Behind the Scenes: Tippecanoe High School's dress rehearsal for-THE ADDAMS FAMILY
The Tipp Gazette was lucky enough to get a back-stage sneak preview of this past weekend's performance of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, which ran Friday through Sunday at the Tippecanoe High School Performing Arts Center.
Dress Rehearsal filled with nervous anticipation
We were behind the scenes for the dress rehearsal on Thursday night, and it looked to be a great production. Director Candice Jasinski said they started planning for the show in January and were building - and tweaking - the sets and production elements right up until the dress rehearsal. “And probably during the show this weekend," she added. "There are always things to improve."
Backstage was mildly chaotic, with large sets and paper-mache trees hulking over the stage as cast members scrambled past the prop table to take their places on stage. The stage manager and her staff sat at a table backstage behind an open copy of the script, preparing the cast and crew to begin the dress rehearsal.
Out in the main theater, a sound tech ran all the actors through testing their audio equipment as each actor spoke a few lines or sang part of one of their numbers. As the techs tweaked their audio levels, the other actor awaited their turns, pacing the stage and adjusting their costumes.
After cast photos—the cast for this production is larger than most—and testing of the lighting rigs, sound system and smoke machines, it was on to the actual rehearsal!
The stage lights went down, the theater grew quiet, and then the first notes of the first musical number kicked off. Our reporters were able to experience the first act in its entirety, and other than an unfortunate accident with one of the massive paper-mache trees, everything went swimmingly.
Director Jasinski walked behind the scenes and out in the theater, making adjustments on the fly. The audio techs sat at their computers and sound boards at the back of the theater, adjusting sound levels and starting and stopping the musical numbers and sound affects.
It looked to be a great show and we hope everything went well. And here at the Gazette, we can't wait to see what this great group of performers and technical wizards come up with next!
Show Description
THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and a dilemma that’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family—a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before—keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY School Edition has been adapted from the original Broadway production. The School Edition has been carefully edited, with additional director’s notes throughout, to make the show more producible for high school groups. Song keys have been adjusted to sit more comfortably in the range of high school performers. In some cases, problematic language has been changed, while in others, an alternate choice is offered at the discretion of the director.
(Source: Theatrical Rights Worldwide)
Cast:
Morticia Addams - Faye Young
Gomez Addams - Elijah Ramos
Wednesday Addams - Abby Kreusch
Fester Addams - Wesley Morse
Pugsley Addams - Helaina Poronsky
Grandma Addam - Naomi Sharpnack
Lurch - Elijha Stiffler
Lucas Beineke - Connor Czapor
Alice Beineke - Emma Ullery
Mal Beineke - Henry McDaniel
Ancestors
Lauren Anderson
Lilly Anderson
Pyxie Blair
Halee Coy
Madelyn Cook
Rosie Dunn
Vinncent English
Natalie Foster,
Savannah Gambill
Karlee Griffith
Kaiden Hahn
Lillian Lamont
Jojo Lursman
Tommy Myers
Maddie Owens
Taylor Rose
Addi Stacy
Alayna Stamper
Charlotte Stark
Bridget Tron
Maria Underwood
Sofia Vickers
Sharon Wysong
Tech Crew/Stage Hands
Milo Green
Riley Cook
Mary Waibel
Aubrey Ernst
Henry Ranly
Brighton Sears
Deryk Honaker
Production Team
Director - Mrs. Jasinski
Musical Director - Mrs. Casey
Technical Director - Jason Hanrahan
Choreographer - Brady Castillo
Stage Managers - Ms. Dix and Ellie Bundenthal
Tech Coordinator - Addie Powell
Sound Coordinator - Ella Van Oss
Production Assistant - Hailey Everheart
Costume Coordinators - Annabelle Bathgate and Brittany Owens
Front of House Coordinators - Bethany Czapor, Abby Ramos, Lisa Kreusch and Katie Anderson
Parents who made our tech week dinners possible
Bethany Czapor, Abby Ramos, Lisa Kreusch, Katie Anderson, Beth Poronsky, Cindy Young, Tonya Foster, Brittanie Stacy, Cindy Sharpnack, Melinda Lursman, Amy Underwood, Katie Van Oss, Michelle Lamont, Kim Tron, Heather Woodard, Brittany Owens, Catherine Raines, Karen Ullery, Renee Matsunami and Jayme Everhart
Special Thanks To:
The Tipp Foundation for the beautiful new cyc
Mr. Kitchen and the Stagecraft Class for helping with the beautiful set
Thank you to Kari Prall for helping with the costumes and props donations
Thank you to Zane Haas for the fight choreography
Thank you to the moms who helped coordinate dinners for our cast
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