Behind the Scenes of OFHS's Drama Group Is A Cast in Itself

Oak Forest High School's drama group performed their fall play this weekend of Arsenic and Old Lace. It was a great show and the actors were wonderful. What many don't realize is that behind the scenes of the show is a cast of hard working dedicated people who makes sure the show runs smoothly. There are three groups of students and adults who help with the production of all the plays and musicals at Oak Forest High School. They are known as the tech crew, the stage crew and of course the directors.

This year is the first year that Mr. Blakely has directed the play. Mr. Blakely is a beloved Spanish teacher at Oak Forest High School and has directed the Speech Team for years but this is the first year that he has taken on the responsibility of directing the fall play. When asked if there was a difference between running the Speech Team and directing the play, Mr. Blakely commented that it is a whole different animal.

Of course there is way more that goes into a play. Starting with the actors, there is more moving parts. Also you have to worry about the stage design, costumes, make up, set lighting microphones, ticket sales to name just a few. He did it all with style though. He credits the students, both in the show and behind the scenes for making his first years so successful. He is working with kids who have been involved with the drama department for a few years, so they showed him the ropes. "I could not have asked for a more wonderful group of people to work with for my first production as a director," Mr. Blakely commented.

Mr. Pazik is a seasoned veteran to the drama group to say the least. He has been running the Madrigals, the choir department, assisting with most performances if not running them for more than 15 years. Mr. Pazik is synonymous with the drama and music department at Oak Forest High School. He was the assistant director of the play and was there to supervise and support all the actors. "No one can replace Mr. Pazik," commented one of the actors. Mr. Pazik said, "These students are like sponges. They absorb your ideas and criticism and move on to the the next level," when asked about working with the crew this year.

This year they had two dedicated student assistant directors which helped with much of the details of the production. Hayleigh Kemnic, Myriam Melidona did a wonderful job and Mr. Pazik and Mr. Blakely both thanked them in the program for their dedication and a job well done.

Then of course you have the make up, costumes and props. There is a dedicated bunch behind this also making sure that all the actors look not only great up on stage, but look the part. They are in charge of the small details that might get overlooked but really add to the finished product of set design.

• Properties: Molly Kiley, Christina Hanson, Alyssa Ryan
• Costumes: Maggie Garner, Christina Hanson, Molly Kiley, Alyssa Ryan
• Hair and Makeup: Maggie Garner, Teaghan Nowlan, Shea Scot

Mr. Edgar Gonzalez is the technical director for the play and is in charge of everything from the stage design to lighting. He has his work cut out for him overseeing a group of almost 30 kids. Anyone working on the stage design goes through training when it comes to the tools needed to create a safe stage design. Also the sound system and lighting has not been updated since the 1990's so it takes a lot of trial and error to make the systems work. He credits the kids on the tech crew for the success of the production saying that they are patient and diligent when it comes to running the board, the lights and the sound system. Below is a list of all the students that were part of the tech and stage crew.

• Stage Manager: Magi Altier
• Curtain/Asst. Stage Manager: Michael Marcheschi
• Running Crew: Mariam Abbasi, Nathan Fedorenko, Casey Gatto, Ben McNamee, Gunner Sullivan, Danielle Wortham
• Lights: Scott Horan, Sam McNamee
• Spotlights: James Aquino, Matthew Hernandez, Sylvia Loew, Trevor Loew
• Sound: Nancy Hernandez, Micheal Kiley, Joe Provenzano, Doug Racine
• Set Crew: Nick Buhle, Jake Marr, Julie Marr, Connor Mensing, Devin Miller, Jamie Paclar, Conrad Rauch, Xavier Thomas

So let's give a round of applause for all the dedicated and loyal people behind the scenes in these integral parts of the final production. Of course without them, there would be no show. Nice job to everyone involved.