Every year, the Drama Club plans a spring musical performance. In the past, the club has taken on performances such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Annie.” However, the musical chosen for this year is “Matilda.” Based on the 1988 children’s novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, Matilda tells the story of Matilda Wormwood, a gifted girl in a rough situation. The planning of the musical began back in the summer, when initial ideas led to the chosen performance.
The first steps of the musical involved the auditions. Many students tried out for the lead roles. After the audition, roles were assigned. Junior Lainey Tuszynski took the lead role for “Matilda.” Alongside her are junior Christopher Denkovich as “Mr. Wormwood, “junior Abby Hunter as “Mrs. Wormwood,” senior Lilly Burgess as “Miss Trunchbull,” senior Morgan Shaffer as “Miss Honey” and senior Vera Armenio as “Mrs. Phelps.” Other members of the club joined in as members of the ensemble in the musical. Around December, the group began to practice and form a foundation for the performance. Coordinating the efforts of the musical are Ms. Debrah Evans, Ms. Heather Giammaria and Mr. Cole Eged. They worked out how the show would run, kept track of progress and planned practices. Additionally, they contacted the other adults and middle school students who helped make the show possible. Without their contributions, the musical could not have been brought to fruition. Many club members graduated last year and their shoes needed to be filled. The addition of middle school students helped with this situation while maintaining the childlike feel of the show.
“We had a lot of middle schoolers take their place, so they canceled each other out,” Shaffer said.
Despite this fact, the build-up to the performance was still a rocky road. Matilda turned out to be a lot more ensemble than expected, meaning it would take the work of everyone to make the performance as close to perfect as possible. Several times a week, including Saturdays, the group met to refine their scenes, practice their parts and get into rhythm.
“We are running through the scenes and practicing almost every day. I feel like it’s all coming together and we will have a great show in the end,” Tusynski said.
Truly behind the scenes, the stage crew progressed in building the props and sets for the stage. Many boxes and other wooden furniture are used throughout the musical that need to be screwed together, painted and planned for where they need to be placed during the show. While a less noticed role, the importance of the stage crew can not be overlooked.
“I like stage crew because I am helping out others, it’s fun and I’m getting involved with the school,” sophomore Leo Kaleugher said.
For many of the main characters, special outfits are needed. Burgess, for example, has to wear clothes that make her larger and taller to match the role of Miss Trunchbull better. Special costume makers are used to ensure that the outfits are a perfect fit for the person wearing them. Taking initiative, Denkovich agreed to dye his hair green for his performance of Mr. Wormwood, as the green hair plays an important role in the story of the musical.
As the time for the performances of the musical approaches, finishing touches are being made to make sure the show runs as smoothly as possible. Members are working as hard as possible to ensure they know their lines and are ready to perform.
“[The musical] is rough, but it will shape up. It’s always stressful until we get to tech week, then it’s gorgeous,” Burgess said.
Matilda will be performed on March 1 in the high school auditorium. There will also be additional performances on March 2 and an earlier show on March 3.