Percy Jackson, Closing Night: Behind the Curtain
Saturday, November 23rd, was the closing night of our school musical. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. The performance was amazing, but what goes on behind the curtains?
First, we’d like to thank our new drama teacher, Mr. Morgan, for all his sacrifices and contributions to our musical. We couldn’t have done it without him. To summarize what he said before the cast closing night, “You guys have been amazing to work with. Most high school theater casts dissolved into cliques and groups. But you guys were wonderful and always lifted each other up… For most people, this is the only place they can go to feel safe, so keep it this way.”
Most art departments are very underfunded, so the cast had to do the best they could with what they had. All of the props were handmade by the amazing Shelly Coray and her family. They had painted more than 30 pieces of armor by hand. The woodshop also helped, making all the swords that were used in the Capture the Flag scene.
The cast arrived at the auditorium at 4:30 every day, where they spent their time getting ready and warming up. They’ve been doing this for the last 4 months; they have been rehearsing and practicing their scenes. Bringing this musical together took multiple trips to Wendy’s, a few moments of zoning out, and many hours of trial and error. Our actors’ voices are powerful and more than mellifluous. After long hours of humor-filled rehearsals, similar Instagram notes, and spontaneous bursts of song and dance, our amazing main three—Percy Jackson (Matthew Raynor), Annabeth Chase (Anna Peterson), and Grover (Rachel German)—are finally finished with their ‘killer quest’!
The tech crew arrived shortly after them to help set up lights, mics, sounds, and backdrops, led by the amazing Mrs. “Mama J” Johnson. She has trained and guided the tech crew in bringing everything together. The effects and lights, carefully coordinated, help tell the story as best they can. Mr. Johnson has been there to keep the peace and finalize the technical aspects. Mr. Palmer, once a teacher at the high school, returned to lend a helping hand to the crew.
Be sure to give extra credit and gratitude to the Johnsons and our senior techies. Cade Bramall, a senior, has been learning the ropes in the booth since before he was a freshman in high school. If you ever pass him on the road, he’ll most likely be blasting old dad rock or his favorite songs from the Charlie Brown musical. While Cade manages the mics and sound, Kirsten Coray, also a senior at Juab, is in charge of the lights. Kirsten is a creative student whose coat pockets are as deep as Mary Poppins’ bag. She loves the “MacGyver” vibes she gets while working with the multiple monitors.
As the show closes, we wish the best to our drama and theater students. They put their heart, soul, and blood into these last performances. And with the show coming to an end, that’s our curtain call.