The Hamburg Area High School Drama department has been hard at work preparing for their upcoming musical, Bye Bye Birdie. They will be holding performances on November 17, 18, and 19 for the community to enjoy. The plot focuses on Albert Peterson (Clayton Lash), a struggling songwriter who was just about to get his song recorded by famous rock star, Conrad Birdie (Michael Clancey). When Conrad gets drafted into the army, Albert’s girlfriend, Rosie (Addisyn Smith), pushes Albert to write a new song for Conrad to perform on television for one lucky fan that was selected in a contest. Enter Kim McAfee (Kirra Goetz), the winner of the contest, and the jealous wrath of her boyfriend, Hugo Peabody (Landon Poulios).
Putting together a musical is a very difficult task, as there are many moving parts that all need to work together seamlessly by opening night. From the crew, to the pit orchestra, to the students on stage, and of course the staff leading the way, there is a lot of work, time, and energy put into pulling off an entertaining and impressive musical. The department has been working very hard to put together a performance that will impress the audience, and showcase the immense talent of the students and staff. Rehearsals started after the Labor Day break from three to six every Monday through Thursday. As of October 30, rehearsal time stretches from three to eight.
The man behind the magic is Mr. Barry Driesbach, who has been directing musicals for 33 years,18 of which were at Hamburg. Directing can be quite stressful at times, especially when students do not show up to rehearsals. Stress aside, Mr. Barry is most excited about the music and dancing, because they are in the 1950s and 1960s style. He believes that preparations for the musical have been going well, stating, “There are a lot of things happening at once; a lot of moving pieces. Whether it be blocking, or sets, singing, or lines, the separate pieces are just starting to gel.” In terms of what viewers can expect to see from the drama students this year, Mr. Barry states, “They will see the amount of talent that the kids actually have,” adding, “They are going to be surprised.”
Another important aspect of preparing for the musical is choreography. Mrs. Cheryl Bucheit, HAHS science teacher, is the choreographer for this year’s musical. She has worked on choreography for two previous productions at Hamburg. Coming up with choreography that tells the story of the music at a level that the students can learn and perform successfully is stressful for Mrs. Bucheit, however, seeing it all come together in the end is her favorite part. She says, “We work on the dances for weeks/months, and for a lot of that time, I think to myself – ‘Yikes! That looks a little rough.’ However, come performance day it all comes together and looks great!” As for preparations, Mrs. Bucheit expresses, “Most of the dances need some polishing, but the basics are there.” She adds, “I am confident that the performers will put on a great show that will leave the audience smiling.”
What is a musical without music? That is where the pit orchestra comes in. Mrs. Angela Dowd has been directing the pit orchestra at Hamburg for 13 years. The pit orchestra is important because they play all of the music for the whole musical. Mrs. Dowd’s favorite part of directing the pit orchestra is that she “gets the best seat in the house.” She states, “ I get to see everybody and work with all of the students in the pit and on stage. It is a great way to meet new students.” She adds, “I love musicals. They are a great way to get away from the troubles of your life and just enjoy singing and dancing.” The pit orchestra is currently ahead of schedule in their preparations. Mrs. Dowd expresses, “The kids have been doing an excellent job. We sometimes have professionals come and sit in for the kids to give them advice and a professional example.” She also likes to sing along with the songs, stating, “It helps the kids understand how the songs will correlate with the other students when we combine during tech week.”
Mackenzie Hoover, a sophomore, has played upright bass in the pit orchestra for two years. The most stressful part of being in the pit orchestra for Mackenzie is the show itself. The pit orchestra members must follow the actors and play to their pace. This requires a lot of adaptability for the musicians. She expresses that her favorite aspect of the pit orchestra is the atmosphere and how everyone gets along. She also states, “I am very excited to be a part of the musical this year because of the number of seniors in the group, and the amount of time and effort that they have been putting into this show.”
A very important part of the musical is the crew. They quite literally set the stage. They are in charge of knowing what sets and props are needed, where they go, when they need to be switched out. Aster West is stage manager for the crew and has been participating in the musical for eight years, four of which were on crew. Aster states, “Preparations have been going great so far. We have all of act 1 marked in terms of set pieces moving.” Being a member of the crew is one of the more stressful aspects of the musical. Aster explains, “The most stressful part of being on crew is tech week, because rehearsals are going till 8pm, and it’s non-stop moving sets and then moving back because the scene was not flawless, or the scene change was not quick enough.” Being a senior, Aster is most looking forward to the show on Sunday the 19, expressing, “I finally get to take my shoes off at the edge of the stage. This act is sort of a letting go; a tradition symbolizing the next group filling your shoes.” This tradition is something that many seniors look forward to and is very special to the drama department.
Perhaps the most important part of the musical is the group of talented young actors and actresses; the students who perform onstage and bring the musical to life. Albert Peterson is played by senior Clayton Lash who has participated in musical for six years. He believes that being one of the leads is stressful, stating, “It is a tremendous responsibility and a lot of work. It is also difficult to be a leader sometimes because you know everyone looks up to you.” Clayton’s favorite part of being involved in the musical is the family that gets created and knowing that everyone has each other’s backs. He states, “Preparations are going slowly but surely. We still have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time, but I believe in us.” He believes that the most important part about preparing for the performance is to prepare yourself mentally and get rid of the nerves for the performance.
Addisyn Smith, a senior, plays the role of Rosie Alverez. Addisyn has participated in the musical for three years. Her favorite part of being in the musical is the people she gets to perform with, stating, “When you spend so much time with them, they become like a second family, and I think that is very cool.” Addisyn finds being one of the leads to be stressful because of having to learn so much material so quickly. She expresses, “You have to memorize all your lines, choreography, and entrances before the show, not to mention the long hours of practice after school most days of the week.” Even though being one of the leads is stressful, Addisyn is still excited for the show and is looking forward to her individual choreography, stating, “Nearly all of my dances are so fun to do and are different from the normal choreography.” She believes that preparations have been going well now that they are putting everything together. She states that “being comfortable with your lines and putting in extra work to make sure that you are confident and sure in your abilities to perform” is the most important part of preparing for the performance, because it relieves a lot of the stress.
Junior, Kirra Goetz, and freshman, Landon Poulios play the supporting leads in the musical. Kirra has participated in the musical for two years and plays Kim McAfee. She believes that learning the songs and music is the most important part of preparing for the performance, adding, “Lately we have been picking up speed with preparations. We will probably hit some bumps along the way, but I believe we’ll be ready for our first go through.” Landon has participated in the musical for two years and plays Hugo Peabody. He believes that preparations for the musical have been stressful, since there are many moving parts that all need to fit together eventually. He believes that the most important thing about preparing for the performance is knowing lines.
There are mostly positive predictions for the reception of the musical. There have been over 300 pre-sold tickets already. Mr. Barry believes that the musical will be well received, especially by the older generations, expressing, “The grandparents had grown up in the era and the parents will get the jokes.” Since the school has done more well known and popular musicals for the past two years including Elf and Beauty and the Beast many people believe that there will be a good showing, as people will want to see what else the drama department has to offer. Mackenzie Hoover believes, “It should do very well due to the positive reception of last year. Hopefully people will come back to see another great, but less known, show.” Another aspect of the show that supports the likelihood of a positive reception is the upbeat music and the jokes. Mrs. Bucheit expresses, “It is a fun, upbeat show with many catchy numbers and the lead performers are excellent!” Addisyn Smith adds, “the musical has a lot of older jokes and references that the younger generations might not know of, but I still think that it is funny enough for the audience to enjoy and laugh along with the performance.”
The drama department is working very hard to prepare a wonderful performance for the community. All of their hard work is sure to produce an engaging and entertaining show for everyone to enjoy. The drama department urges anyone who is interested to buy tickets and come to enjoy the show. They also welcome anyone who has ever thought about joining any part of the drama department to come out and join their family. Everyone is encouraged to come watch the show and support the drama department at the high school on November 17, 18, and 19.
Tickets are available for pre-sale here, https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/hasdhawks/buy-tix
