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The Piedmont Highlander

The Piedmont Highlander

Student actors: their lives behind the curtain

Student+actors%3A+their+lives+behind+the+curtain

Freshman David Morris sang half a song, acted out a nursery rhyme, learned some moves and danced them, got a callback and then five months later emerged as Kurt Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music.”

But it was not quite that simple: the process of performing in one of the various musicals and plays at PHS is a long, arduous one, but the friendships formed along the way and the end product make it worth it.

To play the part of Maria in “The Sound of Music,” sophomore Abby Willson joined Morris and the rest of the cast in learning the specifics of singing, dancing and acting the scenes.

After auditions, the whole process begins with blocking scenes: learning the movements to, from and around the stage under the direction of director Amy Moorhead. After blocking individual scenes, the cast starts stringing them together.

TSL2_PhotoByTylerEllis“You’re not going to get it perfect the first time through, even if you know what you’re supposed to do,” Willson said.

Then, once a week, ensemble rehearsals involve the full cast in the whole chaotic undertaking.

Finally, closer to opening night, tech weeks bring in the orchestra, makeup and hair, microphones, and the full cast every night for three to four hours.

“When you finally do it, all in one run through, you really see everything come together,” Morris said.

The fall, spring and May plays require similar enterprise.

Senior Yuval Wolf played Florindo in last year’s fall play, “A Servant of Two Masters.”

Once students in Acting III-IV have read a number of plays over the summer and auditioned for their parts in the fall play, the cast begins reading through scenes and working out the specifics of the performance, a process that lasts until November.

“You just work constantly, improve the scenes and make it the production that it ultimately is,” Wolf said.

The time invested into these efforts quickly forms bonds between performers.

“One of the greatest things about acting is how much of a community and how collaborative it is,” Wolf said. “For a lot of people it’s like their second home and they feel very comfortable trying new things, which in acting is very important.”

Even people who would not normally hang out together become great friends, Wolf said.

“That not only allows for a great classroom environment, but that’s part of what makes the plays so great: we on the stage feel comfortable with one another,” Wolf said.

Acting I and Acting II, the latter of which Willson is in, are designed to help create that environment.TSL3_PhotoByTylerEllis

“Acting, and any art form, is a really personal thing,” Willson said. “It’s kind of hard to not make connections with people because you’re just opening yourself up in a very vulnerable way.

Willson pointed to their class game of Assassin and who eats lunch with each other as evidence of the bonds that form — bonds which become crucial on the stage.

“You need to have an environment where it’s okay to mess up and learn from it,” Willson said. “Otherwise you just can’t do it.”

The social aspect of performing was an integral part of the entire process for Wolf, Willson and Morris.

“The audience never sees what goes on backstage, but sometimes we dance around really weirdly to some of the songs, and you should see all of our Snapchats,” Willson said.

But it is not all friendship, bravos, bravas, thrown roses and calls for an encore: if the grind of rehearsal and constant singing and dancing were not tiring enough, the actual performances were surprisingly taxing, Willson said.

“Sometimes it’s kind of hard to remember being actually on stage because it’s so much in your body, and I don’t know how to not make it sound cheesy, but honestly you’re just going through the motions and you try to just do it the best you can,” Willson said.

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