By Aaliyah Solis

Walking in on a play rehearsal can be pretty interesting. When I walked in to our Theater Department’s rehearsal of one of their upcoming plays, there were many kids on stage, brightly lit by spotlights, when suddenly the lights went out and creepy music began playing. The came back on to reveal a boy standing alone on stage. The other characters got up on the stage to bully him and tell him the many ways that he is ugly. 

This play is called “Fidget.” I asked the director, Senior Lilah Staupe, a little bit about this play. She said it is a play about “raising awareness for neurodivergent kids in school and kids feeling like they’re excluded from things and their struggles in school.” 

The director says it’s “my personal love letter to school from my personal experiences.” She wants this play to “…have an impact on people and help you know that you will eventually find your own people.” 

In terms of process, Staupe said that, in terms of auditions, “everyone gets a script to get familiar with before auditioning.” The whole class does “warmups to get into the mood of the play.” 

This play also had many random props. Staupe said “[p]eople bring a lot of props from their own homes” and joked about how they “all came from people’s basements”. She says that “the amount of props people bring from home depends on the play they are doing”. 

Staupe also gave an explanation on how their transitions to other scenes work. She said that she “…got the idea from a different play that [they] used a previous year.” The transition involves many people getting on the stage and walking around as the scene changes.

Since it starts at 7:00 PM, the Staupe said that “The actors need to arrive at 6:00 PM to get ready in their makeup, fix their hair, and put them in costumes.” They also do “breathing exercises and games to prepare for the show. Around a few minutes before the show starts, they go into their corners and take a deep breath to get into character.” 

The MHS Theater would like any viewers to come at least 30 minutes before the show so everyone can get settled down and there are no distractions once both plays start! “Fidget” will be shown alongside “The Amazing Lemonade Girl” this weekend.