By Magdalene Ko, Staff Writer
A long upheld tradition of Mills is the production of a musical every spring. This year, the theatre team undertook the task of playing The Addams Family, a story about family and friendship. With school online, the theatre team had to be extra creative to produce an enticing show.
Auditions, rehearsals, and the actual performance had to be moved to Zoom. Auditions were similar to regular auditions, where candidates sang and danced for Mr. Huddleson and Mr. Gregoric. Despite moving online, rehearsals still adhered to a rigid schedule to ensure everything flowed smoothly. Gianluca Bettucchi (9) stated rehearsals were “usually something like Monday: Mr. Gregoric singing rehearsals (or pit rehearsals if you are in pit) Tuesday: dance rehearsals, Wednesday: also Gregoric, and Thursday dance again.” Friday was normally their break day. To record all the songs, the musical team used Soundtrap. As Benedict Abadilla (12) explained, “we made soundtracks for the musical through the app called Soundtrap and we each recorded our separate parts on there. Then when we are going to perform we are going to reuse those tracks.” Although the cast originally wanted to act live, they were forced to produce a pre recorded performance, with only some parts featuring live singing. Sountrap enabled all singers to send in their own parts, with Mr. Gregoric giving feedback afterward. These new accommodations taught the cast plenty of new skills, including recording and editing. They also all learned new dances with Zoe Swenson-Grahm, the choreographer, and allowed the funky Addams side of themselves to shine through. Since the Addams Family is a family of wackiness, everyone had the chance to really experiment and get into their characters.
According to Meghan Kelly (12), using Soundtrap came with some benefits: during regular live performances the cast were often “just slightly too out-of-breath to do the ensemble numbers justice!” Another pro of using Soundtrap was that it allowed each singer to focus on their own vocal part and had unlimited redos. However, Bettucchi revealed using Soundtrap “was a very tedious process because [they] couldn’t just get the feedback immediately.” During in-person rehearsals, Mr. Gregoric would simply listen and make any needed adjustments immediately. The entire process would be much quicker compared to the online version. Using Soundtrap forced everyone to wait until all the vocals could be put together, with more wait time for Mr. Gregoric to review it before the team could fix any problems.
Soundtrap wasn’t the only new method that received mixed feelings. For Kelly, “Dancing with limited space over Zoom was at times frustrating but mostly a great way to unwind, and getting to be closer to the “audience” makes it really fun to play with facial expressions.” However, acting alone in a room makes it harder to stay connected and focused on the scenes. The barrier of having a screen between each other posed an extra challenge because of the lack of interaction. Absence of muscle memory posed another challenge, since all behind the scenes actions were tech-related. Madison Schoening (11), who plays Morticia Addams, thought the “musical was a challenge but [loved] to take it head on.” She felt that it was hard to “get all the tech together” and has “taken over [her]whole living room practically with green screens and cameras and microphones.” Abadilla was originally unsure of how the production would turn out, but eventually discovered that participating in the entire process was really fun. He states that “ Mr. Huddleson and his team are doing a very great job making sure that the musical is being run as smoothly as possible.” Despite having to learn a completely new way of performing, the practice and time put in was well worth it.
Each performer hopes the audience can understand the lessons of family and growth and can get a good laugh watching. Kelly explained that “the Addams Family Musical is fundamentally a tribute to love in all its forms.” She wants the audience to embrace the darkness and love from the musical, learning and growing. Members of the Addams Family are quirky and unusual, but she believes everyone can identify with one. Similar to Kelly, Schoening also anticipates viewers will enjoy “the message of family and togetherness and being who you are and loving yourself and all your weird quirks.” The musical might be funny and entertaining, but she hopes the true message of family and accepting yourself will be delivered. When asked, Abadilla said he wishes the viewers can really enjoy the performance. He hopes everyone can “laugh and cry and just enjoy the show.” Although this performance is online Bettucchi commented optimistically that the audience will “feel that this performance was just as good as an in person performance.” The biggest hope from all is that the audience can simply enjoy the performance and learn about loving themselves and each other.
The actual performance was a cohesive, intricate performance. It was a story of two completely opposite families who come to understand the meaning of love, portrayed beautifully with Zoom backgrounds and diverse costumes. The cast didn’t let distance stop them as they passed objects from screen to screen and danced together. Every bit of intricate choreography was planned out, allowing the actors to take up every bit of their screen. All technological feats pulled off by the cast would have everyone in awe as characters appeared on and off the screen. Each character ensured the audience could understand their every feeling as they kept their faces constantly expressive. Conversations in the musical were enhanced with dramatic sentences filled with feeling. Vivid hand motions vital to conveying emotion were included, so the audience wouldn’t be bored from static poses. Although the show was a bit laggy, it was wonderfully put together.
When the words ‘socially distant musical’ are first heard, anyone would have doubts about the result. However, after watching, the end result exceeded expectations. The dedication and hard work put in by the cast and crew all paid off in the two hour program. Considering everything was done distantly, everyone involved in the program deserves a big round of applause!
