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As March begins and spring gets closer to arriving, the Avonworth spring musical production of Phantom of the Opera is amping up. Back in December, the drama department announced that it would be putting on a theatre classic, Phantom of the Opera, which the school had performed once before in 2013. This is a huge undertaking for the musical staff, cast, and crew, as the show is an incredibly large production that requires extensive preparation from the crew, rehearsal from the cast and pit orchestra, and hard work from the staff. This musical is also very difficult to execute correctly and to its fullest potential, especially with a high school cast. However, everyone involved has dedicated so much time and effort to it, and the result will definitely be worth it!
For months, the musical staff members have been working hard to ensure that everyone is prepared and on task, and that this performance is the best it can possibly be. The director, Ms. Frauenholz, “Frau”, worked on this show with the Avonworth drama department back in 2013, and is incredibly excited to put it on again with the new cast. In an interview, Frau stated that “The most difficult part is the technical things…when we did the show before, we borrowed the mechanical set pieces…we had to find a way to make a mechanical boat…what’s really rough is re-creating them.” It is clear that this show has been a very difficult commitment for the staff, specifically for Frau and those who have been helping her with making the sets. However, Frau is also very proud of all of her teams and very excited to share the show with everyone, stating that her favorite part of directing the show has been in rehearsals when “a student is singing or dancing, and suddenly there is this magic moment where they just get it.” Overall, the staff has worked incredibly hard on this show and are extremely excited for its opening!
Of course, any show is nothing without its cast, and this production has a large and very talented group of students working very hard to make it as incredible as possible. Paxon Masters, who played Sweeney Todd in last year’s iconic production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, is a senior this year who will be performing in his last Avonworth drama production as The Phantom.
Paxon, who is working tirelessly to make his performance the best it can be, has a very positive attitude about the performance; “I am feeling very confident in this show! its going to be a massive event, but I’m prepared. I’ve spent a lot of time preparing for this role, drawing on the 25th Anniversary Edition of the show and Avonworth’s 2013 production.” As a member of the cast, Paxon speaks for all of us when he says that this show will be a massive event. However, it will definitely be worth all of the hard work and dedication, because the performance itself is beautiful and extremely fun to perform in!
This show, being the huge performance that it is, also relies heavily on a dedicated tech crew. This year, the technical tasks needed to put on this show are precise and jarring, and the crew must be very focused at all times to match cues and ensure safety. The crew has to handle large props and meeting cues for different sets, and the lighting and sound crew also have to concentrate on cues and the elaborate tech boards being used.
In an interview with sound crew member Lyra Klinedinst, Lyra stated that “The ardor of this show is definitely affecting everyone; for us in the sound crew, we are going to have lots of live mics running and several important sound effects, along with a handful of mic switches. It is a bit daunting, especially considering how well-known this show is, but I think it also provides great motivation to want to do well and work hard.” Overall, the tech crew has a very big task at hand, but they are confident that they can accomplish their goals and make the show as amazing as it can be on a technical basis.
And of course, a musical is not a musical without music, which leads me to the production’s incredible pit orchestra. This group of band students have been devoting very early mornings week after week to rehearsing the complex and difficult music scores that Phantom of the Opera has to offer. While the music in this show is hard to play, the pit has been working very hard to make the music beautiful.
In an interview with pit manager Alexa Graves, I asked Alexa about how preparation for the show has been going for the pit so far. Alexa stated, “The music in Phantom of the Opera is very beautiful, and I was excited to be a part of it. Preparation for Phantom has been a bit more difficult this year than last year, but we gained new members, making our practices smoother. Also, everyone is very willing to work hard to put on a good show, which again makes preparation much easier.” If you are planning to see the musical, the music alone is wonderful and very worth the watch!
To conclude, there are many people working overtime on this production. Though it is huge, shooting the department up from the lowest to the highest budget level in one year, it is going to be absolutely amazing. Congratulations to the cast, crew, staff, and everyone involved on all your hard work!
Updates for Gene Kelly Awards: Four nominations for specific actors – Paxon, Lucy, Bea, and Ella, and a nomination for the student orchestra
