The Thespians may still be getting into the school routine, but there is no time to rest as the fall show is quickly approaching. The pressure for the production of The Matchmaker is also high because the show is being submitted for judication to the Illinois High School Theatre Association (IHSTA).
“How it works is that we submit our show and say how long it is, how many students we have, a description of the show, and then each school that submits has two to three judges watch the show and take notes. They give us a review and they ask students questions about acting and tech,” Sadowski said. “The review is sent to the IHSTA, and the board comes together and makes decisions based off the reviews on which shows will go to Theatrefest in January.
The theme for Theatrefest this year is “Ignite the Passion Within.” Another element in the judging for submission to Theatrefest includes applying the show to the theme.
“We see a lot of elements of the theme in this show,” Sadowski said. “If we get chosen, awesome, but we are most excited for theatre professionals to see the show and to get that feedback from a professional standpoint. It’s exciting to expand our shows beyond the community.”
In the midst of this, the actors and director Clare McConville are busy preparing for the upcoming show date.
“We’re really working on line memorization and blocking, which includes movement and focusing. You really can’t perform a farce—a show with elements of mistaken identities, confusion, and literal hiding of individuals—without it,” McConville said. “I’m excited because I was looking for a farce, and it will really showcase the students’ talents. We have a lot of talented actors this year, and this show is a great opportunity for them.”
As for backstage work, the technicians are also putting in long hours and hard work to ensure the show will be on schedule.
“We are putting together half arches to showcase architecture,” Sadowski said. “All four acts include the pieces, so we wanted to create set pieces that could be multi-use. It’s been challenging, so we’ve had to be really creative by reusing things. I didn’t want to just use platforms this time; I wanted different scenic elements.”
Before planning for the fall show was even underway, though, the Thespians used the annual 12 Hour Fundraiser Show to welcome new and returning actors and technicians.
“This year, the officers of Green Room really wanted to provide a warm welcome and introduction to [the] theatre program. To successfully do this, we started our season with 12 Hour, which allows everyone a role whether acting or working on technical elements,” said senior David Braun. “For the most part, the casting was random, but our sponsors wanted to make sure that each show had a mix of new and returning, inexperienced and experienced members.”
Between 12 Hour and the fall show, Green Room is busy preparing for their season ahead. Results of their judging for Theatrefest will be in issues to follow.