On stage and behind the scenes, Metro students get ready for the District 2 musical

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By Times & Transcript Staff

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Whether onstage or backstage, Metro high school students are working together to bring the musical Grease to life.

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VIKTOR PIVOVAROV/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

Jessica Burlock as Marty and Doug Smith as Sonny perform in the School District 2 presentation of ‘Grease.’

The production allows teens with a love of theatre to experience the fun, thrills and, yes, stress, of putting a show on stage.

"When I first tried to sell the concept to the board (of District 2, which administers English schools in southeastern New Brunswick), this is what it was about," remembers Michael McArdle, a Theatre Arts teacher at Moncton High School, "It was all about bringing the kids who had a passion for musical theatre together and letting them share their love for acting, singing, and dancing."

This year the two principal leads, Danny and Sandy are double cast, which means that there are two people playing each lead role. On alternative nights, they play another character. In both cases with Grease, one of the pair is near the beginning of their high school musical career.

"I was really surprised to get the part of Danny," says Gabe LeBlanc. "I mean, I've seen other musicals, and I have been involved in bands, I like the idea of acting and singing, but I didn't expect to get such a big part when I auditioned."

But both Gabe and Ian Furlong, the veteran actor in his fifth major production, love the idea of sharing the role.

"I was Gaston in Beauty and the Beast," says Ian, "but every show is different. I love being a different person each year, and this year I get to try something new by being more than one character."

On the alternate nights, when they are not Danny, they play the roles of Teen Angel and Johnny.

If it sounds like a lot of work, you are right.

Ryley Hansen who plays Dutch, a member of the T-Birds has been in drama right from Grade 9 as well and she describes life at rehearsal like this:

"(Rehearsals are) a lot of fun," she says. "Most of us get along. The dancing and music are fun. And because there are people from all the different schools, you make friends you never would otherwise.

"I mean, we are together every day after school and it gets really intense some times, but you don't really think about it. We love it, and so this is where we want to be."

Sydney Acker, who plays Jan, one of the Pink Ladies, says that you can get very frustrated. "You get tired of being around people," she jokes.

"At the same time, all the people in the show are like my best friends now, I know then better than the people I see in classes," adds Kristen MacKenzie, who plays Rizzo.

"The hard part is balancing school," says Sydney. "Drama is such a big part of your life."

"And then, when it's over," offers Meghan Trainor, who shares the role of Sandy, "you go through withdrawal."

"It is so weird the first time you go home on the bus again," she says. "It has been months. Last year I had the bus driver asking me if I belonged on that bus. He had forgotten me by the time the show was over. You feel sort of lost without it."

So you have the students who spend every afternoon and lots of weekends for three months wrapped up in the show, but you also have all the people doing the same amount of work in different ways behind the scenes.

Julian Murillo moved from Colombia five years ago and almost immediately began working both behind the scenes and on stage with the district musicals.

"I have been involved since Grade 9," he says. "Right from the beginning I got involved with the construction aspect, building the sets and working on that sort of thing."

When the production actually moves to the Capitol Theatre for performance, Julian will become the Deck Captain and continue to oversee the set, making sure everything is still working, and possibly making repairs and alterations on the fly.

"Kids have been doing the backstage work every year," says Mike McArdle, "We have people from Grades 9 to 12 doing whatever they can with costumes, sets, mike tracking, spot lights, and stage crew. We have a student crew chief and a student stage manager.

"The only thing we cannot let the kids do is run some of the more expensive equipment at the Capitol. They use their own people for that but, other than that, they are involved in everything."

And don't forget the parents. Roberta Laity showed up at a meeting four years ago and volunteered to sew her daughter's costume. She immediately became the chief costumer for the district musicals.

"Although this one is certainly less stressful than Beauty and the Beast, as there are no hinges or other contraptions to build in," jokes Roberta, "I am still here every night and putting in 12-hour Saturdays in the cafeteria."

In fact, they jokingly call it Roberta's Sweat Shop. She gets mothers together for the whole day Saturday and they fit and transform every piece to look its best on stage.

"There are six or seven moms that are really the core, but others join in where they can," says Roberta. "But it really is fun and great. When I am finished I go through withdrawal as well."

Julian has worked backstage and played a character before, and he thinks he was more a 'part of everything' when he was on stage. But he knows he is still a big part of the show.

"This year I was going to audition, but I decided to focus on what I do best. I am designing and building the world that they get to play in," he says. "I am artistic, I am creative, and I get thanked here and there. I appreciate the recognition I get and it is really fun, a chance to show the world what I can do."