On December 4th, the freshman and sophomore students of Drama Club held a dress rehearsal for their production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Scheduled to perform at 6:30 later that evening, students gathered in the theater as soon as the bell rang for dismissal. Theater Arts teacher Jennifer Negron gathered everyone together to discuss their plans for this evening, starting with a meal break and then progressing to their lines. However, this was the extent of her instruction for today, as senior and student director Keanna Whitt was responsible for the production today.
An assortment of snacks was brought in by both Negron and volunteering students for everyone to enjoy. Excited and nervous faces huddled together, chatting about their nerves for the show.
“I think if everybody keeps their cool instead of worrying about whatever they need to be doing, it will work out,” said junior Kai Gray. “We’ve been working hard.”
After some time to munch, Keanna decided it was showtime. Lights were dimmed and actors were told to get into their costumes for a full run-through. They performed fan favorites from the movie, such as “The Most Wonderful Day of the Year,” “We Are Santa’s Elves” and “There’s Always Tomorrow.” The cast featured the iconic broken toys, the beloved Sam the Snowman, Father Christmas himself, and, of course, the most wonderful reindeer of all.
“My favorite part has been the snacks,” said sophomore Jacob Sanchez, or Rudolph. “This play is going to be good, but I bet the next one will be better.”
With every occasional mistake made by an actor, their directors and peers gave some help, usually in the form of the line they had forgotten. Working as a team seemed to work, as the group grew more confident over time. Embarrassed giggles would break out every so often, but Keanna sternly made sure they stayed on track.
“The real show is definitely going to be fun,” said junior Flynn Thurman. “It’s just definitely going to take all of us to bring this together.”
