From an audience perspective, a production seems seamless. The actors know
their lines, the tech crew knows their cues, it seems almost easy. But behind the
scenes, it is a lot more challenging. From blocking, reciting lines, to building a set
so much hard work goes into a production that a mere viewer does not know.
The first, and most important component is the actor’s strong work ethic. They
need to be fully committed and rehearse consistently.
“I think the most important component of making a great production is consis-
tent hard work,” senior Patrisha Luzietti said. “We have to remember our blocking
and lines, and then continue to work to develop our character.”
Without their devotion to the show, nothing would come together, and they
would not be able to show people their talents.
“The shows put on at Roncalli are a testament of the hard work of all of the
students involved in each production,” junior Ivan Figueroa said.
Another part of the actors’ hard work is their ability to fully embrace and un-
derstand their character.
“I think to make a great production, you have to understand the circumstances
and background of the show. Your character, even if you’re a background charac-
ter, is part of the story, and there are so many different settings and situations that
your character could be in.” freshman Audrey Young said.
Other than the hard work of its members, there is something else special about
the cast-its size. The cast consists of only 12 actors which is on the smaller side
for a play. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact it has more positives than
negatives.
“There are only 12 people in this show, so I feel like we are all close with each
other,” Luzietti said. “I’ve been able to become friends with everyone in the show,
which I can’t usually do with a much bigger cast.”
With a cast this small, actors are able to become closer, and make more lasting
memories during rehearsal.
“On the first day of trying to learn our accents, they weren’t great, and it was
really funny to hear everyone trying to get theirs right,” Luzietti said.
Other than the relationship between the cast members, there is the relationship
between the tech and actors. Though the actors consistently work hard, they rely
on the tech crew to make the set, gather props, do their hair, and more.
“After most rehearsals, the crew compliments the actors on scenes they liked or
how well they portrayed character or how they had good facial expressions, and
the actors will talk about how pretty the set looks and how cool the props are, or
how much they love their costume,” Young said.
Although this production may have had some challenges, such as mastering
the perfect accent or remembering blocking, that never prevents the actors from
working to be their best.
“A challenge was definitely memorizing the exact wording of my lines and hav-
ing to do them with a Belgian French accent,” Figueroa said.
But overall, their love for theater keeps them on track, and working towards
producing an outstanding production for their family and friends.
“Seeing everything that comes with putting on a production such as the set
design, costumes, and props come together is definitely my favorite part of doing theater.”
