Warren Jacobson cub writer
The students and faculty in the theater program try to create an experience an unforgettable musical. Making this experience isn’t easy, a lot of students end up struggling to balance both school and the extra practice time that is needed to create the musical. Time management is really important to these students as they try to maintain good grades as well as put their best foot forward in rehearsals and, eventually, their shows.
 
“I can look at the schedule and tell I can’t give a 100 percent, and I think that is the crucial question every single person that tries out for the musical has to ask themselves. Do I have time to give to this musical? They are going to be time intensive,” director and teacher Kaz Chandler said.
 
Not only does the musical cast have to spend extra time working on the musical, so do the theater tech and the band. The theater tech crew work on set design, costumes, lighting and more. The band has to prep their songs, practice them and perfect the songs for the musical.
 
“I’m specifically working on costumes for the musical. At the moment it has been pretty easy in balancing academics and the work on the musical. It may get tougher in a few weeks as we get closer and closer to the opening night. Since it is a musical, it will be incredibly costume heavy and it is a small team so it will be lots of blood, sweat, and tears,” senior Galaxia Miller said.
 
Miller is a part of the theater tech crew. She has been working alongside the rest of the crew to make all the small details perfect. Every costume on that stage has been either chosen or created by the crew. The actors of the musical have also been putting their share of work into the musical through rehearsals almost every day, and even on the weekends and holidays for extra practice. For some roles, the amount of work is decreased compared to a lead’s amount of work.
 
“I play the priest, it’s a very small part but very enjoyable to not have so much work as usual and just being able to relax and observe the hard work and everything that goes into the musical, and I’m extremely happy to be a part of this cast,” junior Carter Vickers said.
 
Vickers is a part of the Theatre Arts Workshop or known as T.A.W. He was cast as Father Alexandrios a Catholic Priest. While the show demands a lot of hard work, some have more work than others. This may due to a less amount of scenes, or less amount of lines.
 
“You need to be prepared not to have much [of a] social life,” Chandler said.
 
The annual spring musical will take place on March 1-2, 7-9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Salter Theatre. Mamma Mia! will be directed by Chandler, vocally directed by Stacy Kikkawa, orchestrally directed by Bill Bradbury, and choreographed by Chrissie Leong. The entry fee will be $20 for general admission and $15 for students with GO cards. All proceeds will go to the Beverly Hills High School Theatre Program.