Stage lights beam as you prepare for the curtain to open and reveal the show you have been preparing for for months. Nerves are high, but you are confident the audience will cheer you on when the lights go down. This year, the theater department has chosen to prepare Something Rotten! as the fall musical.
“You think Something Rotten!, you think that it might be serious, but it’s one of the funniest shows. There’s a lot of comedy and dancing. Every number is high energy,” said junior Anna Green.
Although the name may sound daunting, Something Rotten! Is actually a comedy play, taking place in the time of Shakespeare.
“Something Rotten! tells the story of two brothers who are trying to come up with a big hit play in the Renaissance. But there’s one problem, sexy rockstar Shakespeare is dominating the field. They pay a soothsayer to see into the greatest idea, but the soothsayer isn’t very good. Instead of seeing Hamlet, the soothsayer sees Omelet. So, they start writing a show called Omelet,” said senior Brooks Roseberry.
Roseberry is no stranger to the theatre department. Through his acting experience, he has landed a major role in this year’s fall musical.
“I play Shakespeare, the sexy rock god. It involves a lot of hips. These hips do not lie,” said Roseberry.
Taking a role like Shakespeare takes a lot of preparation. Much of this takes place outside of normal rehearsal to stay performance ready.
“I’m doing a lot of vocal health things like drinking water, which I normally don’t do. I also got a foam roller because I have to dance a lot and sing a lot in this show, and I’m not trying to get injured,” said Roseberry.
Outside of health habits, many actors have also devoted aspects of their physical appearance to the show.
“I’ve had to grow out my hair for the show, and my normal, gorgeous hair is gone, and I have a middle part now until November,” said Roseberry.
Roseberry is not the only one taking time out their day to perfect the show. Many other cast members are also taking the extra step to enhance the show.
“Outside normal rehearsal, I’m constantly listening to the soundtrack and trying to memorize my harmonies with my script open,” said Green.
In a show that involves intricate dance and song, all cast members have to put their time and energy into polishing their performance. In addition, some cast members have taken up leadership roles to further aid the progress of the show.
“I am in the ensemble, and I’m also a dance captain, so I’m at every choreography rehearsal, even if I’m not in the number, and I learn all the choreography for the show,” said Green.
Leadership roles such as Green’s push the show to another level of preparation. In order to faithfully take up such a torch, even more effort and care is put into Green’s rehearsal time.
“I also do a lot of reviewing choreography in my basement and in the dance studio, even under my desk at school, I’m doing choreography with my feet, or I’m thinking through it,” said Green.
All of this off-the-clock rehearsal is extremely intentional. Anyone holding a leadership position such as Green’s is expected to be a resource for fellow thespians.
“I’m expected to know it and reteach it if needed,” said Green.
Of course, most of the work to put the musical together happens during normal rehearsal hours, when the cast can work together to learn their parts.
“If it’s a choir rehearsal, then we’re learning the music and the harmonies, and if it’s blocking, that means we’re working through the scenes with our director, Ms. Chalfant,” said Roseberry.
During blocking rehearsals, not only are cast members learning their lines, but much of rehearsal is focused on perfecting movements.
“Rehearsals are when we go in and focus on scenes, and our director Ms. Chalfant tells us, ‘You’re gonna walk over here, put your arm out,’” said Green.
Learning both lines and blocking can be a difficult task. Actors have to be able to synthesize both words and physical cues.
“Memorizing the blocking is definitely the most difficult part, because when you’re doing choreography, you put your steps to a beat. You associate the two together. In blocking, you’re looking at your lines and have your blocking written under it,” said Green.
Both blocking and choir rehearsals are necessary to put together big numbers in the show. Without proper practice, these numbers wouldn’t be able to be executed.
“There’s this really big number in the show called ‘A Musical,’ and there’s a lot of different surprises referencing other shows,” said sophomore Becca Downs.
While many cast members prefer the big, reference-heavy musical numbers, some prefer numbers where they get to express the range of their dance abilities.
“My favorite part of the show is ‘Willpower,’ which is the song where I’m performing for a crowd and I get to dance in some very shocking ways,” said Roseberry.
Not only are there big musical numbers, but the cast has also expressed much excitement for the costumes.
“There’s going to be some insane costumes. I don’t want to say too much, but I guess you’ll just have to come see the show,” said Roseberry.
With the costumes, songs, dances, and all the work being put into the production of Something Rotten!, actors are expecting a high turnout and a successful show.
“I’ve been doing shows since I was seven, and it is truly one of the most fun shows I’ve been in, because it’s so high energy,” said Green.
Anyone interested in coming to support the theater department’s Something Rotten! should note that shows are on November 7-9 and 14-16 in the FC auditorium.
