Behind The Curtain of Lord Of The Flies
Actors and crew memebers begin preperations for another great day of rehearsing. Photo via Fiona Morrison
February 16, 2023
Have you ever watched a theater performance and wondered: How did something like this come together? The FHS Theater Company puts what seems like endless hours into their productions and this year’s Lord of the Flies is no different. From set technicians, to lead roles, everyone involved devotes themselves to perfecting their performance for the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival.
Lord of the Flies, based on William Golding’s novel, is about a group of schoolboys who get stranded on a deserted island. The boys spend their time on the island trying to survive even when problems of division and danger arise.
Rehearsals for all plays are different, with everyone involved taking on different tasks each time. Panterhbook sat down with cast members Eden Donovan and Willow Ogle to get a sense of how the show comes together through the rehersals.
Donovan: “As part of the ensemble for the show, my role in rehearsals was to learn about who I want my character to be, and use that to help throughout the story. I would have to choose who I wanted to relate with, how to react to the story, and what I think my character should be.”
Ogle: “I would say the hardest part of rehearsals would be character development and making new choices. When you rehearse a show for a long period of time, it is very easy to get stuck in a cycle of doing the same things in every run, and that’s a very hard habit to change. Luckily, I feel like our show is successful in breaking that cycle most of the time.”
As sophomore Eden Donovan explains, “There are a lot of roles involved in the show. Whether you’re in the cast or the crew, you will always have a role to play in rehearsals” Lead roles such as Brandi Dumas (Ralph), Ethan Pflomm (Jack), and Colin Jzoyce (Piggy) practice on stage with props like spears. Lord of the Flies requires violent scenes, so practicing this choreography allows the play to have that effect, while not actually getting physical. As a ensemble member, Donovan uses this rehearsal time to “learn about who I want my character to be, and use that to help throughout the story.” “ For rehearsals to come together into a cohesive show that has a strong plot and storytelling, it takes a lot — Eden Donovan
The stage crew consists of technicians and builders, led by Mr. Grossman, who design and construct props, control the lighting and stage directions, and manage the costumes. When the stage crew is at work, the actors will practice lines together off-stage.
There is a really great team atmosphere that I think helps keep everyone grounded, even as stress levels get higher.
— Willow Ogle
Another sophomore Willow Ogle was an actor in the ensemble. Ogle says that the hardest part of rehearsals is combining all these roles and “blending the tech and the acting together”. Ogle enjoys seeing the show coming together even though it takes time.
The hard work that goes into each part is amazing and shows how much everyone involved cares about the production’s success. If you are interested in seeing this amazing group’s hard work and dedication come together into something spectacular buy tickets to the performance using the link below.
Dates: March 3rd and 17th
Tickets
