How do you School?

It's been almost an entire week since our show. I've had the weekend to breathe (kind of) and now I'm sitting here thinking, is this it? How do you end a blog? And how do you go back to a normal high school, where kids don't walk up to each other in the morning and improv before yoga? So, this is the beginning of the goodbyes, the write offs that will leave us crying until next summer, and the thank yous that we hope will be heard. Have your tissues handy.

SOS Returning Student Guest Writer: Sierra Rose of Elephant's Graveyard

The last time I wrote about Summer on Stage, it was day four, and I had just put my life on the line - so to speak - and auditioned, along with the 30-plus other kids whose names I was still struggling to get right. Now, it’s a Monday, and I’m sitting in my pajamas at three in the afternoon, mourning the fact that I’m not currently working my butt off in rehearsal. Our set has been broken down, our costumes dismantled and sent back to their proper places, animal puppets auctioned off to victors of “bang,” “ninja,” and “bippidy bippidy bop.”That’s right, folks - Elephant’s Graveyard is a wrap!

It took us four weeks, falling off boxes, suffering colds, dropping people during trust falls, day-before blocking changes, and Katherine threatening to throw things at us, but guess what? We did it. We went from paper cutouts, taken directly from the script, to fully-fledged, three-dimensional characters with emotions and individual quirks and motives, who interacted and meshed with each other without words, could shine under their own spotlight or knit the ensemble tighter. We made people laugh, cry, feel anger and fear, horror and remorse, took the audience on an hour ride that plunked them back down in their seats at the end of it and questioned their own morals, asked them what they would have done in our place. Elephant’s Graveyard achieved what we intended it to achieve, and more, and I couldn’t have been more proud to look around me during curtain call and call the cast around my my friends.

I’m not sure when it began, really, that friendship and camaraderie. Somehow, during the long afternoon rehearsals at the U of A, and the grueling hours of tech where we literally stood on boxes for three hours straight, I became friends with those people. I trusted them, I laughed with them, I cried with them, and at the end of the day, I wished I could spend more time with them. That’s the thing about Summer on Stage, I’ve learned - these friendships don’t smack you in the face the first day. They grow, and continue to do so, long after you've said your goodbyes.

I could write pages and pages about what went on in the weeks of rehearsal, all the laughs, all the frustration, all the triumphs, but a) I don’t want to cry and b) I don’t think anyone wants to spend the next three hours waiting for me to hop off my soapbox, so I’ll keep this brief and say that these weeks of my summer have been some of the best of my life.  The last moments I had up on stage as the Ringmaster were some of the proudest. The hours spent standing in the corner of stage right with Melissa and Patrick and goofing off in the dressing rooms with my roomies were some of the funniest. And the moment we got on that stage and killed it was definitely the most exhilarating. I started this experience with trepidation, worried that I would let people down, wouldn't be able to do this role justice, anxious that I would be written off as the newbie, but, of course, I can look back now and say how silly I was. I truly felt like I was part of a family in this cast, no matter how many times we took issue with the script or grumbled about new blocking. We created something beautiful and haunting with just our words, our bodies, and the emotions we channeled through our characters, and I couldn't be more grateful.

So thank you, Elephants, for giving me the best summer of my life, for making me feel like I could do anything, for giving me the chance to stand on a stage on which I’d always dreamed of performing and make an audience of 400 hurt like my character did, for inspiring me beyond words. Thank you for hanging an elephant with me. (Too soon? Yeah, too soon.)

SOS Student Guest Writer: Chris Fernandez of In Your Eyes

Three days ago, Summer On Stage 2013 officially concluded. The cast of In Your Eyes opened and closed their show in one single night. The curtain may have closed and the program may have ended, but the excitement, pride, and passion we possess for this show lingers. Throughout the process of preparing for this musical, we established strong connections with each other. Prior to the commencement of the program, each member of In Your Eyes could be thought of as an isolated puzzle piece, waiting to find where it belonged. Well, I can tell you on behalf of the entire cast that the second the spotlight shone, the first piano chord was struck, and the first lyric was sung, the puzzle pieces connected and a truly beautiful image was formed.

Constituting the original cast of a debut musical was an honor none of the cast members were ever expecting to hold. Each member was given the opportunity of portraying their respective character for the first time in history. Even more, the diversity of the characters was refreshing and thrilling in itself. The interactions of our characters attributed a dynamic tone to the overall effect of the production. We were all able to portray kids our age in an environment we were well accustomed to. How many actors in a musical are able to say that?

The cast of In Your Eyes was composed of such unique and interesting people who all possess immense creativity and insightful imaginations. Jesse Rubin, who portrayed Brad, had such a powerful effect in his performance, masterfully taking the cliché character of the “jock” and attributing believable layers and dimension to the role. Similarly, Leah Harris, who portrayed Taylor in the production, was given the task of playing the “dumb blonde.” Leah imbued this role with a hilarious comedic undertone, while still conveying her character's inner struggle.

Noah Woods gave a fantastic performance not only as the school's unqualified counselor, but also as the Principal Voice, Bullhorn Voice, Police Officer, and Barbara's drunk dad. Taylor Schlicht played Riley, the class' religious fanatic. She portrayed this character truthfully, and with the added effect of her angelic voice, the role greatly influenced the musical's overall impact. Alec Coles was cast as Ethan, a typical adolescent boy. Not only did Alec make Ethan an interesting and captivating character, but he also contributed a great amount of aid in all regards of the production; from the singing, to the dancing, to the acting, Alec demonstrated how inherently brilliant he is when it comes to musical theater.

Christina Kroell is a star in every sense of the word. Knowing Christina to be such an amiable person, everyone was taken aback upon watching her transformation into her hostile character, Barbara. Every time Christina opens her mouth to sing, everyone is immediately mesmerized by how powerful yet ethereal her voice is. The character of Jack, a boy overwhelmed by internal conflict, was portrayed by Hayden Wilson, one of the funniest and most passionate actors in our cast. Prior to being cast in the musical, Hayden did not necessarily consider himself a “singer.” However, in only about five weeks, he demonstrated exceptional growth in his vocal abilities, learning his vocal range fell under that of a high tenor. Hayden invested heartfelt, honest emotion into every scene he was in, successfully conveying an extremely convoluted conflict many young adults struggle with today.

Alyssa Whatton portrayed Mary Jane with an energy that diffused throughout the entire cast. One could observe Alyssa's character merely standing in the background and still be wildly entertained; she really delved into her character and never failed to fully commit. Ben Klinkenberg's character was Spencer, a creepy, technologically proficient boy always clothed in a black trench coat. It would have been very easy for Ben's character to remain one dimensional and static throughout the musical. However, Ben performed this role in such a way that explicitly showcased Spencer's personal growth as a result of the lockdown. Noam Shahar's character, Benny, did not possess an abundance of immediately accessible characterization, yet Noam managed to make his character incredibly realistic. Furthermore, Noam's particular talent is quite unique and heavily distinctive from anyone else, which greatly contributed to the varying dynamic of the production.

One of the most surprising talents within the In Your Eyes cast was none other than Samuel “Hap” Nardi, who played Chad. Hap's mature vocal ability blew us all away and his effort to attain perfection inspired us all. Hap taught us all so much about performing and also a great deal about ourselves. He is truly a special person. Finally, there is Alyssa Furtado, who played the quiet girl in the corner, Darcy. In person, Alyssa is ray of sunshine; she naturally just makes you happy. As such, the maturity with which she portrayed her character was surprising and quite impressive. The purity and innocence of her voice made her performance one of the most memorable in the show.

Of course, this musical would not have been possible without our director Amber Tibbitts. Amber is a very unique director. She provided each cast member with the freedom to develop our characters independently. However, she never allowed us to become idle in a scene, especially when the focus was not necessarily on us. She cared about each character equally and invested great effort in guiding us to unlock each of our respective characters. One of the best qualities of Amber's approach is that she genuinely makes you excited about your character and his or her influence on the production as a whole.

In Your Eyes was a very important musical. Initially, the infancy of the show may have intimidated us, but due to the hard work of our amazing musical director, Sarah Ross, our passionate director, everyone on crew, and each cast member, we collectively were able to achieve a great feat. This musical was extremely ambitious, but then again, so were we. With each day that passed, we drew closer and closer towards our goal. We all solidified, as a cast, as our characters, and as people. We began to understand each other, to feed off of each other's energies. When the first spotlight shone on Ben as he opened our show, we all felt unified and fulfilled; it almost felt magical, as if we began to breathe as one, sing as one, move as one. We became a living, breathing entity, and as this single entity, we conveyed a captivating story. This amazing experience may have come to a close, but the memory of it will live forever inside each and every one of us.