Bishop Feehan High School - Flashback Yearbook (Attleboro, MA)

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Why did Oklahoma, M A S H and pre- vious smash hits do so well? Because stage crews had... if you think that all of the work that goes into a play is done by the actors and actresses, you’re wrong! The total work load is split fifty-fifty between the cast and crew of a production. In the end, what the audience sees is a blending of talent, performing and non-performing. One of the first to get to work is the set crew. These individuals build and imagine the sometimes elaborate stages for plays. They get started pretty early on their task. Believe it or not, the set crew is at the theater almost as long as the performers themselves. They are vital to the performance for changing sets between scenes in the plays. Who knows what would happen if they forgot. What will they wear? This is a question that falls to the costume crew. Although it usually only consists of a few people, this crew is just as hard working as the set crew. They spend tedious hours digging out old costumes, finding material, and sewing it together to make new costumes. If the theater company didn’t have these dedicated members, everybody would go on stage ina totally wrong outfit! For example, one of the kiminos was lost right before the “‘Bonwits” were supposed to go on in M A S H. Luckily, the costume crew found it! There are several other crews, one of which is the technical. These people are in charge of lights, sound effects, and curtains. Theirs is a difficult task. To make sure that everything is on time and is ready for presentation is essential to the show. Can you imagine a curtain shutting during a scene? Once during ‘“‘Oklahoma!”’ the curtain began to shut too soon. The tech crew stopped it in time! Some very important members of the company are the stage managers. They feed Busy builders, Steven Goodreau and Brian Francione construct the fence around Aunt Eller’s house for the theatre production of “Oklahoma”. The work did not end here. They had to paint and decorate the house as well. Behind the Scenes lines to forgetful actors and actresses, and more importantly, they combine each of the crews’ efforts into one main goal. Because they are responsible for the program, and the show in general, these students take a large amount of grief. What is their response to it? Most stage managers love what they do. They love the challenge of heavy responsibility and the prestige that comes with it. In the last stages of preparation, the make- up crew comes into action. These select few have the job of applying make-up to everyone in the cast who does not know how to apply it to himself. The crew must know what character each person is playing and how he is supposed to look. If it wasn’t for the make- “up crew, everyone on stage would not complete their roles as perfectly as they do. This crew is the group who have to create their masterpiece in a short time. Luckily, they are great at it! On the opening night of M A S H, the make-up crew had one hour to make-up eighty performers! What a job! House management and public relations are also important crews. These company members make sure that a show runs smoothly and that a great number of people come to see it. They make sure that the performances are not only enjoyable, but comfortable for the audience. Distributing posters, newspaper reviews and flyers to make the public aware of the upcoming plays is the main function of public relations. It would be a shame to have a gorgeous production with no one to see it! Altogether, the crews are a very important part of the Theatre Company. Without them the plays would be half done. A play without . props, sets, make-up, costumes, lights, and the dedicated people who work behind the scenes would be a failure before it began. : é oie ge ed q : 4 7 }

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Mortified by the somewhat sketchily dressed lady in the looking glass, Aunt Eller falls into a swoon. Luckily, she is caught by Derek Brown, Timothy Reilly, Michael Lachance, Keith Bates, and Robert Cronin. hh I II OI EOE I Torr LU fe 4 Ve. n a C: what a beautiful play! As the curtain rose on the turn-of-the- century Oklahoman territory, the audience had already primed themselves for a frolicking performance. Dancing cowgirls, tapping cowboys, and everything in between could be found in our production of Rodgers and Hammerstien’s Oklahoma! From beginning to end, hard work was a dominating force interrupted only by fun and good times. We started rehearsing right after Christmas vacation and continued until the week of our performances, April 7, 8, and 10, 1988. We practiced almost every day of the week and many times lost faith in the production. With the help of our three coordinators, director Mr. Alden Harrison, assistant director Mrs. Donna La Civita, and music director Ms. Elaine Saulnier, all hopes were regained. Discovering why this show was such a success was not a difficult task once we looked at the distinctive cast. We had performers and artists from all of the classes. Freshman talent was at a peak, with Rachel Padoll in the romantic lead of Laurey Williams and Brian Healy as the comical peddler, Ali Hakim. Among Sophomores who gave it their all was Andrew Carnes, the hard bargaining father of Ado Annie. Junior Dean Slye played opposite Rachel as Curley McLean. Senior input was certainly a blessing for the company. Michael La Chance, Patricia Murphy, and Kellie Reed were all major factors in Oklahoma’s Putting a quick stop to bickering at the Box Social, Aunt Eller (Patricia Murphy ) menacingly waves a pistol and suddenly everybody sings. success. Each of the cast members played an important role, whether or not they had a lead part. Set in the heart of America, Oklahoma was about love. Wherever we looked we found a great love-hate relationship. There were many couples and matches in the plot of this show: for instance, the romance between Laurey Williams and Curly McLean. Overshadowing this blossoming love was the sinister Jud Fry (Dave De Angelis). If we prefer laughter, Ado Annie Carnes (Kellie Reed) and Will Parker (Michael La Chance) provided it. Of course, this relationship was not stable. Intervening now and then was the con artist Ali Hakim (Brian Healy). As the story unwound, we found Laurey and Curly married at last and Annie and Will on their way to the same destiny. Jud Fry died and Ali Hakim was forced to take Gertie Cumming’s (Joanne Gervais) hand in marriage. The audience seemed to be filled with the joy of outstanding dancing routin es and fabulous singing. Our production of Oklahoma! was a pool of extraordinary talent. After it was all over, we all decided that the best thing that Oklahoma gave us was each other. The friendships that had formed backstage were the lasting kind. We learned to trust in each other’s talents. Long after the last curtain came down there was a special bond of friendship between us. When we thought back on Oklahoma it was a happy time, and we echoed, ‘“‘You’re doing fine Oklahoma, Oklahoma, O.K.! YEOW!”’ Oklahoma oA

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Hidden stars. The work behind the scenes is as critical as what happens to the stage. This point is being demonstrated by Robin Campot making costumes for the performers. Calling the shots is Mr. Alden Harrison as he directs the spring musical. Four months of rehearsals under his leadership resulted in an excellent performance by the male dancers. Lights, camera, action! Jason Ouellette controls the lighting for one of the school’s most successful productions — Oklahoma! Adding the final touches to Julia Bernedes is Kristen Coleman just before first night curtain goes up. Kerri Miconi gives a second opinion. Behind the Scenes VA