It was February of 2024, and with the school year coming to an end, theater director Caleb Francis, along with student actors and crew members, worked together to create their student production of this year’s musical, “The Addams Family.”
The musical follows the Addams Family, specifically Wednesday Addams, and with Francis directing the show, he will use the family to display what he calls “a discovery of love … about family and about coming together.”
Of all the musicals Francis has directed, this musical is the one in which the characters are most different from each other.
“They all have a different personality about them,” Francis said. “This one is where they are the most big, I would say. They have the biggest personalities with many of the characters, instead of one or two.”
Expanding over a four-month period, theater students have worked together to create their final production of “The Addams Family.” This timeline illustrates the process of putting everything together, starting from auditions to the final days before the premiere of the show.
May
Nearing the end of the school year, Francis hosted auditions for the “Addams Family.” Prior to Francis taking over as theater director in January of 2023, auditions were typically held in the beginning of the school year, but Francis moved them to the spring in order to give the theater more time to rehearse and prepare for shows.
“We do our auditions before we leave for the summer of the next school year, just so that we have a good idea coming into the next school year,” Francis said. “It’s going to give us some more time.”
Before the first round of auditions, Francis provided material for those who were wanting to audition, for them to look over and practice. Throughout the first round of casting, the auditionees were asked to participate in dance auditions in order for directors to determine the movement ability of each person.
Next came singing auditions, in which students were asked to perform a song and also asked to perform a reading from one of the character’s monologues.
If needed, secondary auditions, known as callbacks, take place. Throughout callbacks, some students are asked to return and perform a more in-depth reading of one of the character’s lines. For this musical, callbacks were not necessary.
“When I know, I know,” Francis said. “I don’t second guess it. When I know that somebody’s right for a part, they’re saved for that part.”
After auditions were finished, Francis chose the role for each person and put the cast list up. Finalizing the audition process, each actor was asked to accept or deny their chosen role for the musical while also taking materials with them to look over while on summer break.
June/July
After the school year ended and throughout the summer, Francis started to plan the entire musical. This included planning the appearance of the set, purchasing necessary materials that they might need for the future and planning the appearance and design of each costume.
“I do a whole bunch of prep work,” Francis said. “I probably don’t stop working at all over the summer.”
August/September
Once actors and crew members came back from summer break, they began rehearsals, which went from Monday through Thursday in the late afternoon, usually lasting three hours. But in order to accommodate after-school activities others had, Francis changed them to two hours.
Throughout this phase, actors practiced their parts while crew members began to learn about their responsibilities in the musical. With a few weeks remaining before fall break, crew members started to build the set for the musical. This year, like every year, rehearsals will go until the last few days until the show.
October
Two weeks before fall break began, crew members did much of the building while also getting help from some of the actors and others.
“We have to cut wood, drill, paint–a lot of painting,” junior Charles Campbell, one of the crew members, said.
During last year’s production of “Mean Girls,” the crew was not able to have a set during the musical due to the amount of scene changes. This year, the crew will be able to have a set as a background.
“Last year we didn’t have a set,” junior Abbie Wethington, the stage manager, said. “And I think that took away from the visual quality of our musical … But our set this year is really cool.”
Nearing the end of the building process, theater students reached their final month of production. Throughout the final month, students have done an abundant amount of work, including putting the set together and having their final rehearsals.
November
During the final two weeks before the show, the cast and crew take part in “tech week.”
“Tech week is the week where we put all of the technical elements together,” Francis said.
Throughout these two weeks, the actors will start to get more involved with the final version of the show, changing into their costumes and starting to apply makeup.
The crew also starts to assemble the entire set together. This includes microphones, lights, sound and more. Throughout this time, Francis will start to make any changes that he sees fit.
“That’s the week that we work out all of those kinks,” Francis said. “So that way what you see as the final product is the best version that we have for you.”
The day before the musical, one of two things could happen. Francis could either decide that they need to have a final runthrough of the show, or he could give the day off for everyone because of the effect that tech week has on the actors and crew.
“It’s definitely the most stressful week for everyone involved,” Wethington said.
Extending over a four-month period, theater students were able to prepare, practice and put together everything for the premiere of “The Addams Family” musical. SHS Theater will host the musical on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in the auditorium, with tickets costing $10 each.
“Come see the show,” Francis said. “It’s going to be good.”
Buy your tickets here: https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/sopopad/buy-tix
