As tech week begins and the play approaches, the crew, cast, and orchestra are all working hard to bring this year’s spring musical, Freaky Friday, to the stage. Opening night was Thursday, May 23 running until Saturday, May 25.
The actors and actresses of Freaky Friday: The Musical rehearsed everyday to bring the story of Ellie, a teenage girl dealing with the struggles of high school, and her mother, Katherine, a overworked widowed mother who is getting remarried. The play has provided an opportunity for the cast and crew to connect with each other.
Sofya Ignatova, a ninth grader, described “My favorite part about the musical so far is that we get to have dinner as a cast. Eating dinner together helps us make new bonds and friendships.”
According to Backstage.com “Whether you’re building sets, sewing costumes, arranging lights, or running a show from backstage, time on stage is a great way to build your practical skills.” This is echoed by an anonymous 12th grader on tech crew “I’ve learned a bunch of new skills from tech like drilling properly, painting skills, also organization such as how to build a platform.”
These skills can help the students in the future and may even help them find a career in technical work for professional plays. “I’ve learned how to use a table saw which is like taking stuff apart as well when we need to strike to set we take everything apart, put it away. I’m just a lot more comfortable around that stuff.” This musical may be the last for many seniors leaving Briar Woods this year, but it also is a first for many.
Parvini Naralasetti, a freshman at Briar Woods who worked tech crew for Freak Friday stated,“I think it’s super nice to be able to participate in the play in a way that doesn’t put you on display and it’s super great for those who don’t like being on stage. It is also something that I have not done previously, so it has been a super interesting experience.” The play was a way for students to experience different things that they haven’t done before and taught them many skills that will help them in the future.
From learning new skills to making everlasting memories and friendships the musical was a rewarding experience for both the cast and crew, one of many reasons to consider participating in theater.
