Kidney Shilling & Haoua Saley
As we anticipate the first play Barbara Ingram has been able to perform in two years, we decided to get an inside scoop of how Something Rotten is being put together. On Friday March 18th, we were given the opportunity to walk around the set of the play and spoke with Mackenzie Guynes, BISFA’s first ever student tech manager. We were shown how the set of Something Rotten is being made, everything that will be put together, and how many opportunities this play has given the students.
Something Rotten is a complicated play with many moving parts, with a few scenes even having upwards of 50 actors on stage while the supporting cast and crew operate set changes within the number. The opening number, “Welcome to the Renaissance” holds the most props you will ever see in one show. With this number, the tech crew had to get very innovative, even going as far as using actual bread that was dried out and coated with a clear anti-molding seal. The biggest props within the play, which are shown in almost all scenes, are the amazing stairs. These stairs are the backbone of some of the scenes, and since they are on wheels, at points within the play they will be turned around to change the environment of the scenes.
Because Something Rotten is such a big play, one that mentions 40 different broadway shows, Mrs. Lewis wanted to create a “kumbaya” feeling for the cast and towards the production because, not only is she a new department lead, this is also the first big production she’s putting on at BISFA. As this is the first theater production that has taken place in two years, she wanted to make the process as smooth as possible. It was also noted that she wanted the whole school to feel more involved in the play. For the first time ever, one of the main characters, Nigel, is being played by an instrumentalist, our very own Jake Millburn.
Not only will the stage be filled with amazing numbers that feature a punk-rock version of Shakespeare, but the audience will be immersed in the Renaissance as soon as they step through the Maryland Theater doors. Actors from the theater department will greet the audience dressed in groundling and townsfolk outfits to give the audience an interactive experience they will never forget. The lobby will be riddled with actors before the play, during intermission, and at the end of the production.
The partnership between Barbara Ingram and the Maryland Theater brought the amazing opportunity for the cast and crew of Something Rotten to have three days of practice on the stage. This is the first opportunity that BISFA has ever had to use the Maryland Theater to set the props and numbers up a whole month in advance to the performance. Not only has the Maryland Theater opened opportunities for this play in particular, but Mrs. Lewis has too. By giving the students big rolls on and off stage, she has opened doors for the seniors that would’ve been shut otherwise. “Because of the new head of our department [Mrs.Lewis], if our department was still the same way, I wouldn’t have these opportunities… This student opportunity has opened up so many doors especially for college, it’s expanded my portfolio and it’s expanded my resume.” said Mackenzie Guynes.
Just from one sneak-peek given to us on the 18th, we can say with confidence that this is a performance that you will not want to miss. We highly encourage you to come see the very entertaining and very immersive experience of Something Rotten from April 22-May 1 at the Maryland Theater for the viewing and enjoyment of this play.
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