During a play, the goal is for the audience to only see what's happening on the stage. Therefore, audiences don't get to see what is happening backstage, nor do they get to see the effort and time that goes into the play beforehand. DOI got the chance to learn about these things. Here's a play-by-play look (get it?) at what goes into the Spring Play, as well as a glance into the traditions surrounding the LHS theater program.
Auditions:
About 45 anxious LHS students auditioned for 32 roles in the Spring Play. These enthusiastic students went through a traditional audition, which consisted of cold readings from the play in front of the director, Kevin Holly (Technical Director at LHS).
"I was really excited going into auditions," said junior Bradford Reszel.
Callbacks were a very similar situation to the first audition. Each actor performed a cold read, which is when the actor acts out a scene from the play in front of the director. However, a few female students were given a part in the play ahead of time to determine who would be the Singer, the narrator of the play--eventually played by senior Becky Goldberg. The song Goldberg sang during her audition is the same one audiences heard during Friday and Saturday's performance.
"Auditioning for the Singer was slightly more stressful than usual auditions. All the girls who got called back for the part had to put the opening monologue to music and sing it in their own interpretation. It was awesome to see all the different styles we all prepared, and everyone's was really good. It's definitely a new kind of role for me, but I really enjoyed it," said Goldberg.
Rehearsals:
Once roles had been announced, the 32-member cast sat down in the cafeteria to begin rehearsals (beginning at the end of March). Rehearsals ran every day except Sundays for about a month, until the final performances April 29-30. Each rehearsal lasted from 3-6 p.m. (except for Wednesdays, which ran from 6-9 p.m.).
"Before rehearsal begins, we go over our lines, some kids practice their scenes with one another, and we eat snacks," said junior Kalyn Constable.
Once Holly arrived at the set, the cast and crew got to work setting up for the first scene. During rehearsal, when cast members were off stage, they would hang out, waiting for their cue or practicing their lines offstage.
"When I'm offstage, I try my best to understand the show so when I'm actually onstage I can relate my character to the show. Others work on their lines or try to get some homework done," said Reszel.
During rehearsal--as the play moved on--Holly, senior Kiersten Frumkin (Stage Manager) and sophomore Paisley Spence (Assistant Stage Manager) incorporated their ideas to help improve the play. Some of the actors and actresses had to redo scenes multiple times to live up to Holly's expectations.
On Saturdays, the cast and crew got together to work on the set, which involved buliding, painting and gathering props.
"Everyone works hard to make the set look great, but we also get to bond as a cast during Tech Saturdays. We also go out to lunch as a cast in between," junior Ally Tatosian said.
Behind the Scenes:
The Technical Director of the play was LHS alumn Ruth McCormick. She was in charge of anything related to the set, such as the wood set itself and the props the actors use.
"She's been out of school for a little while so she came and helped out with the Winter Play. And since she did such a great job, I asked her to help out with the Spring Play," said Holly.
The costume designer was Leah Jurevicius, another LHS alumn. She not only found every outfit audience members saw on the stage but also made some of the costumes. 
"It's been great having Leah because she's a fantastic costume person. She'll just throw stuff together that is fantastic," said Holly.
Kevin Kahover, a senior at LHS, played original music during the play. Every year for the Spring Play, the LHS Fine Arts Department tries to incorportate a student's musical talents into the performance.
"Kevin [did] a phenomenal job. He made up music for in between each act," said Holly.
As the Production Stage Manager, Frumkin was in charge of cueing the lights, making sure curtains raised on time, and making sure the play went smoothly overall. Spence, on the other hand, basically ensured the play ran on time. She was backstage, making sure that the cast had their props, knew their lines, and went on stage when they were supposed to.
The Performance:
On Friday, April 29, after a large feast, the cast and crew got together for their opening night performace. After applying makeup and getting into their peasant costumes, the actors performed for two hours on the multi-level stage. For some of the actors, this would be their last performance on an LHS stage. And for a few students, it was their very first play in the Auditorium. The play went smoothly, and the process was repeated on Saturday.
"I think the play went really well. I couldn't have asked for a better first performance," said Tatosian.
Play Traditions:
LHS plays can easily be compared to Homecoming. Much like the week before Homecoming, the cast participates in a 'Spirit Week' where the cast dresses up on different days to get word out about the play. This year's outfits varied from 'Dress like your favorite senior' to 'Sci-Fi Day.'
"I love spirit week. It's so much fun. I get all into it, and so do other people in the cast. I like wearing my costume to school and dressing in weird outfits for whatever the theme of the day is. I also like how it's a tradition," said junior Rachael Lester.
The Friday night before production week is classified as Girls and Guys Night. The cast splits up and pulls pranks on one another.
"Girls and Guys Night is one of my favorite parts of the LHS shows. It starts off with the girls and guys having dinner separately, and then we wait. The main point of the night is to somehow 'destroy' the other sex. The battle this year was definitely epic, just like the play," said junior Audrey Johnston.
Every opening night, the cast and crew join together for a dinner nicknamed Scarf 'n Barf--for a very good reason. Many years ago, a freshman who will remain nameless, ate too much on opening night and consequently threw up in the dressing room. There have been no other incidents like this since, fortunately, but the name has stuck.
The cast members also participate in several rituals to get them pumped for the show and to give them good luck.
"On opening night we have a tradition that each cast member gets a roll of smarties--which you never eat--and then has to kiss a stuffed pig named The Love Sausage before going on stage," said sophomore Arden Weiner. "During intermission, we read passages from Cosmo. No joke. Then we go to Kaiser's and have a party. "
The party lasts until the wee hours of the night and is a fun night for all, consisting of activities from giving out hilarious awards to 'fight club'.
"The goal of fight club is to pin the other person. Hair pulling is not allowed. It's usually a girl against a guy. And there's a lot of cheering. But we can't really talk about fight club," said an anonymous cast member.
The Spring Play was a memorable experience for the audience as well as the cast and crew itself. Although the rehearsals were long and the Saturdays spent at Tech took time away from sleeping in, the cast and crew thorougly enjoyed themselves.
photos courtesy of Ally Tatosian, Becky Goldberg and Jamie Stanley