Ethan R.

Hi, My name is Ethan Ross and I'm working in tech with Mr. Beck. My position is house manager. When you are house manager, you are in charge of everything in front of the stage like chairs, the aisles, and everything under the stage. Being house manager comes with many responsibilities, and if you want to be house manager you will need to be working constantly. Working with Mr. Beck has been a blast. Lately I have received the task of removing the first row of seats so that the orchestra can have enough room for all of their instruments. me and some others just finished doing that after approximately a week. being house manager is a great job and I am really looking forward to the play.

BIlly M.

HI I'm Billy and I am in tech with Mr. Beck. I am the crew chief and I have been working with different people in tech to see how everything is going. So far we are on task and I have usually been putting the new Masonite floorboards on and I help with taking the seats out on the side in the front to make room for the band who will be playing music for midsummer nights dream. We are pretty much redoing the whole auditorium with all new lights, a new set and new sound systems. I have learned a lot about how plays work and what goes into putting on a show.

Cole V.

I am Cole V. I am in the band. I play most percussion instruments and the xylophone. So far the band has composed most of the music we are playing. we have a really great xylophone song for the fairies. It sounds amazing. also there are 2 trumpet players. there is another percussionist who plays the fairy song with me. he also plays most of the percussion instruments. I am super excited for the play. this experience is helpful because i have already done this play before but i was acting. so this is the complete opposite. i also learned that music is a huge part in making a play really what it is. it sets the mood of the whole play. I am in an ensemble but this is my first time playing music for a play. i love composing music. I have also sort of learned how to engrave music.

Hi all. This is my first time blogging, wish me luck.

My name is Rena and I am playing Peter Quince as an actor. He's a guy who has lots of leadership qualities, he's leading the mechanicals or the people putting on the play within the play. Being a mechanical is better than any part I wanted. I originally wanted Puck, which is a very fun part. He's a hobgoblin, a trouble maker, he makes bottom into a donkey. What could possibly be bad?! I also wanted Oberon. The problems with that is the fact I am somewhere around 4' 7''. I'm not very tall. But, the size of the actor doesn't matter. Just the personae. Who cares if Oberon's a guy? I've gotten guy parts before. But honestly, quince is just such a fun part. I'm annoyed with bottom and I can put so much humor in. He's kind of a hammy part.
I've done a lot of acting before. Summer camps and out of school programs. One I do alot called Broadway bound. It's by far my favorite. But a middle school production or a play with classmates and people who I've know for a very long time is such a different story. Everyone has a different role and it's not just acting. It's a great experience. Of course I've done grade plays in TIM with my class. Those from the bad wolf press about planets, math or geography. But the coolest part is that I get to do this with people I am very close with, and I get to do Shakespeare! I honestly feel bad for anyone who's never spoken the language. It's just so fun. THOU ARE A PIGGISH MUPPETWINKLE! And I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. There are so many signals and devices embedded in the work, and its interesting trying to decode the language. As a mechanical, I don't have that much complex language because in Shakespearean language, the more royal you are (mechanicals are the at the bottom of the chain...) the fancier you talk. When you see the play, you'll know what I mean.
I have to say, the group I get to work with is fantastic. The Mechanicals are all people I enjoy working with and are all friends. And acting with my school has been such a different and fun experience. Its really too bad it only comes once ever 3 years. Oh well, there's always highschool!

Rena

Sam O.

This is Sam O. For the "A Midsummer Night's Dream," I am in Tech with Mr. Beck in Carlson Auditorium. That is the job that I wanted the most. It is a good experience for me. I have never done anything involving Shakespeare, and I think that it is pretty confusing, mostly because of the language. They don't use very modern english, and it doesn't make very much sense to me. I have done small plays with just my grade or just my class, but never anything big like this. In Tech we are mainly just cleaning out Carlson and getting rid of everything that we don't need, and making lists of what we still need. We carried out all of the junk and put it on the stage and sorted through it. A few days ago, Mr. Hensley came in and talked to us about lighting. He did the lights for the big stage at Millennium Park in Chicago, so he knows a lot about lights. He showed us all sorts of lights and how they work. That will help us a lot, also. We all have different jobs, but right now we are all just working together on cleaning our Carlson. Some of the jobs are: Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Lighting Director, Assistant Lighting Director, Sound Director, and House Manager. I actually don't really have a job. That is because I am doing business with Noah Taborda, Cooper Brannigan, and Jack Cudecki. I have only had one meeting, and all I know is that we are managing all the money that is going into this play. We are also doing box office, which is the main reason why I am doing business. I thought that box office would be interesting, and I hope that it will be. So, overall, I think that this play will teach me a lot.

Tucker W.

What is currently happening is that the actors are learning there parts and Mrs. Wilson and Ms.Harrison are helping us learn our lines and how to pronounce and perform them.
I am working on designing the brochure for the play in the art and also working on learning my lines in Drama. Also in Drama the actors are split into two groups, the mechanicals and the noble’s and we learn our parts with the other actors who interact with that part.

Riley N. What is happening during Mid Summer Nights Dream?

During Mid Summer Nights Dream the set crew is working on the set props for the play. Such like the flower puck has the love juice on it and the columns that change throughout the play. The new ideas that we are working on the set is that we added three doors that are at different levels on the back drop cause during the play Puck is watching over the lovers that are in the woods and so we thought that it would be pretty cool when Puck pops out of the doors during the play. But what we decided to do is that they would see Puck shoulders and up. What we are also working on is the columns that change from the real world and then into the magical world. We decided the columns should have wheels under them so during the play the fairies will be able to move them while the scene changes.

Jenna D

In photography, I worked on editing and organized photos into albums and folders. I am using the program Iphoto. Jacob and I have been working on cast portraits . We have set up a black backdrop and we are using a special light. Have to go now! stay posted!!

Jake Orlan and Maggie Wolfe

Hello, we are the choreographers for MSND. We have been working with Julia Simon and Livi Barton who play Oberon and Titania. We have been working with them for the fairy entrance. Now we need to start working with Mustardseed, Cobweb, Peasblossom and Moth. We also need to start working with the first grade fairies that will be in the production. We need to teach them choreography...enough said. We are very excited to see the final production and the fairy entrance.

Jack C.

In tech we have mostly been working on the lighting and organizing all the stuff in Carlson auditorium. Yesterday (Feb. 2nd) Mr. Hensley, a professional lighting designer came and talked to us about how lights from different directions can make different effects on where it might take place, and even how realistic it is. He also talked about different kinds of lights, how they work and how they can be used.

Michael W.

In Tech we are learning about lighting. We talked with Mr. Hensley, a professional lighting designer, about the basics of show lighting. There are many different kinds of lights. One light is called a Fresnel, which you can alter to make them do different designs and colors. We learned how different lighting makes different moods of the play. We now know different stage terms for lighting components, filaments in light bulbs, and how the filament affects the price of the bulb. We are making cabinets and racks for lights, equipment, and supplies. We have a better understanding of making a design plan for cabinets and the measurements of the length, width, and depth. We are working with the design team and making ideas about the set.

Theodore Beck

I am the actor for Theseus in the play. I am loving it so far!

The best thing about MSND is the “play”! I now understand what the play part of a Play is. The play part is the comedy in the script and the comedy of figuring the script out. I “play” a lot during this process and have had a ton of fun so far.

I found that the language is very intense and fun because it has a rhythm. But also because it has a rhythm, it tells you how to read it. I have been on a roller coaster of language and excitement so far and I expect to have much more fun when we get on stage.

It is weird and wacky sometimes when you are saying lines you don’t understand and are confusing. I have been in and out of my comfort zone through the process so far and have had a blast!!

-Theodore Beck

documentary

Hi my name is Jacob and I'm in the documentary group.
in this group we have three positions: photography, videography, and editor. During the time of practice we video tape and take photos for our editors to make a documentary.