Day Creek is putting on another one of its amazing plays. The campus will soon enjoy “a tale as old as time,” Beauty and the Beast. What’s missed is all the hard work the cast and crew have been putting in these past two months.

When viewing the play as a finished product, it’s near perfection – no one will be messing around. The same can’t be said for rehearsals. However, mistakes are quickly fixed with the help of Mrs. McReynolds. She is very tolerant with her actors. Patience is definitely the key with two distinct casts. Especially when there is a little goofing off here and there. Junior highers still need to let loose and have a bit of fun.

Regardless, the group definitely means business. They are committed to getting it right. They have been preparing since November. The play isn’t until March, which means the group will have practiced for five months. The actors have already grown attached to the tale run-throughs, “The hardest part about rehearsals is leaving them,” said eighth grader, Gavin L.

The future actors aren’t the only ones who need to practice. There is also the backstage crew. As a team, they quickly prepare different sets and scenes. Not to mention the fact that they also have to work the lighting sequences and lift props.

We have all seen the dance numbers that look near flawless. And apparently, this is one of the more difficult parts of the rehearsals, “Learning the dances [is difficult],” said eighth grader Devin M. Seventh grader Halee Q. feels the same way, “The most difficult part is when we learn a new dance.” It can’t be easy having to remember lines and steps at the same time.

If you think that there rehearsals are just willy-nilly as they decide what to rehearse that day, you couldn’t be more wrong. Every cast member gets a very long and detailed schedule of each day’s rehearsal. This is very helpful since sometimes only distinct parts of the casts are there at a time to rehearse specific scenes. The lists also show which scenes are being rehearsed so that each actor knows when they need to be there.

Endless time and energy is put into each play our school performs. The cast hopes the audience will appreciate it.  

“[ I hope] they would respect it more. Some kids think its weird,” said 7th grader Hannah L.

Hopefully she is right – that recognizing how difficult it is to bring a play to life will only add to your enjoyment.