Behind the Curtains
Aragon’s fall musical this year will be Curtains, a comedic murder mystery musical within a musical. “The murder-mystery genre is my favorite,” Shane Smuin says.
Smuin also liked that Curtains had a very large cast of 30 people providing casting opportunities for both males and females. Another thing that made Curtains an ideal pick as a musical was that it is a relatively new musical, so very few people know the plotline. Which is perfect, of course, because it is a murder mystery.
The audition process started the second week of school, on August 23. Over fifty prospective actors and actresses had to show off their singing capabilities. The next day they had to dance and act. Wednesday brought callbacks, and on Thursday the cast list was put up.
Out of the 30 people in the musical, there are sixteen seniors and just one freshman. Currently there are rehearsals four or five times a week, usually from four to six after school. A few different types of rehearsals occur: there are music rehearsals with pianist Kevin Imbimbo, and dance rehearsals in the theater with choreographer Hillary McQuaid. Ultimately, “final product” rehearsals, whole scenes with music and dancing combined, help.
The backstage of Curtains will be visible to the audience because many scenes portray the actors backstage of their own production. Also, the orchestra will be on a platform at the back of the stage, raised eight feet above the ground. This is to give the illusion that the audience is actually backstage with the cast of the play, and that the ‘audience’ is behind the curtains and the orchestra. The set is currently 60 percent built and unpainted.
When asked how she manages homework, Senior Jessia Hoffman says, “Well, I stay up pretty late… past midnight for sure”. Hoffman plays one of the main characters, Georgia, and is taking a heavy workload, along with having to manage college applications. She would not give up going to rehearsal because, she says, “rehearsal is like therapy … I get to do what I love … putting on a musical has got to be the most fulfilling thing a person can hope to do”. Hoffman loves her character because she has the opportunity to explore and develop as a main character.
Another person involved in Curtains who has a lot on their plate is senior stage manager Kathy Shield. She has been part of Aragon’s drama productions crew for two years. Kathy’s job composes of running the “booth”, crew and cast. She has to make sure everyone is on stage when they need to be, that everything is ready before the curtains come up and that the crew is doing their job properly.
As sophomore ensemble member Laynie Mitchell says, “It’s going to be a crazy intense show!”
The show runs from November 18 to 21, and it will be from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. There will be five performances, so make sure you don’t miss out!
