Evie Bradley, Reporter
@ebradleycourant
The cast and crew of Clue have been working tirelessly after school and on the weekends to put on the show. The assistant director is talking to the leads to make significant character choices, the props mistress is jotting down what needs to be done that weekend, and the stage manager is hastily taking staging notes.
Clue, the upperclassman fall play, opens on November 21. The faculty working on Clue is limited to the director, Deirdre Alexander, and Kevin Gleason, the set coordinator. Everything else is run by students and a few volunteer parents. “I have to be there for all the rehearsals, I have to write down stage directions, be on book for line cues, help with acting choices and character development, and I lead Friday or Thursday rehearsals by myself getting everything in place and cleaning everything up,” Assistant Director of Clue Lynaea Pace said.
“My main job is sending out emails to everyone, managing schedules, and writing the staging down on the script,” said junior Stage Manager Claudia Stanley.
These positions of power are not unique to these two students alone. Throughout the theatre department, students are taking on important responsibilities for Clue. “I think it’s really amazing that it’s mostly students. The only adults we really have helping us are directing and choreography. But even for Shrek, the underclassman musical, the choreographer is a student,” Lynaea said.
The most important take away from Lynaea’s three years in the theatre program so far is her newfound leadership skills. “I’m Assistant Director, Alexandra Hart is a choreographer, we’re all leading our respective categories. And we’re students who are leading a charge.”
Not only has this method of student leadership proven successful in the production plays, but it also prepares students for the ‘real world.’ “The part of leadership and organization is very important. I think the department has a lot of trust in the students, while our director, Dee Alexandre, runs the whole production and Kevin Gleason does all the lights, we’re the ones that go through with it. It’s really helpful to be able to have a leadership role,” junior Claudia Stanley said.
“You have to be able to get stern with people, which is very hard for me. You have to stay on top of things, you can’t be disorganized because that affects the entire production,” Claudia said. “It’s on you to keep organized, which is very important for the workplace as well.”
Backstage crew members are not the only ones getting a hands on experience. “Students work one-on-one together to help build the physical parts of the show, we have three teams of incredibly talented kids that are constructing a tower out of scrap pieces of wood, handwriting props, and hot glueing gems on hats dresses, shoes, etc. It’s such a fun experience!”, senior Fiona Stevens, who plays Mrs White in Clue, said.
Leadership roles are not reserved for upperclassmen. The program prepares younger students for bigger roles, with smaller leadership positions. Sophomore Dance Captain Mia Wells says that her new position has prepared her for bigger opportunities in the future. “Even after a few weeks of rehearsal, I have more confidence in myself,” she said. “It’s my responsibility to make everyone look good, which gives me good leadership skills and good experiences.”
In the future, Mia aspires to follow in senior Alexandra Harte’s footsteps, who started as a dance captain and is now choreographer for the underclassman musical, Shrek.
“We’re learning how to get people to listen to us, learning effective leadership skills, learning how to connect with the people you’re leading, and how to put it all together,” Lynaea said. “Whether that’s in the business world and leading a business, or being a chef and being able to lead a team; You now have leadership skills to do that.”
