. Staying late nights at the school, and making sure everything is at the right place, at the right time. It is a fun activity to take part in because of the experience and making new friends, or spending time with friends.
It is a lot of enjoyment to participate in the show, getting prepared to put on a performance for the audience. The thrill of the performance and the applause of the audience will make all of the hard work and dedication worthwhile. The cast and crew encourage everybody to come see the show in the Hawthorne High School auditorium on December 5, opening night 7:30pm, December 6, evening performance at 7:30pm, and December 7, the final performance at 2:00pm.