During this school year, the theater department has made substantial changes to their program. Director Greta Peterson is now a part-time employee and focusing strictly on her musical theater and production classes. Following the fall musical, Shrek, select actors and technicians were cast in the One Act Play, The Illusion. They are rehearsing for the district competition March 5.
The Illusion is a story about father and son, their strained relationship, and the magic that will hopefully bring them together again.
“The Illusion has a great story line, is challenging, and every role is important and interesting,” Peterson said. “The kids will have to really delve into the history and background of the piece they are performing.”
Rehearsal’s started Jan.14, and both actors and technicians have been adapting to their
roles and responsibilities.
“We have many talented kids that didn’t get roles this year and are filling in technical positions,” Peterson said. “It’s great to see how they handle not being on stage but adapting to their new roles in technical theatre.”
For this One Act Play season, Peterson has decided to cut down on how many actors will actually perform on-stage. Instead of the usual 15 person cast, she is opting for an 8 person cast.
“This gives me an opportunity to work with the actors and tech students individually which gives us a better understanding of the show when we can put it together quickly on stage,” Peterson said. “It’s been a blessing to have extra actors to fill in when someone is sick, has an appointment or must miss rehearsal for some reason.”
Actors have also noticed the perks of having a smaller cast.
“I definitely think we have less of a strain on attendance,” sophomore Kenzie Stone said. “Of course, it’s still important to come to rehearsal, but now that we’re in a more concentrated group, I think it’ll be easier to run scenes.”
Despite having a smaller cast, each student contributing plays a crucial role.
“Everyone is working extremely hard on this show,” Peterson said. “So many ideas are being realized, and the creativity is overflowing.”
