Every year, the Lake Central Theatre Company gives freshmen the opportunity to grab the spotlight in their freshmen shows, which took place on May 4 and May 5 this year. The shows are directed by upperclassmen in the company and consist of several shows.
“I loved being able to mentor the future members of the Lake Central Theatre Company, and I hope we created a great environment that will prepare them for the rest of their careers,” William Kruzan (12) said.
The production of getting four separate shows stage-ready in just a few weeks proved to be challenging, especially to the directors.
“We only had four rehearsals before tech week, so we had to use our time wisely. The first two rehearsals we blocked the show and used scripts, and the last two we detailed each scene and worked on memorization. During tech week, we can the shows with lights and sound. It went pretty smoothly,” Hannah Souronis (12) said.
For some students, the topic of their play and being able to portray a message to an audience was one of their most memorable parts.
“I loved being Carmel. She was a kind nurse, and I loved being able to portray her character. I love being in a show with such a despairing topic because it touched so many young individuals, but also it probably hit home for a lot of older folks because that could be their life, and I’m glad I got to be a part of that,” Madalyn Doot (9) said.
Despite the fact that the attendance for freshmen shows is less than most of the other theater productions, they want people to understand that they are just as good as the productions with upperclassmen.
“The freshman shows are important because they introduce the new students of Lake Central to the theatre company. More people should come because it is most of the students’ debuts for the company, so it is really exciting for them and they work really hard,” Souronis said.
For the freshmen who experienced the spotlight for the first time and for the seniors whose time in the spotlight was coming to an end, the emotions were very different.
“I think the freshman in the cast of course were excited and looking forward to the rest of their high school experience, but the seniors were experiencing more of a bittersweet feeling, with this show being the last time we would ever be backstage in the LC auditorium,” Kruzan said.
The directors not only helped them get into character, but they also helped them behind the scenes, and have big hopes for their future.
“I hope that all the freshman are all able to understand the importance of theater in schools, and that they are able to succeed in their future efforts with the theatre company,” Kruzan said.
