What’s been going on in the auditorium at North?

The North High School drama has been preparing their show since September, and over the weekend students who are acting in the musical or are stage crew spent 10 hours designing and building the set for the fall musical, Anastasia. Parents and volunteers were also hard at work bringing supplies and tools.

The set build started on Friday and Saturday, it went from 11 AM to 4 PM as there was no school. The students and volunteers set out in groups, working on different things and getting the job done. 

One of these groups included students named Maya, David, Evelyn, and Hailey. They were busy painting frames and wood to be used in a scene where the setting is an abandoned theater. Other groups worked on building things like a train station, a moving train, a stage-wide platform, and many small props that took time and dedication to make.

After two long days, the set-building process is almost complete, and there will be another day to finish up the fine details this Saturday.

Why is set build so important?

The musical director Jack Bonko has made it clear that the set is complex and requires many moving parts. He gave directions and the groups followed, painting, building, and designing the perfect set. 

The sets and props are vital to the musical because they transform the story for the audience. The musical starts in Russia during the revolution and ends in Paris with hope. These two contrasting countries are shown with changes to the set, props, costumes, and attitude of the actors.

Holly Anderson is the set designer. Thanks to her, everyone can work on something in small groups because she has sketched out plans for every piece with specific instructions to follow.

For example, one major sketch is for the train to Paris. This includes wood planks to make up the frame, and gaps at the bottom so that students can stand there and move the train during the song “We’ll Go From There”. This project has yet to be started and will be a major focus on Saturday, the last set build day for NHS Drama.