After months of preparation for their fall musical “String,” Park theater finished off two weekends of performances, closing the curtain on Nov. 22. The unique show about the Greek Fates being trapped in an office building was directed by Jodi Schifsky and featured students in the cast and crew.
Junior stage manager Hannora Crouse said “String” is different than Park’s past performances because its script was written recently, as opposed to other shows they have chosen, which were written a while ago.
“Something that makes this show unique is that it’s a really new show,” Crouse said. “It was written in the past 10 or 15 years. It’s a lot more current than other shows that we have done.”
According to director Jodi Schifsky, preparing for “String” has been a creative and enjoyable process due to its recent musical nature. She said they had some difficulties expanding on the initial scripts and music they were given, but were able to bring their ideas together in the execution.
“(Preparing for the show) has been a lot of fun for the students and the directing team because it’s a unique show that we were starting from scratch,” Schifsky said. “We had the scripts, we had the music, but we didn’t have any reference points, so it went from a huge question mark to this great vision that came together eventually.”
Senior Noa Butler, who played Greek fate Lachesis, said they were proud of the effort that those in the cast and crew put into bringing the various elements of “String” together during the final weeks of their preparation before the show.
“I’m really proud of how well it came together,” Butler said. “There were a lot of pieces that all needed to happen, and they were all happening with different groups, but especially over the last two weeks, we’ve all been able to work together and combine our talents and strengths to make a really good show.”
Schifsky said all of the departments of the crew have been important in bringing the musical to life. She said the different sections of the crew, including set, lights, costumes and sound, have all had to overcome challenges and were fundamental in telling the story of “String.”
“The set crew built a beast of a set with moving elevators, a giant platform and a really cool string wall,” Schifsky said. “(The) lights (crew) have really found ways to accentuate those pieces. Costumes have been the foundation of storytelling. Sound has been crucial because it’s a musical. We have all sorts of mic problems to overcome, and they’ve really all stepped up and found new ways to do stuff.”
According to Crouse, stage managers like herself play an important role in making sure the cast members’ scenes on stage run smoothly. She said they have to have the entire show memorized to help the cast remember the various cues, movements and props the actors need for their scenes.
“Stage managers work pretty closely with the cast, so while the cast is rehearsing, we take a whole lot of notes on where everyone is moving on stage, (and) when they’re supposed to be on,” Crouse said. “(We) know what side they come on from, what props they’re supposed to have, everything like that. We basically have to know the show back to front and then once we get to tech week, being a resource for them and providing all that information (is our role).”
Butler said some parts of their role of Lachesis came naturally, but they also put in a lot of practice to get into character. They said one way they would do this was by asking themself what their character would do in certain scenarios.
“I’m what one would call an angsty middle sibling, so I did not need to do much (to prepare) in that sense, but I did a lot of practicing my song outside of school, and I did a lot of practicing scenes with friends,” Butler said. “My favorite question that I always ask myself is what would my character eat for breakfast. I find that helps me get into their mindset.”
Schifsky said she hopes the audience took away the message from “String,” that all human lives are connected and tied together. According to her, the musical showcases how everyone has their own significance.
“One of the major themes (in “String”) is the connectivity of life,” Schifsky said. “Literally all these different life threads are woven into one tapestry. I think it’s a really important message about how we connect and how each life matters.”
