As the rehearsal process comes to a high, the cast and crew of Sister Act work hard to ensure the show is the best it can be. What the audience doesn’t see though, is the hours put behind the musical. The musical, which has performance dates of Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and Feb. 3, has been in the works since November, only a week after the fall show season finished. The students have experienced many joys and excitements behind the scenes, but have also felt the pressure of the impending performance.
The moment the announcement comes on the intercom at 2:45 p.m., rehearsals are in full swing, and the company begins the many tasks that are involved in rehearsals.
“I warm up on my own, I do vocal warm ups, and then we get straight into it for rehearsals, singing, doing dances, running scenes and running lines,” senior Destiny Swain, who plays leading lady Dolores van Cartier, said. “It’s just go, go, go. It’s just go, go, go, until that clock hits 4:30.”
Both actors and crew alike spend multiple hours each week making sure their part is tailored to perfection. There are many trials and tribulations, and working on this musical involves lots of dedication to move past the hard parts.
“The hardest part, I would say, it’s kind of like the mindset,” senior and assistant stage manager Julia Osei-Boateng said. “It’s like having the faith that whole community. You have to drill it into them to, like, improve over and over, and they have been improving.”
The actors have their own challenges as well, and while some of them are more technical than mental, those challenges still need to be overcome for a smooth show.
“Oh, the hardest part is having to think about lines while also knowing that there’s a song, and remembering your cues to get into the song,” Swain said.
For the actors, getting into character is key to delivering a solid performance each time. Characterization plays a large importance in making that role believable and breathing life into the character being portrayed.
“I think about my character’s motivations, and just try to internalize those,” junior Isaac Hall, who plays Officer Eddie Souther, said.
Meanwhile, with the crew, each role is different from the other, but they all work together to give a bedazzling look on stage.
Costume crew head and sophomore Holly Weitzel enjoys working upstairs in the costume loft as she gets to “sew with expensive fabrics [she] wouldn’t get to otherwise,” to make some of the many custom pieces for the various characters.
The musical is a collaboration between multiple fine arts in the school, including dance, band, and orchestra. While they have not been on stage since the first day of blocking, they have been working on their material in their own way.
“To prepare as a dance student, I have memorized each dance that we are performing and work everyday to perfect and correct the choreography so that way it can be portrayed out on the stage as it should be and that I can execute the performance to the best of my ability, and compliment the actors and actresses acting,” freshman and dancer Lexi Pedersen said.
With lots of work put into each scene, the cast and crew both have their favorite scenes that they are excited for the audience to experience.
“The scene I’m most excited for is for this EPIC COOL tear away outfit scene, you gotta show up and figure out what I’m talking about,” said sophomore and costume crew head Vivian Valladolid.
Both cast and crew agree that the finale scene will be very exciting, and look forward to the audience getting to it.
“I’m excited for the finale scene because we have a special thing that we will be doing, and I think the finale is one of the most important parts of any performance and I think this will be super special,” Pedersen said.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.mavericktheatrecompany.org or in person from the theater room or at the door for $10 per student and $12 for adults. The goal is to give more people the opportunity to see the musical that so many of their peers have worked hard on.
“There’s like so many, so many hours and time and everything has gone into this,” Osei-Boateng said. “And for it wouldn’t be fair for these people to put their everything into it, and then nobody cares enough to even try and see their hard work, is what I’m trying to say. Respect the effort that people have put in because they enjoy the craft and they want you to see a good show.”
