The world will know… that Beaver Area High School’s Newsies was a tremendous success! The accolades are rolling in, and people are saying that it was one of the best musicals ever performed at the high school.
But before the musical could be performed in front of huge crowds, cast, pit, and stage crew members had to endure tech week. Tech week is notoriously known among theater kids as a week of no sleep, no free time, and stress as full show run-throughs take place every night. Rehearsals do not end until the show is completed which can range anywhere from 9-10:30 p.m.
But tech week is also a fantastic bonding experience before a long weekend of performances because the students spend so much time together.
Junior Amara Stewart, who played the wholesome Crutchie, stated, “I think [tech week] was rather chaotic and exhausting, but it gave us the opportunity we needed to make the show our best work.”
After a long week of tech practices, the cast was finally ready to take the stage for a final dress rehearsal in front of high school, middle school, and College Square second grade students March 30. The second graders’ arrival was a huge surprise to the musical members, and their enthusiastic support hyped up the cast.
Senior Omari Smith, who starred as the flirtatious Romeo, exclaimed, “It felt really good to see that [the second grade students] came to see our performance! One of the second grade classes happened to be the one I read to during Read Across America, so I was already close with the class. I was ecstatic to see them, and I was so glad they could see me perform!”
And if one performance in a day sounds exhausting, try doing two! The students and teachers involved in the production had to take the stage for a second show for a Senior Citizen performance which was free admission at 1 p.m. Parking in the senior lot was limited to prepare for the show.
Director Susan Metelsky remarked, “I thought [the senior performance] went very well, and the audience seemed to really enjoy it. I love doing that for the community! For people to get to come out and see theater.”
Opening night, March 31 at 7:30 p.m., always brings tons of excitement which was apparent among the cast and crew. The energy was high going into Friday’s performance after a successful day of shows the day prior. And that energy showed up big time on the stage that evening. The cast members wore smiles, danced with perfection, and sang out the heartfelt songs.
Middle school cast member and tumbler Abby Miller excitedly stated, “Opening night was when I thought it was all worth it—all of the early mornings, late nights, and the hours I spent on learning choreography and lyrics. The output of all this hard work was outstanding, and I couldn’t have asked to do this with any other people. My first opening night was incredible, and I couldn’t have imagined it to be better than my expectations.”
After an incredible opening night, the cast members filed into Applebee’s to celebrate their successful show. They enjoyed good food as they excitedly talked about the turnout of the night.
Saturday night’s performance was April 1 at 7:30 p.m. No pranks were pulled, under orders from the director, but joy was shared with the ecstatic audience. Mr. Snowden was also present at this performance, supporting members of musical which was very exciting for everyone involved.
The final matinee performance of Newsies took place April 2 at 2 p.m. Emotions were of course high because this would be the last time the Beaver Area seniors would take the stage. Tears were shed throughout the afternoon, but the performance just confirmed the hard work everyone put into making the musical amazing.
Senior cast member Anastasia Votilla (Finch) stated, “Knowing I was about to perform my last musical was an emotional roller coaster. Standing backstage while crying before our final performance, I looked around and smiled at all the who that guided me to this moment. They were the people who made musical worth it. Musical has been such a big part of my life, and it’s bittersweet that it’s over.”
And how fitting that Newsies was a fan favorite because it was Mrs. Metelsky’s and choreographer and cast member, Mrs. Heather Bixler’s last musical here at Beaver Area.
When asked if the show lived up to her expectations Mrs. Metelsky stated, “It exceeded expectations absolutely. I looked forward to rehearsals every day, and I was never that way before.”
The support for this show was absolutely incredible, so the cast and crew would like to thank everyone who came out to see a performance! Until next musical season!
