Ellen Ludtke, Arts, Entertainment, and Technology Editor
@eludtkecourant
With final exams just around the corner, academic classes are in the home stretch as the intensity remains high. However, for the NCHS Theatre Program, work has begun to wind down as the Spring musical The Apple Tree was performed June 4, 5, and Saturday the 6th for two performances as an additional one was added by popular demand.
The show was divided into three 20 minute acts, each centered around different stories. The first act focused around the parable of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, while the second and third
acts were creative interpretations of the fables “The Lady and the Tiger” and “Cinderella”, respectively.
With this atypical play construction, senior Deven Appel believed that the show was dependent on the audience’s interpretation. “The three acts are related through a theme of love, one character, and the color brown,” he said. “Further connections are up to the audience, which they may or may not find.”
Students also learned about the concept of “three-quarter round” acting as the musical was performed in this style. “Three-quarter round acting is very different from proscenium acting, where the audience is all in front of you,” senior and theatre veteran Elizabeth Koennecke said.
Deven felt the same way. “I’ve had to get used to opening myself up and showing different parts of scenes to all three angles,” he said. “This was a strange thing for me, as turning my back to the audience at times was normal for this show even though it wouldn’t be for any other set-up.”
Although The Apple Tree was the final performance of the year, junior Margot Weiss knows how the final push can be hard, but definitely worth the work. “The Spring show always leaves us rushing to get everything together at the last minute because we only have a month to prepare for it,” she said. “We work really hard to memorize our lines and get everything together.”
In order to prepare for the show in a timely manner, the Theatre Department relied on their Saturday “tech” rehearsals. During these rehearsals, the cast, crew, and directors came together to work as long as seven hours on the different aspects of production. “On Saturdays, we build the sets, create props, and make costumes, all of which are essential for the show,” Elizabeth said.
Tech rehearsals also helped to foster the interplay between the cast and the crew, crucial for a successful performance. “The crew, while not as large as the cast, helps move large set pieces and run the backstage operations,” Deven said. “Our cast and crew work together on Saturdays as well as during ‘hell week’, which helped to strengthen both our technical and personal connections.”
Altogether, the performers have spent a lot of time understanding their roles while also collaborating with the director of the show, Dee Alexander. “Learning to understand the director’s vision of the scene or the act really puts you into the mindset of what you’re doing,” sophomore Allison Demers said. “We’ve had to research the time period the play takes place in, as well as our characters and how they act.”
When the final performance was fast approaching, feelings were mixed between nervousness and excitement. For the seniors, a layer of sadness was also added as The Apple Tree will be their final high school theatre performance. “It hasn’t quite hit me yet that this will be my last performance on the NCHS stage, but I’m definitely excited,” Deven said.
Elizabeth is appreciative of all the skills the Theatre Department has taught her. “I have learned to commit to what I am doing and give one hundred and ten percent at everything,” she said. “I’ve learned that, at the end of the day, all the hard work is worth it,” she said.
Margot admitted to feeling sad that the seniors are leaving, but will always see them as role models. “The seniors have always been people I look up to because they’re constantly there for us,” she said. “I think the thing that I’ll miss most is just having them here to teach me things, and learning from them every day.”
