You feel the sweat drip down your forehead from the hot spotlights beating down. You look to the audience and see everyone’s eyes wide, waiting for you to say your next line. That’s just a brief glimpse into what goes through the heads of the performers and crew of ELHS Drama productions.
“The Importance of Being Earnest” is a comedy by Oscar Wilde about two friends, Jack Worthington and Algernon Moncrief, who pretend to be a man named Ernest to get out of bad situations. Both of them end up falling for different women as “Ernest.” These women both think that they are dating “Ernest,” and this obviously leads to some conflict.
“This is probably the funniest production that I have worked on,” senior Madi Miller said.
Miller is playing the role of Cecily Cardew who is the niece to Jack Worthington. Cardew is a lively, romantic, and at times mischievous character.
“The character is a departure from the types of characters I typically play,” Miller commented, as she is known most for her more serious and sophisticated characters.
“Just do it. The community is a very accepting and supportive group of people,” was Madi’s advice to anyone who is looking to join the play.
“The short timeline of the play was a real struggle of mine,” freshman Mason Smith said. This being his first high school play, he felt he was unprepared for having to memorize all those lines in such a short amount of time.
“In order for this play to perform well, this needs to be a kind and safe environment for anyone, no matter what their differences are,” said Smith.
“Without the stage crew, there is no play,” said senior Molly Cooper. The stage crew is a very important, though often overlooked, part of the play. “Without us, you couldn’t see or hear the actors,” said Cooper.
The stage crew is the reason a play runs smoothly. Whenever a scene changes, the running crew moves the sets. Whenever a character is talking, there is a reason the audience can hear them. And without the stage crew, no one would control the lights so the audience couldn’t see the actors. The stage crew, while not as seen as the actors, are the reason the show is able to run.
Overall, with all the blood sweat and tears students put into this show, it would really be a shame if all of ELHS didn’t go see it. And if you are someone who is on the fence about joining the next one, the overall consensus is that you should. The community is very accepting and supportive with everyone in there wanting to grow together
