For the last month, students from Wauconda High School have been preparing for their spring plays, Lookingglass Alice and Winnie the Pooh. Roughly 70 students have been coming in everyday after school in order to get the show to be it’s best. Whether they’re building, student directing, or rehearsing their lines, the actors and crew have been putting in a lot of effort for the productions. The actors have learned many things for this show such as juggling, acrobatics, break dancing, and more. One of the biggest things they have learned is how to use the lyra. The lyra is a large metal hoop that is suspended from the ceiling. The lyra allows for the actors to do acrobatics but in the air.  

When asked about how things have been going so far on the crew side of things, Ms. Brankin, the assistant tech director, stated “Generally they’ve been going really well for a lot of the students. I’ve seen a lot of progress since Spamalot.” This show has been somewhat difficult for both the actors and crew because of the change in stage. They will be performing in a traverse style, meaning the audience will be sitting on opposite sides of the stage. Because of this, the actors have had to adjust their acting and the crew has had to figure out how to create a set that will not interfere in the center. The audience will also be sitting on the stage instead of in the regular auditorium seats which will immerse the audience. 

“It’s very new to the program and many programs around, so I feel like it will be very fun to see what everyone thinks,” said stage manager, Olivia Czyz. Not only is it new, but it will also be the high school premier of the show. No other high schools have ever done this show except for small scenes done by another high school. The director being a big fan of Lookingglass Theater, asked the playwright if the show was available for the high school to do. The author gave him the go ahead to perform it, so it has been a challenge figuring out how to bring the script to life. “This show is going to be the most fun for the audience at Wauconda High School because it doesn’t exist anywhere else except for at Lookingglass Theatre,” expressed Wauconda High School’s director, Mr. Metzger.

With only a month left to get ready for opening night, everyone has been set into full gear, and with the help of family members on Friday, the set will almost be ready. The show will open on Wednesday, April 19th. Tickets can be found at waucondadrama.ludus.com. Make sure to get your tickets!