Pipes and Arrows

By Hannah Peek

As they drew the curtain on the opening night of first semesters two drama performances, The Pied Piper and Robin Hood, an excited cast was revealed. Many spectators never know how much effort is put in behind the scenes of each drama performance. Here is a deep dive into the mounds of practice and energy that is behind every word, prop, and movement.

Six months ago, preliminary auditions took place, requiring each person to perform an excerpt from either Robin Hood or The Pied Piper. Nervous contestants had to wait over the summer until after the fall auditions to learn whether they had received a role from the directors Mrs. Horton and Ms. Geiman. The cast list was doubly anticipated because up until that point, the play was a mystery. Then the email was sent out, and Robin Hood was set into motion. Rehearsals began right away, including three two hour practices a week and the occasional Saturday rehearsal. Each line of dialogue was carefully thought over and tested with different emotions.

One monstrous foe faced by the cast was projection (def: the strength of speaking whereby the voice is used loudly and clearly). While this may sound simple, the directors decided not to use microphones, and therefore each actor would have to double or triple the volume they used onstage.

Corrine Fraley was a senior cast member who aided many of the fresher actors; she said,  “We did a lot of exercises about breathing with the diaphragm and not using our throat, so we did not damage our vocal cords. We spent a lot of our time yelling at each other to work on projection.” Along with these voice exercises, the cast had to figure out the blocking (def: careful choreography of actions on the stage) to make their scenes and movements appear natural. As Robin Hood took shape, the directors made the executive call to include The Pied Piper into the final performance. This change included a whole new script to memorize and more roles to assign. Rehearsals were now packed with both plays.

As the performance approached, the list of things to get accomplished spiked with the nerves of the cast. Costumes, run by Ms. Geiman, needed to be assigned, altered, and made. As each piece of clothing was placed, characters began to take a physical form. Mr. Franceschi started crafting the set pieces with the help of parents. Sherwood Forest and the town of Hamlin were built from the ground up, including many unique pieces such as a running fountain, a laughing statue, and a significant tree stump.

The week of the performances was a hectic blur. With rehearsals four hours every day of the week, all the anticipation was pointed at Friday's first performance. Props were set, costumes were on, and the crowd was waiting. As the curtain opened at each performance, a cast was waiting, prepared by hours of rehearsal and ready to give it their all.