School Play

Behind the curtain: Preparation for the Spring Play

Mark your calendars now - May 9th-13th.  With only a little over a month to go, the Spring Musical at McMath rehearsals are in full swing.

Dramatic productions don't just happen.  In order to ensure a successful opening night and an even more successful run, so many pieces must come together.  This is compounded when the production is a musical. Starting with script selection and readings, auditions, rehearsals, sound, lights, front of house and behind the scenes, so many students along with Ms. Rough and Ms. Wilkinson, have spent many hours of their time already with many, many more hours to come.

Ruth Bruhn (Stage Manager) and Kathleen Tweedie (Actress) provide us a behind the curtain look at the preparations that are taking place.

What involves spelling, dancing and free candy? This years musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” presented by McMath’s very own Music and Drama Departments! This exciting show, brings together catchy songs, hilarious script and the best improv McMath has to offer! 

A typical rehearsal of the Spelling Bee goes a little something like this, told to us by Kathleen Tweedlie, who plays “Rona Lisa Peretti. 

As I start walking towards the drama room I can hear laugher and singing and I know the fun is about to begin. Once the scene we are working on that day is announced we all get into position ready to rehearse. The moment we hear 'action' we are transported to the 25th annual Putnam county spelling bee. A spelling competition that includes much more than just spelling words. When we read through the scene, the actors experiment by reading their lines in different ways. With a cast as creative and spontaneous as the one we have, every rehearsal is filled with surprises. Improvisation makes the run through of a scenes unpredictable and hilarious. As we are going through the the scene, suggestions and new ideas are bounced back and forth among actors and directors. An hour of running through the scene goes by in a flash and before we know it we are off to the music room.

As we enter the music room the sounds of the piano surrounds us . We scatter among the steps as we are instructed to get ready to sing. We warm up our voices and focus on our harmonies by doing creative scales like "1.1,2,1.". After our voices have been warmed up, we flip through our books to the song we are working on that day. As wesing the songs, we break down the song and find the harmonies in the chords. It is such a beautiful moment when everyone finds their notes and we can hear voices work together in the harmonies. The music from this musical is up beat and very catchy. It's near to impossible for me to leave rehearsal without a song from the musical struck in my head.

After school when I go to rehearsal I know it's going to be an adventure. It's the time of the day when I can take a break from my life and venture into a world of song, spelling and pandemonium! 

Rehearsals have been started, band is tuning up, sets are being painted, and measurements have been taken, all in preparation to preform this entertaining show, for you the audience. This cast of over thirty takes to the stage May 9th-13th, so get your tickets A-S-A-P when they go on sale, because last year sold out.

by Kathleen Tweedlie