The lights dim, the crowd quiets and the theater buzzes with anticipation. Then, lights hit the center stage, the first scene taking flight. The hard work of countless weeks; students writing, directing, acting, producing … all culminating in one night. The theatrical club-collaboration, Night of Scenes, is making a return to the stage on Friday, April 7, and students have been working long and hard to bring their ideas to life.
Night of Scenes began last year, as an idea to bridge the Creative Writing Club and the Drama Club together with an entirely student-run production. This show, an anthology of individual scenes united under a single theme, has allowed students from all walks of life to try out theatrical writing, directing, acting and production. This year's theme is Mythology and Folklore, with students adapting ancient myths or creating their own local legends.
Theater teacher, Emily Astroski, spoke of the changes between this year's show and the last. “We added more technical rehearsals, with the lights and the sound, and we shortened the rehearsal schedule a little bit so it wasn't as drawn out,” she explained. “We also planned for more rehearsals together as a whole group so everyone could see other scenes and see how it flows. We also have more scenes this year than we did last year.”
Despite all of the changes in between this year and the last, the show has faced its share of challenges that every production faces. The last few rehearsals have had the most stress for the participants, as everyone has hurried to polish their performances and iron out any issues before the night of the show. Yet, with all of the challenges and all of the preparation, everyone involved has a lot to be excited about.
“I think I'm most excited to just experience different storytelling that the Creative Writing Club came up with. Every story is so different, and every scene is very interesting. Even though it was all the same theme, the different takes on it are really surprising and welcome,” said Astroski. “I'm excited for those playwrights to see their scenes come to life on the stage. That's always a fun experience.”
After weeks of rehearsals, from the playwrights perfecting their scripts, to the directors making their final casting calls, and now the actors and those working on the crew sharpening their skills for the night of the show, Night of Scenes is making its final preparations before the curtains open on Friday evening. What started as a simple idea over a year ago has become an annual performance run by students.
“I'm a firm believer that being a part of theater or any sort of artistic experience helps students in many capacities. It's boosting confidence and creativity, and it's helping those individuals become stronger people. It's also creating bonds within the different grade levels and different types of people that wouldn't normally see each other or hang out with each other,” said Astroski. “As for the school, I think it's just continuing to build the theater program and letting people know we're here beyond the big productions, that we can do a small-scale event, too.”
Story by Annika Christiansen