Starting in November, Weber High will be putting on a comedy musical called Curtains. The plotline of “Curtains’’ goes as follows: In a Broadway production of Robin Hood, the main actress is murdered. The detective Frank Cioffi arrives to investigate, and being a theater buff, he helps them improve their play. As the play and investigation continues, characters are knocked off one by one, until near the end, Cioffi finds the murderer, and the play’s a hit.
Weber High has been putting on plays like Curtains for over 50 years, including Newsies, Peter Pan, and Tarzan. Director Mark Daniels has worked as a theatre teacher at Weber High for 27 years! When asked how much effort was put into the plays he said, “We put a budget together and it always has to do with the costumes and royalties’ cost, and the tickets we need to sell. As far as time goes, it always takes a lot. We have a lot to prepare, like building scenes, preparing costumes, sound, lights and props. It’s a second job for a lot of people. And, we will continue working hard until we open.’’
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This year’s play began with rehearsal and set up in early September and continued until closing night in November. Most of the cast invests a great deal of time, a minimum of 3-4 hours a day. In this time, they work on blocking the scenes and learning the music for ensemble and lead actors. A sophomore, Jonah Bowles when asked about his challenges with choreography said, “It’s intense, but I feel like we’re doing pretty well. It’s also hard at times to figure out timing and pace.’’ In his opinion, the “Wide-Open Spaces” scene was difficult to do. “It’s hard because I feel like there’s not enough room to move around.’’ Another cast member in the ensemble, junior Lucy Hyatt, explained her biggest challenge. “Running down the stairs in multiple scenes is very hard and dangerous. She continued, “Sometimes I worry about elbowing people in the face.’’
“Sometimes I worry about elbowing people in the face.’’
Most of the lead roles of the play are done by seniors, often the most competent actors at Weber. One lead, senior JC Wangsgard, said his favorite part of acting was “being a good example to other actors and the audience and being able to spend time with other great actors.’’ Wangsgard has been acting since he was seven, starting out in community theater and continuing into Productions with Daniels. He has done more than 15 plays, and hopes for more. Obviously being a lead actor has its challenges; playing Christopher Belling, Wangsgard is the comedic relief of the play and takes on the persona of a British director. “I’d say the hardest part is completely immersing yourself in the character, saying the lines and always staying that character, and not zoning out.” He adds, “It’s hard to slow down and focus on the accent but also make sure everyone can hear my lines.” Wangsgard wants to have good diction so the audience can understand the humor and story.
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As far as singing goes, every musical needs a great ensemble and Weber is not the exception. The cast consists of mostly sophomores, upward of 150 kids. Though they are just getting to know each other, they have great energy and rapport. They are working hard to learn the music and improve as a group. Acting as music director is Leigh Marriott, the choir teacher at Weber. She works with the cast on lyrics, timing, voice delivery and all other musical aspects. Together, she and the cast work hard on the music, since it is a backbone of this type of production. The music plays a major part of what creates the drama, the comedy, a deeper sense of story. It’s one of the best ways to engage an audience.
The choreography at Weber is done by Lindsey Poll, who has been doing it for many years. Fun fact she was once a student of Daniels. Unfortunately, Poll had taken a sudden leave due to health issues. She has since recovered. The cast wishes her luck on a further recovery so she can continue doing the work she does so well.
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In the end, every play has its success, and those may be about something more than ticket sales. “If the students have had a good time learning something then it’s a success, I don’t think we’ve ever had a failure because I’ve always tried to make it a positive experience even if it didn’t make money. I hope the kids have learned something,” Daniels said.
Curtains will be showing from November 3-15. Weber High encourages you to come. Tickets will be sold by the high school and are on sale now.