With opening night of “Seussical the Musical” this week, Hastings High’s theater and music programs have been putting the final touches on the production.
“We have something called tech week, which is also the worst week ever because you have basically every single night a dress rehearsal,” senior Macie Clawson said about this last week of rehearsal before the musical opens.
While tech week can be very stressful, it is also one of the highlights for people involved with the production.
“My favorite part of the process is probably this week, which is hard for me to say since I’m very tired. But last night we had costumes on the stage for the first time, the first number has everybody on stage, and I looked at Mrs. Dunbar and I was like, ‘Emily, it’s a show! Hey look, it’s a show!” theater sponsor, Katie Funkey, said.
Musicians and actors are also very excited for the opportunity to put Dr. Seuss’ books into a show. The musical features characters from Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and much more.
“I love Dr. Seuss. So it was great to see his words put into music. I’ve been really excited for this show ever since we heard we were doing it back in December,” Clawson said.
While the show is fun and exciting to watch, there was a surprising reason for choosing to put on “Seussical the Musical”.
“It was something that I really wanted to design, like from a costume and set aspect. I thought that was something that I was inspired to do. Sometimes that’s hard to look at a set and go, ‘How do I build this? What’s it going to look like?’ And Seussical I just saw in my head,” Funkey said.
It took a lot of hard work and energy to make Seussical happen, but it was still enjoyable for those involved.
“I know that on Sunday afternoon I’m going to be a mess and I’ll probably be crying because of my last show ever,” Clawson said.
“This has been a show where kids have been able to make it their own,” Funkey said. “They’ve also created these great characters where they make me laugh every time they come on. Very little of that is me, that’s all their creativity, that’s all their ideas.”
Hastings High School’s production of “Seussical the Musical” has showings on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2 at 7:30 and Sunday, April 3 at 2:30. Tickets cost $4 for students and $7 for adults. Activity tickets are not accepted.