The Environment of the Theatre Community
The theatre department at MLHS is an environment where everyone can be themselves. Individuality and self-expression are promoted throughout the cast and crew while maintaining the tightness of the community. Members of the theatre department have stated that by the performance date, everyone feels like family. Theatre is very different from other clubs or activities at MLHS because members spend so much time together, whereas most other clubs meet less frequently or get split up into different groups to participate. In the theatre community, showing up to rehearsals and spending time with other members is a fun and calm experience. People can fool around and have fun while putting in the effort to put on a great performance. Not only are students close with one another, but they are close to the directors, choreographers, music directors, and other production adults, which is really helpful as they can help guide you throughout performing. They also help the performers and crew members put on the best production by making sure we are enjoying ourselves and are comfortable.
“I think the unity is pretty good, the group as a whole seems pretty tight and things have been going well… there’s a good atmosphere and just being part of it is a lot of fun… being my first time, it’s definitely a welcoming atmosphere and people are just willing to learn new things and try new things and I think that’s really exciting to be a part of.”
John Lane (’22)
Traditions
Another great part of the theatre department is the traditions. One tradition that we do is called “hands in,” which happens at the end of rehearsal. We all put our hands in and choose a word or phrase that corresponds with the rehearsal we had that day or how close we are to the performance date. It brings us all together and celebrates the little accomplishments we made that day. Each accomplishment builds on each other and brings us to the performance date. Another tradition is the tech week dress-up. The week of rehearsals leading up to the show date is called “tech week.” Typically, tech week rehearsals last until anywhere from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. We schedule themes for what everyone will wear to school and rehearsal that day. Some dress-up days we have had in the past are formal day, dad outfit day, “groutfit” (gray outfit) day, frat day, and dress like a senior day, just to name a few.
Conclusion
The MLHS theatre department is a very tight-knit community and we enjoy each other’s company. Creative freedom and self-expression are not only accepted, but encouraged. It is where we are passionate about what we do and driven to learn and grow in our field. Traditions are valued because it helps prove that we are a team. A special thanks and shoutout to our amazing director, Ms. Kolek, for making our last production, Newsies, such a blast and for helping us every step of the way.
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