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ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

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16 in 10 Minutes, Behind the scenes

Athens Drive Fall Play 2019
Cast+members+practicing+lines

16 in 10 minutes is a collection of 10-minute plays about the lives of seven teenagers. The entire show will be about two hours plus a 15-minute intermission. It will be on Nov. 14 and 15 in the auditorium. 

Ashlyn Hayes, Theater Director, says that she chose this play because it was relevant to the students today and she wants them to look at society analytically. 

Many people will go to watch 16 in 10 Minutes, but most won’t see what happens behind the scenes of these short plays: who does the make-up, who creates the special effects, does the casting and all the other small, crucial additions to these plays.

“…This year we had 42 students audition for the fall play for 11 roles,” said Hayes. 

 Many people auditioned for the fall play but only those who were right for the character got the part. For those who did not get a role this time, they can audition again for the spring musical. Students had to choose a monologue that they thought fit the character they were auditioning for best. 

“Some students, regardless of how excellent their auditions were, simply weren’t right for the roles. It is never anything personal; we just have to look at the show as a whole,” said Hayes. 

However good someone’s audition is not the only factor in choosing someone for a role. The cast members also must get along well with each other.

Although, the cast does a lot of work, many things go on behind the scenes, such as costumes, lights, sounds, and set. Some crew members help with lighting and sound design whereas others help with costuming, set painting and building and prop production. There are also students who are in charge of management and organization. Students with more experience act as leaders to make sure everything is done nicely and on time. 

Practicing is essential to the play; as the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” The cast and crew normally practice in the auditorium. They are given scripts that have to be read multiple times before they go through their first read-through. When they start rehearsals they work on the actors’ movements in a scene. After that, they rehearse that scene over and over again. The students have to have their roles memorized by Oct. 14 and they go through each scene as many times as needed. Two weeks before the actual show they start running rehearsals later and run the show every night.

“Students are expected to take the notes and improve before the next run,” said Hayes. 

They also start adding in the sounds, lighting, set, and costumes. Overall, the cast and crew do lots of work that goes unnoticed by the casual theatergoer.

“I think the biggest way to be recognized is just by having people come out to see the performance. It’s hard sometimes to truly understand all of the hard work and effort that goes into it but by coming out and seeing the final product, you’ll have a better understanding of the drive and passion that goes into our work,” said Peyton Joyner, junior.

 

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