Lights, Camera, Action! The staff, backstage crew, and cast have been working on the upcoming Annie Jr. play for about since November. Performances are on February 25 and 26. Everything seems to be going smoothly, but what is really going on behind the scenes?

At the beginning, many students auditioned for the limited spots in the play. Both the students and the directors were exhausted. Most of those who auditioned were extremely talented and the directors had to do the hard work of choosing who would be cast in the play and who would not.

“Casting is always really challenging, finding the right people for the right role,” said Mrs. McReynolds, the director of Annie Jr.

Rehearsals are on a tight schedule. There is much to learn in very little time. Although rehearsals are tiring for the cast and crew, they are also exciting. It is a time to make new friends and practice acting gifts and abilities. In fact, most of the cast of this year’s Annie Jr. musical look forward to rehearsals during the school day.

“I think this experience helps socially. You know, [it] gives us new friends,” said Chloe K., who portrays Tessie.

“Thinking about rehearsal has always made me excited,” said Mallory S., who plays the role of Annie in Cast B.

Although rehearsals occur without too much difficulty, there are details that could make the performance even more enjoyable, such as new curtains, and an attempt to get better lighting for the stage. As of now, the lights are temporarily mounted on poles instead of permanently attached to the ceiling and walls.

“We have been trying to get the lights for a while now, and it gets frustrating because everything has to go through the school first so they have to buy the lights from certain people and have certain people install them, so it takes a long time,” said Courtney C., who plays a servant named Cecile.

The masterminds behind the quick changes of scenes are the backstage crew volunteers. They remember what goes where and when. Without their help, the show wouldn’t be able to go on, yet they still do not receive much recognition. The only chance they get to show their faces is when they bow at the end of the show.

“The worst part is that you don’t really get recognized as much as the other people because you see all the people on stage and everything. They always get all the recognition like, ‘Oh you were Lily,’ and backstage they walk by you and don’t even recognize you were there,” said Ryan W., the manager of the backstage crew.

With all the chaos of preparing the musical in time, who wouldn’t get stressed? The cast has to memorize all their lines, choreography, and songs, while trying not to mess up.

The backstage is running around in a tight space, learning where all the props go and the staff is trying to get everyone to stay focused. Sometimes it is just too much.

“Backstage is just very small and tight. Rehearsal is stressful and the show is extremely stressful,” said Yuke C., the co-manager of the backstage crew.

“When I forget my lines, I feel like ‘Oh my God’ and I blank out and personally die,” said Melissa M., who plays Molly.

“It’s stressful because you don’t want to mess up and disappoint Mrs. McReynolds,” said Allison L., who plays a part in the NYC scene.

Mostly, participating in the school musical is a lot of fun. People who partake in it get to experience the company of individuals who aren’t afraid to show their inner personality and they are able to watch a musical build up from nothing. Also, the feeling of performing on stage is incredible for most of the cast.

“I like knowing that I’m making people smile,” said Ava Y., who acts as an orphan in the musical.

The musical should turn out amazing and all of this hard work should be worth it. Come see how it goes.