Amongst the anticipation for finals and winter break, the fall semester concluded with a show directed, planned, and funded by students. The 2023 Thespian Showcase took on the theme of “Villains”, featuring many of the familiar characters we know and love, such as Mother Gothel from Tangled, Beetlejuice from Beetlejuice the Musical, and Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog.
The four student directors of this production began planning the showcase long before the cast took the stage. Seniors Violet Lahde, Ava Hultquist, Lauren Tavernier, and Celia Rice began the groundwork for the show the summer of their junior year and the workload only increased from there.
“You have to…do a lot of scheduling and [kind of] just figure out what your overall goals are,” Lahde recalls. This was only the beginning of the work to be done by the directors, cast, and crew.
“We started during the [Fall] play and then we had call rehearsals for each number and one of the directors would choreograph each one,” described Ivy Lynden (‘25), one of many actors in the showcase, alongside Maya Colón (‘25).
“These past couple weeks we’ve had rehearsal till … 6:30,” Colón recalled. Both Colón and Lyden performed in “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago, one of the many musical numbers featured.
“Each rehearsal feels more [like] tuning into the numbers rather than learning them,” stated Gabe Blair, a junior who portrayed Beetlejuice. This was the first time Blair performed in a showcase, previously working with the tech crew. To the cast and crew, the hard work and dedication paid off.
“This one was very organized, we had a very good set of directors and the theme was more specific this year so the numbers were tied together better,” Lynden said.
The success of this show was evident through the large crowds, consisting of students and parents, and the thunderous applause that followed the conclusion of each performance.
“This year was the best one that they’ve ever done,” declared audience member Zoe Ornelas (‘25), a testament to all of the hours of work put in by the cast, crew, and directors.
